DCEmu Homebrew Emulation & Theme Park News
DCEmu Featured News Articles
by Published on January 13th, 2008 17:00
First off thanks to rememberthe8bit for the news tip
DWEdit has released a new version of the excellent Gameboy Colour Emulator for the GBA(and DS).
Heres the release info:
New version of Goomba Color! Just bugfixes if you were using the WIP versions, but major changes if you were stuck using Alpha 6.
*Finally fixed the problems with extra layers going out of sync (notably the bug where it takes out screen border)
*Lots of other little changes
Other notable bugs fixed:
* When a rom does a repeated stack push crash (such as recursively executing RST instructions), it no longer corrupts the emulator's memory.
* No longer uses NES-style sprite-bg priority, because a GB is not a NES.
Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...by Published on January 13th, 2008 16:46
Hi all today i finally got around to getting my hands on the TOPTOY DS (TTDS) a new flashcart for the Nintendo DS from Neoflash. Heres my review of the TOPTOY DS (TTDS).
Where to Buy
Buy from IC2005 $59.00 (£28.00)
Foreword
I am not an expert on anything even though i webmaster one of the biggest homebrew sites, i am infact a fan just like most others and more of a noobie than an expert, if i dont know i ask, so from me youll get a review in a way that as long as it works then im happy, i am no expert so you wont get a massively technical explanation youll get a straight yes or no.
What is the TOPTOY DS (TTDS) ?
Heres the description:
* Slot-1 1:1 Original small size
* Build in passme function
* Not need patch, just need drag and drop, then plug and play
* Support all roms, compatibility = 100%
* Support homebrew app & game, auto DLDI patch in memory
* Support moonshell MP3/Movie player
* Support cheat code function, more fun now
* Support 4-class brightness adjust in menu (NDSL only)
* Pure hardware save, never lose data
* Automatically detect and generate save type
* TF menu core upgradeable
* Supports FAT/FAT32, works on any OS
* Supports any TF card speed without any lag in the game
* Built-in power-saving function
* User friendly skin able interface. Touch screen or button operation
* Supports skin DIY
◇Support normal TF and SDHC, up to 4096GByte.
◇Support soft reset in the game
◇Support wireless multi-player (WIFI Game)
◇The save data can use in NDS Emulator directly
Heres Some Photos of the TOPTOY DS
The Cart
The Packaging and Contents
Review
Neoflash are one of the worlds biggest and well known makers of flash carts for the Nintendo DS and the toptoyDS is the latest one to grace the DS Community.
The Toptoy DS comes in a sturdy plastic packing which means that no damage should occur on route to your house, Inside the packaging comes the Flash Cart, a Mini USB adapter for Micro SD Cards (they go inside the flash cart) and a Mini CD containing drivers/firmware for the Flash Cart.
The Flash Cart itself takes Micro SD Memory Cards which are fairly cheap these days, so you can easily go up to 4GB and yes thats a shedload of Homebrew
OK now my DS Lite hasnt got a power lead so i couldnt do a thorough review but heres my findings
When i first switched on it booted up with a question mark and an error with no menu so i went to Neoflash and installed the latest one from them. I just unzipped the file and dropped it on the root of the Micro SD Card.
I then booted up and was presented with a Nice and functional Menu screen with the list of games and apps i put on to try.
Needless to say i tried some commercial roms of games i own ie Mario 64, New Mario Bros, Nintendogs and Theme Park all loaded perfectly and saved too, no slowdowns or glitches to report of. With the commercial games it does tell you some info but me being me takes no notice of it
Then onwards to the Homebrew stuff and my first to try was the latest version of DSOrganize the browser cum filofax type for the Nintendo DS and believe me Nintendo Should actually make this a base app that is on every Nintendo DS, anyway it played perfectly.
I then tried another fave A Touch of War the RTS game and yet again perfect. One game that stalled on loading was Starlite the Starcraft Clone for the DS, it had a blue cross signal so must be imcompatible i presume.
Moonshell was last on my list whilst trying to preserve my battery and it worked flawlessly.
Conclusion
An easy to use Flash Cart with excellent compatability both on Commercial and Homebrew Games, simple to use and easy to understand just drag and drop. One big feature is the ability to auto DLDI patch in memory.
The ability to use any size Memcard makes this a decent buy and well recommended.
Score out of 10, well for me id give it an 8.5/10
For those who have the TopToyDS Please give your reviews via Comments ...by Published on January 13th, 2008 16:00
Hi all today i got my hands on the JXD301 a games console/Media player thats buzzing in the homebrew scene at the moment. Heres my review of the JXD301.
Foreword
I am not an expert on anything even though i webmaster one of the biggest homebrew sites, i am infact a fan just like most others and more of a noobie than an expert, if i dont know i ask, so from me youll get a review in a way that as long as it works then im happy, i am no expert so you wont get a massively technical explanation youll get a straight yes or no.
What is the JXD301 ?
Heres the description:
The JXD 301 boasts a 3.0" LTPS TFT display making it a premier portable media player. It supports many audio files such as MP3, WMA, FLAC and video files such as RMVB, FLV and AVI files. The JXD 301 has the ability to play NES, SNES, SMD, GBC, GBA and Neo Geo games. Being about the same size as the GBA Micro, The JXD 301 is a great little device to bring around for your entertainment needs.
Dimensions: 115x60x12.5mm
Weight: 150g
ADI Blackfin 500mhz processor
2GB Built in memory
3 inch LTPS-TFT display
16 mega color high density display screen
Supports RM/RMVB/AVI/DAT/FLV/MPG/MPEG video format
Support MP3/WMA/APE/FLAC audio format
Uses a seperate audio coding chipset
Plays NES, MD, SFC, GB, GBC, GBA, NEO GEO
Built in E-book reader with pronounciation
USB 2.0 high speed
Features 10 types of surround stereo EQ modes
Support JPG/BMP/GIF/GIF cartoon picture browse;
Built in microphone, Sampling Rate: 8kHz-320kHz
Uses SD cards
Heres Some Photos of the JXD301
The Box
Inside the Box
All the accessories
The Jxd301
Sideview
Ordering and Delivery
I ordered my JXD301 from USA retailer GP2XStore.com (who sell a lot more than just GP2X). The order was dealt with within the hour and was shipped the same day which was very impressive, nothing worse than ordering and waiting weeks for the console. Shipping and the console were at a good price too, even more so with the weak dollar.
My parcel was delivered by EMS and i had no Customs Charges something which pleases me no end and even though it was the festive season it arrived within 4 days, yet another plus.
Opening the Packaging
The console comes in a box which tells you what it does etc but no mention of emulators most likely to avoid customs etc. The console itself is a similiar size to a GBA Micro although thinner. In the box was a soft case for the console, Headphones, USB Lead, USB Adapter, Driver Disc, Manual and Worldwide Compatible Power Lead (you just need a shaver plug in the UK).
The Review Itself
Turning on the JXD301 reveals what must be the best GUI on any handheld system ive ever played, its so user friendly and easy to use, plenty of options to change, bright and cheery. A major thumbs up so far.
Connecting the system to my laptop via USB cable was an horrid experiance it just wouldnt work at all, i then went to my PC and it connected straight away, godknows why this happened, but i wasnt happy with it.
I then tried some roms and movies on the console and to my surprise the movies played quite well infact i enjoyed watching heroes on the jxd301 so much that ive got 6 episodes on now
On the rom side of things GBA Emulation was a waste of time, sure it booted up but was as slow as hell.
Nes emulation was much better infact quite decent.
Snes emulation was amazing with sound on its crap but the speed was very very nice. I did find the controls a tad strange without L and R buttons.
GB/GBC emulation seemed to be crappy, whatever emulator they ported over didnt work well at all, low compatability and no sound.
Megadrive emulation was also nice enough but sound is rubbish luckily the games play reasoably well.
NeoGeo emulation is also a plus for the console, roms need to be with a .neo extension
The Ebook reader also seemed pretty decent and because i love my harry potter ebooks its great to read when i feel like it
Battery time for me lasted about 4 hours ive heard its supposed to be a lot more but thats what i got out of the system.
Conclusion
The JXD301 is a nice console/media player for the price, it has a nice built in battery and 2GB hard drive and the build quality and display on the screen are very good. The GUI is simply the nicest on any console in my opinion, For movies your going to have to try and see what works best for you in terms of encoded quality, the tv shows i tried ran decent although an adult film i tried was a fraction slow but in some ways that was a benefit
On the emulation side of things Snes and Nes with Neogeo trailing were passable but not awesome. GBA was a waste of space and GB/GBC and Megadrive need a lot of work.
But for the price and with some excellent coders already working on the console this could be the budget emulation console of the year. The lack of buttons even though its a fairly powerful machine mean for ...by Published on January 13th, 2008 13:45
Continuing our network wide feature for just about every console thats emulated and that we own, in time it can be used as a reference point for people to look at what games are the very best on each system
Firstly heres a look at each system and a description to remind you of the history of the console.
Sega Mark III / Master System
To compete with the Nintendo Famicom in Japan, Sega released the successor to the Mark I/II and called it Sega Mark III in 1984.
The Mark III could produce great 8 bit graphics with specs superior to the Famicom. The console had two game formats which were cartridges and a Sega "Game Card" format. The cards held only 256K of data (cartridges held over 4 times that amount), but the advantage to both Sega and the consumer was the fact that the cards were cheaper to manufacture, and sold for less then the carts did. Sega also introduced 3D glasses that could be used in some of their games. The Mark III was also backwards compatible with SG-1000 / Mark I & II software.
When Nintendo released the Famicom to America in 1986, Sega had no intentions of letting their rival get all the market share. They redesigned the Mark III, and changed the name to the Sega Master System (SMS). They approached Tonka Toy Distribution to market the SMS, and the console was released three months after the Nintendo NES in 1986.
Although the SMS was an impressive machine, it did not reach the level of success that the NES gained in America. The two reasons for this were poor marketing by Tonka Toys, and software restrictions implemented by Nintendo to third party developers. Third party developers were contractually prohibited from making games for any rival company. This meant that once a company had made a game for the obviously popular NES, they weren?t allowed to make any games at all for the SMS. As a result, the only outside developers for the SMS were Activision and Parker Brothers (though Sega did receive permission to "reprogram" / port numerous games developed by other companies). Sega developed the rest of the games themselves.
Some of Sega's best games started this way. The Popular RPG series "Phantasy Star" made it's first appearance on the Sega Master System. The SMS may not have been as successful as the NES in America, but overseas was another story. The SMS was extremely popular in the UK and Brazil where games were released into the the late 90's. The SMS succeeded overseas because it was much cheaper than the pricey NES, and by that time the second generation of games had been released which really showed of the SMS superior specs.
The SMS was re-released as the Sega Master System II in 1990 with a reduction in features to save money. The card port was cut, as was the power light and Sega logo and music upon starting the machine.
FACT: The Sega Master System featured a built in secret game. Turn the system on without a cartridge inserted, when the instructions pop up hold the D-pad up and push buttons 1 and 2. In the game your goal is to guide a small snail through a series of different maze levels. Not much play value, but it's a nice extra to have.
Sega Master System II was another story. Sega included Alex Kidd in Miracle World as a built-in freebie.
As mentioned, the Master System / Mark III was backwards compatible, but the games appeared with a darker color palette then the original Mark I & II systems.
Thanks again to Dark Watcher for his info above.
Now heres our question to you - Whats the greatest Sega Master System Game Ever ?
For those interested in Master System Games theres a Portable Console with 20 Built in Commercial Games...
features
Plug & play portable video game system
TV out connection
20 built-in 8-bit SEGA licensed games
Built-in speakers
Function key: start / pause
Direction key: A, B, up, down, left, right
2.4" LCD TFT color screen
Requires 3xAAA size batteries. (battery not included)
Official product, containing games authorized by SEGA
description
The PlayPal Portable is a video game player, which is pre-loaded with 20 classic games from SEGA Master System and Game Gear games. There is no need to buy game cartridges. The high quality 2.4” TFT LCD and built-in speakers allows arcade like playing experience in the palm of your hand. The PlayPal Portable game player has an A/V connector and with the included cable the player can be connected to any TV. The built-in SEGA games provide action adventure while testing your intelligence and skill. Enjoy playing classic SEGA games anytime, anywhere with the new PlayPal Portable video game Player.
Includes :
- Super Columns
- Astro Warrior
- Kung Fu Kid
- Quartet
- Bomber Raid
- Sonic Triple Trouble
- Columns
- Sonic Drift 2
- Alex Kidd in High Tech World
- Alex Kidd in Miracle World
- Altered Beast
- Assault City
- Aztec Adventure
- Global Defense
- Fantasy Zone
- Fantasy Zone the Maze
- Penguin Land
- ECCO Tides of Time
- Snail Maze
- The Ninja
On sale at Play Asia for US$ 29.90 (~15.25 GBP)
http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1zp6.htmlby Published on January 13th, 2008 13:17
News/release from Cobain
Overview: This game is presented in several enigma as a result you will have to solve
History:
1.0:
- Reedition of any sources of the game
- Adding an Enigma
- Re-establishment of the click between enigmes
- Change in how to remove it with the keyboard
- Ferification of fat that evite to make two versions (one with and one without)
How to play: it is the first enigma
Thanks to:
-- Ali Banana allow me to continue its project
-- Persons who Devfr m'on restore sources that make me go faster
Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...by Published on January 13th, 2008 13:17
News/release from Cobain
Overview: This game is presented in several enigma as a result you will have to solve
History:
1.0:
- Reedition of any sources of the game
- Adding an Enigma
- Re-establishment of the click between enigmes
- Change in how to remove it with the keyboard
- Ferification of fat that evite to make two versions (one with and one without)
How to play: it is the first enigma
Thanks to:
-- Ali Banana allow me to continue its project
-- Persons who Devfr m'on restore sources that make me go faster
Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...by Published on January 13th, 2008 13:09
Via Little Bear
Isshiki has released ALERT for the GP2X. This is a “tentative” release, according to this post here, which I assume means an early version.
Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...by Published on January 13th, 2008 13:00
The complete source code to PBSynth v0.1a. It is possible to compile a GP32 program, a stand-alone Win32 application or a Steinberg VSTi instrument of the synth.
http://www.gp32x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,1,1057 ...by Published on January 13th, 2008 11:57
SofiyaCat's been busy and has released another fantastic update for his PSPtube.
PSPTube++ 2008/01/13 version.
Changes from 20080109
General
- Dailymotion login be correspond.
- when video download, file name can be changed.
- downloaded video file name can be changed.
- URL directly input be added.
Related Play
- present time, full time and buffer information displayed.
- can hide comments.
Bug fixes
- niconico Premier members had search problem. now fixed.
- when niconico video playing, freeze glitch now fixed
Known bug
- 2X play in the WLAN is unstable, so please do not use.
- Video's full time is strange sometimes.
Source link : http://nekomimi.cafe.coocan.jp/wiki/...C3%D6#a24210f3
Download and give comments via feedback. ...by Published on January 13th, 2008 08:18
The new version of Nanodesktop SDK (Software Development Kit) is
online and downloadable here:
http://visilab.unime.it/~filippo/Nan.../Downloads.htm
This new version of the system adds a new HAL (Hardware Abstraction
Layer) called HAL CFW. It is designed for custom firmwares, either on
PSP-FAT or on PSP-SLIM. Now, the nd applications can work on
every PSP. The new HAL has been tested on custom firmware version
3.71 M33-4 (in PSP-FAT or in PSP-SLIM).
Here is the new user guide, with hundreds of how-to:
http://visilab.unime.it/~filippo/Nan.../Docs/Docs.htm
The new distribution adds the support for ndSQLLite (a library that
manages database), ndSIFT (an alghoritm that allows the recognition
of an object), and ndGOCR (a reimplementation of GNU OCR, that can
work on PSP).
We have fixed hundreds of bugs.
The system now supports the Sony GoCam, and not only the Eyeserver
tecnology. In the guide you can find some example about the use of
the GoCam with few rows of code.
Remember that, all applications that are developed on CFW HAL, must
be accomplished with the "kernel extender": it is a driver called
ndKrnExtender_v1.Prx and it must be copied in the root folder of
the memory stick before starting the new nd application.
You can find the kernel extender in the download page of the Visilab
website.
New version of the SDK supports also ndHAL_SystemExec to load another
homebrew from a homebrew, the pseudoExec function to make easier the
porting of software and libraries that have been originally developed for
PC, and a faster version of Nanodesktop graphical system.
The multimedia features include support for WAV and MP3 decoding via
Media Engine (hardware accelerated).
The engine for Text-To-Speech synthesis is ndFLite.
If you have trouble in Nanodesktop installation, you can find help in
Nanodesktop official forum:
http://www.psp-ita.com/forum/index.php
Enjoy ! ...- Search DCEmu
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Catherine: Full Body’s English translation for the Vita