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  • DCEmu Featured News Articles

    by Published on July 22nd, 2006 11:22

    Software colossus Microsoft today reported its earnings for its fiscal fourth quarter, which ended June 30, 2006. Overall, the tech giant saw $2.3 billion in profits on revenue of $11.8 billion. That was a 24 percent slide from the $3.7 billion in profits on revenue of $10.2 billion it enjoyed during the same quarter in 2005.

    The fastest-growing sector of Microsoft's various businesses was its Server and Tools division, which saw $3.18 billion of quarterly income, an 18 percent year-on-year increase. However, another sector closer to gamers' hearts also saw massive revenue increases. Microsoft's Home and Entertainment division, which includes games, saw $1.14 billion in revenue--a 94 percent boost when compared to the $587 million the division earned in 2005. Xbox revenue--which includes sales of the original Xbox and Xbox 360--increased some $503 million, or 129 percent.

    Obviously, one big reason for the massive increase in revenue was brisk sales of the Xbox 360, which, after several months of shortages, is now in ample supply. Microsoft was eager to tout the console's success, announcing that it shipped over 1.8 million Xbox 360 units during the quarter, bringing its international installed base to 5 million. Microsoft also took the opportunity to retout the fact that 60 percent of Xbox 360 owners--some three million consumers--use Xbox Live, its online gaming service.

    However, despite the jump in sales, the Home & Entertainment division once again lost money--a lot of money. It posted an operating loss of $414 million for the quarter, a 106 percent increase from the previous year. The biggest reason for the increase is the fact that, as Microsoft admits, it loses a significant amount of money on each Xbox 360 sold.

    "Home and Entertainment operating loss increased primarily as a result of a $682 million increase in cost of revenue primarily associated with the Xbox 360, partially offset by the revenue growth," the company said in its earnings report. "Our business model anticipates that while we currently sell Xbox 360 consoles at a negative margin, product cost reductions and the future margins on sales of games and other products will enable us to achieve a positive margin over the Xbox 360 console lifecycle."

    While such predictions may reassure some, others will find it interesting that Microsoft also still loses money on the original Xbox, which was introduced back in 2001. "The first-generation Xbox consoles continue to have negative margins," said the company. Microsoft also said a 19 percent increase in headcount, in part due to its acquisition of Lionhead Studios, contributed to the division's losses.

    By itself, the Home and Entertainment division saw $4.266 billion in revenue for the fiscal year, earning $1.56 billion during the October-December 2005 quarter when the Xbox 360 launched. But, as with the quarterly earnings, H&E's expenditures once again outpaced its revenue. Its operating loss jumped 160 percent from $485 million in FY2005 to $1.262 billion in FY2006.

    "Home and Entertainment operating loss increased primarily as a result of a $1.64 billion increase in cost of revenue primarily as a result of the number of Xbox 360 consoles sold and higher Xbox 360 unit costs, partially offset by the revenue growth," said the company. "Our fiscal year 2006 operating loss increase was also attributable to the significant impact of Halo 2 in fiscal year 2005"--the year the game shattered sales records on the original Xbox.

    Despite the massive losses of its game division, Microsoft still posted strong overall results for its 2006 fiscal year, which also ended June 30, 2006. The company reported annual revenue of $44.28 billion, an 11 percent increase over its 2005 fiscal year. Net income--that is, profit--for the year was $12.60 billion, versus $12.25 billion the previous year. The company is also planning to buy back some $20 billion in stock in a massive tender offer. ...
    by Published on July 22nd, 2006 11:16

    According to Impress Watch, the Pokemon Company has announced that it will be giving away 150 "I Love Pikachu" special-edition DS Lites. The Nintendo portables will be identical to the Ceramic White model that has been released, except it will feature images of Pikachu, the most recognizable Pokemon.

    In order to enter the contest, fans should check out the I Love Pokemon Club Web site using either their mobile phones or PCs. One hundred of the special DS Lites will be given to visitors to the PC version of the Web site, and 50 will be given to visitors of the mobile-phone site. ...
    by Published on July 22nd, 2006 11:14

    Recently released figures of the first half of 2006 paint a clear picture of the Japanese game market: It's one dominated by Nintendo's portable system--but expect the latter half of the year to be a match-up between next-generation systems from Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony.

    The latest Weekly Famitsu, dated Friday, August 4, details the results of Japan's gaming market during the first half of the 2006 fiscal year, from December 26, 2005, to June 25, 2006.

    Handhelds are dominating the Japanese market. Sales of the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite have reached 4 million units--a 63 percent share of the hardware market, according to Famitsu. The Game Boy Advance SP and Micro hardware picked up a little over 5 percent.

    Nintendo's gain in the market contrasted with Sony's loss, as both the market share of the PlayStation 2 and the PlayStation Portable dipped. The PS2 dropped out of the dominant position it held in the first semester of 2005, plummeting from 29.6 percent to 13.5 percent. The PSP's share slipped 10 percent from the same period last year, although it managed to sell close to 1 million units, giving it 16.1 percent of the market.

    Last but not least, the Xbox 360 sold 64,392 units for a 1 percent share--despite Microsoft's attempt to harness World Cup fever with a limited-edition 360 package featuring the Japanese soccer team's motif.

    Compared with the same period in 2005, total hardware sales soared from 4.3 million to nearly 6.2 million units. In software, sales of top 100 titles for all consoles for the first semester of 2006 totaled more than 36 million, up from the roughly 24 million sold in the first half of 2005. Software sales closely mirrored the dominance of the DS in hardware. Of the top 10 selling games, seven were Nintendo DS titles, while three were for the PS2--the opposite of first-semester 2005, when three titles were DS games and the rest PS2 titles.

    The period's top game, selling more than 2.5 million copies, was the DS title Kahashima Ryuuta Kyouju Kanshuu: Motto Nou o Kitaeru Otona DS Training--otherwise known as the sequel to Brain Age. Following closely in sales were Final Fantasy XII on the PS2 (about 2.3 million copies) and New Super Mario Bros. on the DS (about 1.7 million copies). Animal Crossing: Wild World on the DS placed fourth, and the original Brain Age was fifth. The remaining top 10 games, in order of popularity, were Eigo ga Nigate na Otona no DS Training: Eigozuke (DS), World Soccer Winning Eleven 10 (PS2), Mario Kart DS (DS), Tetris DS (DS), and Monster Hunter 2 (PS2).

    Looking at the top 100 overall, things weren't so lopsided. The PS2 had 45 titles in the top 100, while the DS had 32. The sole Xbox 360 game, coming in at number 72, was Tecmo's Dead or Alive 4, while Konami's Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence made the cut at number 100.

    Early 2006 belonged to the DS, but, Famitsu predicted, the latter half of the year will be marked by a three-way struggle between the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360. ...
    by Published on July 22nd, 2006 11:13

    News from Gamespot

    Source: The ever-popular gaming blog Kotaku.

    The official story: Calls left with Clinton's press office had not been returned as of press time.

    What we heard: It's no secret that Hilary Clinton is considering a presidential bid in 2008. It's also no secret that the junior Senator from New York has been trying to scrape off the "liberal" label conservatives have slapped onto her by adopting a center-right stance on a variety of issues, including the war in Iraq.

    Clinton also tried to up her family-values cred with a hard-line response to the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas "Hot Coffee" scandal. In the wake of the game being pulled from store shelves after sex minigames were discovered buried in its code, the senator called for federal legislation that would make selling M- or AO-rated games to minors a federal crime. Later, she joined fellow senator Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) in calling for the Centers for Disease Control to investigate the "impact of electronic media use" on minors.

    But while the Federal Trade Commission has formally ended its investigation into San Andreas publisher Take-Two Interactive, rumor has it that Clinton isn't done taking potshots at gaming. Today, Kotaku editor Brian D. Crecente obtained an e-mail sent out by Clinton's office looking for "volunteers for a new anti-violence in video games initiative."

    By "volunteers," Clinton apparently means individuals willing to be a "concerned parent" at a press conference. Naturally, the parents will be "concerned" about the hazards games present to their children. According to Kotaku, they should also be willing to voice their concerns to the press to help sway public opinion in favor of a new measure Clinton reportedly wants to introduce--a federal game tax akin to taxes states levy on cigarettes. Proceeds from the tax would fund a program for troubled minors.

    So is the report legit? GameSpot spoke with Crecente, who, unlike o-so-many blog proprietors, is a professional, legitimate journalist working for the Rocky Mountain News. Though he would not share the e-mail for fear of revealing his source, he swore it was "very reliable."

    But even without concrete proof, one thing is abundantly clear: Clinton is waging a public crusade against games. At a recent speech in front of the Kaiser Family Foundation, she accused modern society of performing a "massive experiment" on millions of children by exposing them to games, electronic media, and omnipresent advertising. "At the rate that technology is advancing, people will be implanting chips in our children to advertise directly into their brains and tell them what kind of products to buy," Clinton warned, according to the New York Daily News.

    Bogus or not bogus?: Given Crecente's reputation, this rumor is more credible than most. Unfortunately, that means gamers can expect their favorite pastime to become a political punching bag when the 2008 presidential campaign heats up next year.
    ...
    by Published on July 22nd, 2006 11:09

    Ok, so we got off the horn with Microsoft just a few minutes ago and realized that making heads or tails of all this Zune stuff is probably driving some of you crazy . (We know others are probably just getting driven crazy by all the posts we've been writing about it. Sorry, it's our job!) So here's what we know for sure, think we know according to inside sources (i.e. yet unconfirmed information), and what we don't yet know at all about the Zune.

    What we know (for sure)

    Zune is the name of the project, the brand, and the device.
    The first Zune device will be launched this year, with more devices to come in 2007.
    The Zune brand encompasses not only the device, but the software that will drive it, as well as a music, movie, and media service the Zune device family will use for acquiring, sharing, and discovery of said media. Music will be the first angle of service that is launched, "connected entertainment" being the ultimate goal.

    The Zune media service will heavily leverage community aspects and recommendation; emphasis is being placed on using Zune to discover new artists, media, etc.
    The Zune media device will be drive-based, and have WiFi.
    The Zune brand is intended to be an entirely vertically integrated end-to-end solution, not unlike the iPod / iTunes / iTunes Music Store triumvirate.
    The service and device will not be PlaysForSure compliant, meaning you will not be able to use your Zune player with Napster or Vongo, for example. This will be an entirely new system. Microsoft will continue to support and develop for their PlaysForSure initiative, but all things PlaysForSure are handled by two entirely separate division that will not have any crossover.

    Zune is under Microsoft's new Entertainment & Devices Division, and is headed by, among others, Robbie Bach, J Allard (Corporate Vice President and Chief XNA Architect), and Bryan Lee (Corporate Vice President and CFO, Entertainment and Devices Division), which accounts for the division of this project from the rest of Microsoft, similar to how the Xbox project was also strictly separated.
    The logo we had is, of course, real.
    Microsoft's launched the Zune's viral marketing site. [Thanks, bv]
    What we think we know (and are pretty sure of)

    They'll be showing off the device by the end of next month, and will aim for a November release.
    Microsoft will buy your way out of iTunes in order to convert you to a Zune user.

    The Zune will come in multiple colors.
    Pyxis is the codename for their nano competitor which would also include video capabilities; Alexandria is the codename for the software that powers the Zune experience.
    A Microsoft portable gaming system is in the works, and will be a part of the Zune family. This device should have Xbox Live Anywhere integration. This may or may not be an Xbox co-branded portable, but is probably going to be the portable gaming / media device we've been hearing about for years.
    Microsoft's ad campaign will include a Super Bowl commercial.
    The Zune will have a bevy of accessories at launch; it'll probably be cheaper for accessory makers to develop for the Zune port than pay the Made For iPod tax.
    What we don't yet know

    Whether the Zune media service will offer the same kind of all-you-can-eat subscription media services as PlaysForSure media services like Napster and Vongo. Supposedly subscription will be offered, but downplayed in favor of song purchase (which is the opposite of most PlaysForSure services).

    Whether you'll actually only be limited to sharing with up to 10 people nearby, as rumored, and that they won't get the protected files, but will "bookmark" them for later purchase.
    Exact device specifications for the first Zune device, as well as its price (though we hear it could be as much as $399).
    Whether it'll include XM and/or Sirius service as rumored (we doubt it).
    Let the analysis begin! ...
    by Published on July 22nd, 2006 09:30

    Hi Guys,
    This is my X-Flash Kerrang Build 2 release.

    See the documentation in the program's built in document reader.
    Cheers, Art.

    Download and Give Feedback Via Comments
    Donate:
    http://www.freewebs.com/defxev/xflash.htm ...
    by Published on July 22nd, 2006 00:35

    Xport released a new version of Vice64X a Commodore 64 Emulator for the XBox.

    What's new

    * Fixed SID playback in UI
    * Date/timestamp appears next to each used save state in the state selection menu.

    More Info-> http://xport.xbox-scene.com ...
    by Published on July 22nd, 2006 00:33

    th0mas has released a port of Wolfenstein 3D for the Xbox using the legal OpenXDK:

    After some newfound interested in the OpenXDK, a workaround was found for input handling so input now works 100% (!!), so I guess it's time to release some ports . I bring you a completely legal port of Wolf3D, the classic id FPS. It comes all ready to play with the shareware data files - unfortunately I don't think the registered datafiles or expansion packs will work at this time. If there is interest in getting this to work let me know and I'll see what I can do. Anyways, binary release - just unpack and copy to your xbox, data directory intact. Source release - have fun, requires OpenXDK from CVS or better.

    Bugs:
    * Savegames get reported as corrupted.. but they load fine.
    * Sound doesn't work
    * Strafing over an item does not pick it up

    Controls:
    * triggers to fire
    * A to open doors
    * X to strafe, B to run
    * Start/Back are Enter/Escape

    If anyone really can't handle that keymapping let me know and I can change it.

    Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...
    by Published on July 22nd, 2006 00:27

    The internet is full of sites that are charging to access servers that have homebrew on and sadly these servers mostly have no link back to the coders who actually released the software, do you directly or indirectly pay for homebrew, i would like to gather information on why people do it, is it a lack of knowledge which means they are getting robbed or something else.

    Post your replys via the comments

    One word to mention is that either directly or indirectly Homebrew should always be free ...
    by Published on July 22nd, 2006 00:15

    News from AMN

    Fans of the original Power Stone get ready for the series triumphant return on the PSP. The series originally appeared on the Sega Dreamcast and was enjoyed by many. Some compare the title to Super Smash Bros with its party type fighting genre and gameplay. Capcom has finally decided it's time to give the series another go and release it on the PSP. Later this Fall the PSP will receive Power Stone Collection, which will feature the first Power Stone as well as its sequel, will also feature a bunch of new PSP exclusive features as well.

    With the release of Power Stone Collection for the PSP expect the same great gameplay and feel from the original Dreamcast versions. When the title releases later this year expect fast-paced gameplay, sharp graphics, a solid single player arcade mode, and plenty of multiplayer modes.

    The arcade mode will allow players to play through a variety of levels and battle a number of opponents. Instead of the traditional one-on-one fighting like most fighters Power Stone mixes things up so in some matches you'll be battling one opponent then the next match four opponents. This adds a nice mix to the traditional formula. Perhaps you might want to check out the training mode before taking on the tough opponents in the single player mode though. In training mode you will be able to hone all your abilities, skills, items, and weapons. Remember practice makes perfect.

    The PSP will feature a new multiplayer mode with Ad/Hoc support allowing you to play all your friends who own a PSP. The game will also feature Game sharing mode and will allow up to three others to play using a single UMD disc. With the transition to the PSP screen Capcom has upgraded there camera system. Not only will players get a wider view of the action, tailored for the PSP system’s widescreen, but they can also toggle between wide, mid and close range views of the action at any time.

    Everyone knows that whenever they play a good fighter they always want a picture of the move they pulled off so they can brag to their friends. Well know you can do that in Power Stone Collection with the all new Screenshot mode. Pause during the game and simply adjust the camera to take the perfect picture of the perfect move.

    Power Stone Collection is set to hit the PSP later this year. This will be a breathe of fresh air for PSP owners with the games fast-paced gameplay, cartoony graphics, and great line-up characters.
    ...
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