More excellent MAP This News - From the release of Deniska`s GPS Map Viewer for the PSP, heres his latest newspost:

I have updated the scripts section with a new cygwin script, which gets the maps from MSN maps/ Virtual Earth engine (http://local.live.com)

usage:
./getVEmap.sh [latitude] [longitude] [base zoom] [map size]
example:
./getVEmap.sh 40.619442 -73.970926 1 16
latitude/longitude must be in decimal format
base zoom: 0-16
map size: number of 256x256 pix tiles in 1 row
map size: 16 will create an equivalent of 4096x4096 pixel map at base zoom
==================================================

You'll need to install cygwin (cygwin.com) and Java (JRE) from java.sun.com to run the script.
Both distributions are free and there are plenty of instructions & tutorials on how to set them up.

MSN Maps/ Virtual Earth seem to have a better than Google coverage of some areas, for example: Eastern Europe.

Here is a screenshot of a map for Riga, Latvia, which, according to Google just does not exist :-) :


Go to http://local.live.com to check the coverage for your area..
Once you find your map, you can get the GPS coordinates this way:
1) Center your map on the location you want.
2) Click on "Share" tab and select "View Permalink"
3) You'll get something like: _http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=56.945724~24.145804&style=r&lvl=15&scene=1935198&rtp=null~null - The highlighted number are the coordinates that you'll need for the getVEmap.sh script

Here is the same area mapped my Google and MSN:



Go to http://www.neoflash.com/forum/index.....html#msg20991 for the Downloads for now. ...

Hey, I was bored so decided to provide a few of my favorite flash games for the psp:

Duck Hunt
(A remake of the classic NES game)

Connect 4
(The popular puzzle game)

Create-A-Ride
(Design your own pimpin' vehicle, then show it off)

Hexxagon
(A challenging puzzle game)

Penguin Bash
(Whack the penguin as far as you can)

Spank My Monkey
(Very funny, not for the faint of heart)

Thats all for now, hope you enjoy!

Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...

freemaan has released his IRC app for the Neoflash Coding Comp, heres the details:


Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...

Gwoin has posted his entry into the Neoflash Coding Competition, heres the details:


Download and Give Feedback Via the Comments ...

Tinnus of Tapwave Zodiac Fame (Real Homebrewers will know of him) has posted a "build" of Daedalus that runs better than yesterdays unnofficial release, heres what he says:


Download and Give Feedback and Comparisons Via Comments ...

There hasn't been a lot of information released about the PS3 development kits, controllers or even the menu system for the new console, but soon that could possibly change. At yesterday's SEGA PS3 day, we were treated to a demo of Full Auto 2: Battlelines on the latest development kit, which had recently been sent to Pseudo Interactive and other designers. Initially, we were concerned that the kits would still run extremely hot and be very loud (in fact, some people have likened the whine of the dev kit fans to that of a jet turbine), but we were pleasantly surprised to note the distinct lack of noise and heat coming from the system.

We were also told that the dev kit seemed to be extremely adaptive and easy to program for. In fact, Pseudo talked about how they hadn't put in their planned tilt sensitivity, but had literally dropped in the wireless support for the controllers on Tuesday. The controllers, which feel much lighter thanks to the removal of the rumble feature, nevertheless were solid and extremely responsive. While those weren't the finalized controllers for the PS3 itself, they felt much better than the ones that were at E3 (and were extremely easy to toggle between wired and wireless play). By unplugging the cable and pressing the PlayStation button on the controller for a second or two, we were able to engage the wireless feature. In fact, we also discovered during our multiplayer session that each controller was "smart" enough to recognize which system and what player it was initially connected to, regardless of the number of other controllers or systems in the room. This bodes well for massive LAN party play or co-op play with multiple controllers on the same system.

Speaking of LAN play, all eight dev kits were connected over the PlayStation Network in real time, which exhibited no lag whatsoever. Part of that could've been due to the massive storage capacity of each system streaming game information in tandem: each dev kit held 80 gigabytes of storage, so the multiplayer match had approximately almost a terabyte of storage synched up over the Network to stream the alpha build and accurately model the multiplayer destruction of Full Auto 2. As for the PS3 menu, it was easy to pull up in-game by quickly pressing the PlayStation button, which popped up an overlaid menu on top of the screen. The PS3 menu seems to have taken a lot of its cues from the PSP, with user features, settings, friends and game menu items. The menu appears to be a lot cleaner and sharper than the PSP but has fewer icons on it. Granted, that could also be because it was still relatively early, but it doesn't mean that, like the PSP, other features could be added to it at a later point.

We contacted Sony for additional details about the dev kits, but as of press time, representatives were unavailable for comment. ...

Heres an excerpt:

The Sims 2 Pets has different features for different systems. The PC version will allow your pet to have careers of their very own and bring home the bacon (or snausages) just like their owners. They can be anything from movie stars or rescue pets to members of an elite security pets corps. Pets can also be genetically altered to make designer pets in the PC expansion.

Preview and Screens Here ...

Heres an excerpt

The Dragon Ball series has always stood between mainstream and niche. While it may be one of the most popular anime and manga properties, fans of the fighting genre tend to look elsewhere for their combative cravings. This puts the latest DBZ endeavor, Budokai Tenkaichi 2, in a somewhat different position. It clearly wants a little more attention than its predecessors ever did.

IGN staffers first saw the game during a Pre-E3 event, and even then, it looked to outclass earlier titles in the series. Then the game showed up at Atari's booth during the actual event and did a good job of impressing onlookers. To remind everyone Tenkaichi 2 is alive and well, Atari showed it off last week during its Las Vegas event, which it calls Atari Spotlight. And, just like before, Tenkaichi 2 looks to offer more than the average DBZ title.

Full article ...

A THQ spokesperson at Dylan's Candy Bar said she played a Wii tennis game made by Nintendo at E3. She plays tennis in real life and said she found herself adopting the proper stances as she swung the Wii remote like a racket. She got good results. But others who stood stiff and just swung their arm with minimal flair got some good results as well. Similar deviations were on display during a recent play session of Nintendo's Wii baseball game (see "GameFile: Why Australia Banned 'Reservoir Dogs'; Nintendo Wii, 'ShellShock' And More").

This kind of leeway could be good thing. However, one person's variety is another person's game-breaker. At Dylan's, the THQ Wii game "Barnyard" primarily featured third-person (third-animal, really) character-based gameplay. It also offered some bonus games. One was darts, which is supposed to be played with the Wii remote held and flicked like a dart — just not released — at the dartboard on the TV screen. The THQ producer showing the game advocated aiming with the Wii remote's laser pointer and then flicking the wrist. But a move from the elbow worked too. So did a move from the shoulder. And so did a flick in reverse, away from the dartboard, a sign of the Wii remote's limitations when it comes to distinguishing different types of motions.

Bouda cautioned again that breaking the rules won't always work on the Wii. "I found I do different things depending on what game it is," he said. "On some of them you can't fake it." He referred to a golf mode in "Barnyard." "If you don't hold it like a golf club and do the full motion you don't get the full result."

If nothing else, the visit to THQ's event proved that Wii's rules can be bent. This fall, when the system launches, players can figure out to what extent — and whether that makes the system's games the richer or the poorer for it. ...