News/release from bigjoe2000

I've been working on this on and off for the past couple of weeks and I think it's ready for release. Please be gentle as this is my first crack at any handheld development.

BackupBuddy is a simple utility that finds all the new .sav files on your card and uploads them to an FTP server. The idea here is that you run this utility when you plug your DS in to charge at night. A few minutes later, you can rest assured that all your day's hard play will be backed up.

This assumes you can connect to a wireless network and have access to an FTP server.

So, the first time you run it, it will write a config file in your /DATA/SETTINGS directory (the directory will be created automatically if it doesn't exist). Then launch your favorite editor *cough*DSOrganize*cough* and enter in your FTP server settings. Now go back and launch BackupBuddy again and watch it send all your .savs to backupeddy goodness.

Turn your sound up and you'll hear a reassuring sound whenever a file is successfully transmitted (and a bad sound, which you'll hopefully never hear, on error). When this program is done, it will turn off your DS automatically.

I've only tested this using a CycloDS, but I think it will work with any slot 1 and slot 2 cards (although you may have to do some patching for DLDI and whatnot.. don't really know cause Cyclo is me-proof)

You can peruse the source and/or build yourself if you're so inclined. Feel free to use and abuse any code snippets you find. I only ask that you let me know if you found the program useful and please let me know if you [had trouble|weren't able to] actually getting it working

README

BackupBuddy.nds
BackupBuddy.ds.gba

source


Although I don't see how it could possibly corrupt your memory card, I highly recommend you backup your save files with your tried and true method before running this for the first time. I'd hate to see someone lose their sav files because of this utility.

Of course, I make no warranties, expressed or implied. If your DS implodes, transporting you and the entire eastern seaboard through a wormhole back to the big bang, I cannot be held responsible.

Please leave some feedback and/or bug reports here if you try it


If there's any interest generated here, I'll probably work on adding an actual GUI and making it pretty. But really it's just something I know I'll use every day and if someone else finds it useful, that would be cool.

Download Above and Give Feedback Via Comments ...

via IGN

Today D3 Publisher announced Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords has shipped for the PlayStation 2. Initially available on the DS and PSP earlier this year, Puzzle Quest has become a bit of a phenomenon due to its addictive blend of Bejewelled-style "match three" gameplay and RPG elements.

Players can develop and customize their own personal hero as they travel the land matching jewels, gaining experience, and learning spells. Battle is handled on the field of puzzle in head-to-head matches over a Bejewelled screen.

Puzzle Quest lands on the PS2 at the bargain price of $19.99.

...

StrmnNrmn has updated his blog today on Tuesday, and it's about his progress on the Media Engine.

"Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Media Engine progress
Over the weekend I described my plans for getting audio list processing working on the PSP's Media Engine. I'm making some decent progress so far. I've got Daedalus loading a kernel mode PRX to handle the ME nitty gritty, and I've managed to execute some test code on the ME successfully.

I've spent some time reviewing the audio code, trying to figure out if any bits are particularly amenable to running asynchronously, and trying to figure out if there is anything that is going to cause any problems when running this code on the ME. Fortunately it looks like all of Azimer's audio code is very straightforward C so there should be no problems getting it running on the ME once the synchronisation issues are dealt with. I've also realised that alongside the audio list processing there is also some expensive 44kHz upsampling code which will run very nicely on the ME too.

Via StrmnNrmn's Blog: http://strmnnrmn.blogspot.com/

I have the feeling that debugging code on the ME is going to be particularly painful, so I want to try and catch as many of the obvious synchronisation bugs as early as possible. This evening I've started writing a job manager to 'simulate' executing code on the ME. The manager simply creates a thread which sits and waits for jobs to come in, mimicing the behaviour of the mediaengineprx. Once I've got the audio list processing running correctly through the job manager, I can easily switch things over to get these jobs running on the ME in parallel to the main core. That's the plan, anyway

-StrmnNrmn"


Glad to see he's updating alot now, hopefully he'll get through this smoothly. ...

via Gizmodo




Artist Billy Chasen took an iPod, blew it apart, and encased it in resin. Big deal, right? Well, the cool thing about this is that the iPod still works. Yeah, despite being blown up and frozen in resin, he's still able to play music off of it. This would be the best desk stereo ever just hook it up to speakers, get a remote control working on it, and you've got one distinctive piece of functional art on your desk. Awesome.


More photographs here ...

via Computer and Video Games


PES and Metal Gear Solid house Konami has revealed that it believes no one format will dominate the playing field this generation, after the PS2 took the lead in almost every territory last time around.

With sales of over 120 million consoles worldwide, Xbox and Gamecube were left to fight for the PS2's scraps. According to Konami, it'll be a lot fairer split this time around.


With the Wii's lead looking increasingly smaller over the growing 360 and PS3 userbase, we can see what they're on about. Does this mean we'll get MGS4 on Xbox, though? ...

via Games Industry


Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare blasted its way to the top of the charts this week thanks in particular to a strong performance on Xbox 360, which accounted for 63 per cent of the multi-platform game's weekend sales according to Chart-Track's latest data.

THQ's WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 claimed second place, having launched on six formats including next-generation consoles. However, PlayStation 2 owners accounted for 44 per cent of its sales, demonstrating that the console still has plenty of support.

Elsewhere in the top ten, The Simpsons Game held firm at number three thanks in part to the launch of PS3 and PSP SKUs, while last week's top two - Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 and EA Sports' FIFA 08 - sank to four and five respectively as sales slowed.

Nintendo once again bucked that trend, however, as both its Brain Training titles rose up the top ten to take sixth (Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training) and seventh (More Brain Training From Dr. Kawashima) ahead of The Sims 2: Castaway (down one place), Ratatouille (down five places to nine) and Microsoft's Halo 3 (down five to ten).

Other new releases fared less well, with Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga struggling to find purchase in a busy week, managing only 17th place, while Sony will likely be disappointed that the critically acclaimed Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction - described by some as the best PS3 game to date - could only find its way to 19th in the All-Formats Chart. Worse still, it could only make it to third on the PS3's own chart, taking up position behind WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 at number two and Call of Duty 4 at one.

Activision's multi-format first-person shooter certainly won the week - thanks to releases on PC, PlayStation 3 and DS - and picked up strong review scores in the run up to launch, including a 9/10 from our sister site Eurogamer. The game marks a return to form for the series after original developer Infinity Ward reassumed control for the fourth instalment.

It recorded the 11th biggest weekly sell-through ever, according to Chart-Track, and is second only to Halo 3 in terms of Xbox 360 titles in that regard.

Whether it will hold on for a second week is hard to say though, as Nintendo (Super Mario Galaxy - Wii), Ubisoft (Assassin's Creed - PS3/360) and EA (Crysis - PC) all make extremely strong claims starting this Friday. Nintendo, in particular, will be expecting an upsurge in hardware sales as it introduces Mario to the Nintendo Wii in his most traditional guise yet - and in a game critics are describing as the spiritual successor to Super Mario 64, one of its most acclaimed games ever.

The full top ten is as follows:
1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
2. WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2008
3. The Simpsons Game
4. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
5. FIFA 08
6. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training
7. More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima
8. The Sims 2: Castaway
9. Ratatouille
10. Halo 3 ...

via Eurogamer


Tomorrow Microsoft will release its 100th title for Live Arcade, and will celebrate with cake.

There are actually two games being crashed into our faces tomorrow - the first being tilty-roly-maze game Shrek 'n Roll. All you have to do is guide Rooney and friends around 16 puzzling courses, either on your own, co-operatively or against your chums. Shrek will be available for 800 Magic Beans (GBP 6.80 / EUR 9.30).

Following this is the self-proclaimed exciting title Screwjumper! It's a free-falling action game where you have to destroy alien mining equipment so they get fed-up and leave. There are four planets to clear up, and it will set you back 800 Moon Acres (GBP 6.80 / EUR 9.30).

As always, if you are a little bit unsure about these, just wait a couple of days for our reviews. ...

via Eurogamer


Konami says it is working on fixes for a number of issues specific to the PlayStation 3 version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008.

Online gameplay quality, stuttering graphics and game freezes are all addressed in the latest update to the publisher's online FAQ, which also suggests some short-term solutions while they work on proper fixes.

For example, people experiencing "stuttering" are very likely "not playing the game in high definition", it says here. "The solution to this problem is to play the game on an HDTV with an HDMI or component cable and the PS3 set to output in 720p resolution or above." (Er.) Calm down though, because they are "continuing to work on finding a solution for those people who do not have access to an HDTV".

What about online gameplay? "We have uncovered issues which affect online gameplay quality of PES 2008," the FAQ says. "We are working at full strength to find a solution as quickly as possible. We sincerely apologise for this inconvenience."

Meanwhile, if you're having problems with the game freezing in the Master League or when starting a match, you're advised that these issues mainly present themselves when the game has been installed to the hard disk. In the Master League's case, a combination of auto-saving and hard disk storage causes problems, so turning off auto-save is a short-term workaround, while matches freezing up are apparently down to a mixture of hard-disk install and players with camera-customised appearance - something you can dodge by playing PES 2008 without installing the game to the hard disk. ...

via Computer and Video Games


There are fresh rumours doing the rounds this morning that a sequel to Insomniac's PS3-launch shooter, Resistance: Fall of Man will, be with us next year.

Ripten.com claims to have received info from a "trusted source" that Sony is preparing to put Resistance 2 through a major stress test in January.

Sony, of course, has yet to confirm the existence of Resistance 2, but you just know it's in the pipeline.

A rumour on the sequel appearing last month suggested that the follow-up is being tentatively prepared for launch next November, and will relocate the alien-bashing action to the States.

It even went as far as to say that the sequel will feature a cliff-hanger ending paving the way for a third game in the series. ...