As gaming enters its next generation, checking calendars for the origins of popular series more commonly yields ages older than a decade. One such franchise is the Fire Emblem series, which first appeared on the Famicom system 15 years ago. Today, Nintendo announced that the latest chapter in the franchise is now available on its latest entertainment system: the GameCube.

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance continues the role-playing gameplay and epic storytelling and includes 3D graphics for the first time in the series. A vast array of characters includes knights, monks, cavaliers, and the Iaguz, a race of half-man, half-animal beings that can take the form of cats, dragons, and more.

The game was released in Japan in April and is the first North American release of the series not on the Game Boy Advance. Gamers who connect a GameCube with Path of Radiance to a GBA with either previous Fire Emblem games will unlock special Fire Emblem character art and challenge maps for Nintendo's current console. ...

PSP298 has released a new Gameboy Advance emulator for the PSP, this release has great speed although not 100%, it uses the full 333mhz speed, it s full screen and it also uses what looks like is the Rin file selector and can be fully configured.

Heres some screens:





Download here --> http://psp-news.dcemu.co.uk/pspgba.shtml

This is a much better GBA emu for the PSP than the other one and the speed will impress. ...

News from the DSemu Site:

So. As of right now, I have a kinda-functional ARM and Thumb core, and the former DSemu's GPU has been ported in full to the new plugin structure. And that means ARMwrestler tests all green, which is a good thing.

I've also been testing a few demos gleaned from PDroms, and have in fact had some results; indeed, maybe 30% of the small tech demos I've downloaded so far seem to run. Furthermore, I've finally found that little bug that was causing Torlus's Walk3D guy to be missing half his ribs and a thigh.

Love the overflow flag.

http://www.dsemu.org/ ...

This is just a reminder that the Second Annual Dream On Contest ends in less than a month. You have until 11:59PM PST on November 10, 2005 to get your entries in.

This year, the contest is broken up into three categories:

1) Professional Game Creation - This is the category that was the sole contest last year. Create a polished game for the Dreamcast (multiple levels of play, title screen, music, high scores, etc.) to be released commercially.

2) Amateur Game Creation - This category is to appease the entrants who didn't meet the criteria for last year's competition. The entries in this category don't have to be commercial quality, but they do have to be programmed in C, C++, or SH4 Assembly (SDL or another games library is fine).

3) Emulator Creation - Create or port (with the author's explicit permission that this be allowed to enter into the contest) an emulator for any system for the Dreamcast.

4) Anything Goes - This is the fun category. Create anything that isn't included in the categories above (BOR Mods, Games Created in Fenix, Doom/Quake mods, emulators, ports of existing software (with author's explicit permission that this be allowed to be entered into the contest), Applications, Multimedia Software, and anything that you can imagine that we hadn't covered in the above.

Prizes:

Contest 1:
1st place (and possibly 2nd and 3rd depending on quality)
Game Professionally Published on Pressed CD with color inserts and clear case
All games that aren't published will be featured in an upcoming issue of Dream On Magazine, and the game(s) will be included on the demo disc.
Other Prizes to be determined

Contest 2:
1st place: Gamepark 32 BLU
2nd place: Game King 2 Console with 3 games
All games will be featured in an upcoming issue of Dream On Magazine, and the game(s) will be included on the demo disc.
Other Prizes to be determined

Contest 3:
1st place: Set of signed Bleem! products - all three Bleem for Dreamcast releases, plus the PC release, signed by Rand Linden.
2nd place: Set of unsigned Bleem! products - all three Bleem for Dreamcast releases, plus the PC release, unsigned.
Other Prizes to be determined

Contest 4:
1st place: Neo Geo Pocket Color + 6 Games (Samurai Showdown 2,Fatal Fury First Contact, King of Fighters R2, Neo Turf Masters, Pacman & Metal Slug).
2nd place: Game King 2 Console with 3 games
Other Prizes to be determined

Special Prize Donation:
JMD, the author of Maqiupai, has donated a signed copy of Maqiupai to the entry he chooses to receive it.

There's still time to get things in. There are tons of prizes to go around this year. ...

Yesterdays news at Lik Sang about a new PSPTV product was today commented on by Team Xtender the makers of the other PSP TV Adapter:

Magic Mirrors Enter The PSP Accessory Market...

Earlier today we were inundated with masses of mails which notified us of a supposed substitute product to our highly accliamed PSP2TV product.
Several websites have picked up on the news that a taiwaneese manufacturer is hard at work on magical mirror PSP2TV like device, this supposed competition will not even come close to the quality of PSP2TV.
Yes, we understand you will not have to open up the PSP to clip on the magic mirrors but remember this their whole product relies on mirrors. That means, whatever is actually displayed on the LCD screen will be mirrored to your TV.
Mirrored images will include, finger prints, scratches and all the other dust particles and grime that may be loitering on your PSP LCD screen. One actually begins to wonder wether this taiwaneese toy would be more suitable for crime scene investigators rather than hardcore PSP Gamers ?
Our original PSP2TV product intelligently gains a real live video capture from the PSP and as a result you can not only expect a top quality smooth image but also a TV display which is free of dirt and grime. Don't even get us started on how bad the quality will be from this 'competing' product, infact their concept was explored by our technicians in the initial phases of our research and development some 7 months ago. Now let's take a look the facts as to why PSP2TV will remain as the number one PSP to TV adapter for many months to come...

1) A direct capture is taken from anything that is being run on the PSP, consequently viewing experiences will be of the best quality and will not ruin any viewing experiences on the big screen.
2) S-video connection option - This will further enhance the viewing quality
3) Full support for a variety of aspect ratio's including 4:3 and 16:9, giving you the end user as much opportunity to customise your PSP2TV display.
4) Dualshock PS2 controller support meaning you utilize the superior PS2 controller method whilst playing your favourite PSP games on TV.
5) A docking station for the PSP, just rest your PSP in the docking station and enjoy the show!
6) A very simple, solderless install complete with a range of vibrant faceplates for your PSP. Yes, you will have to undo the front fascia of the PSP but this is the only way that you will get a crystal clear and dirt free image on the TV.

Many of our customers have been the likes of IGN, Gamespot and Eurogamer. Not only do they want to review this product and see how cool it is but it is actually one of very few ways that they can easily video review PSP games titles. Now imagine if their screenshot captures contained even a speck of grime ? Of course it wouldn't make the cut and the whole product would be flawed as it's not fulfilling one of it's uses.

To any successful product there will nearly always be some form of fly-by competition, we urge you not to fooled - we as Team Xtender and the high profile media who have already purchased the PSP2TV have every confidence that our device is the original and ultimate solution for a TV output from your PSP.

Opinions comments ? ...

The internet's been a-flutter this weekend with the news that Nintendo's latest financial report has earmarked the Revolution for a Japanese release as early as spring 2006.
Unfortunately, no sooner did the rumours settle in for a comfortable probing than a cold sharp gust of reality swept in, sending them scampering away. Of course, as is the way with these things, the spring 2006 titterings were immediately usurped by yet another blip of light at the end of the release tunnel. Revolution rumour-mongering ahead!

First up, this financial report: as you've no doubt seen already (but it's worth a quick recap), Nintendo's reported a tumble in sales from 190 billion yen to 175 billion yen - a slump that the company's attributed firmly to GameCube ringing in the death knell over in the US, as well as a whole bunch of aggressive price cuts for the DS and development costs for the upcoming Revolution.

However, thanks to a faltering yen exchange rate, Nintendo managed to massively outperform its predicted six month profits reaching 36 billion yen rather than the expected 19 billion yen.
Anyway, the part that sparked off all the frantic clamouring across the web was the bit at the end, reportedly claiming that the Revolution was set to see its Japanese launch in spring next year - and, you know, you can't get much more official than a report straight from Nintendo's own chattering gob. Except, of course, it turns out that it was all a big whoopsie on the translation front.

However, fanning the news flames even further, it seems that Nintendo of America is gearing up for an Autumn 2006 release of the console, all the same. On it's official Nintendo Power hotline in the US, selecting the Revolution option reveals the message: "As the company with the strongest heritage of innovation, Nintendo moves the bar for all next gen systems by employing a wide-ranging strategy that will attract more kinds of gamers to more kinds of games. When Nintendo's new console, codenamed Revolution, arrives in the latter half of 2006, everyone will discover the meaning of all-access gaming".

So, assuming it's not all one big cock-up on NoA's part, it's looking increasingly likely that the Revolution's set to see daylight before next year's out at the very least. Of course, where this leaves PAL territories is anyone's guess. Perhaps the big N's going to do a Microsoft and push for a near-as-global launch as possible. Of course, going on past experience, maybe it's not.

File all this lot under 'not totally unconvincing speculation' for the time being, while we wait for some official word from Nintendo itself. Eventually. ...

The Nintendo Power Hotline (425.885.7529) has a thing or two to say about the Nintendo Revolution including:

”When Nintendo’s new console, codenamed Revolution, arrives in the later half of 2006, everyone will discover the meaning of all-access gaming.”
Sounds like the “Revolution” will make its way to North America sometime after Summer 2006. But that’s if you trust a hotline… ...

Gizmondo USA Inc. subsidiary of Jacksonville, Florida-based Tiger Telematics Inc (other OTC, TGTL) has confirmed the US version of the Gizmondo handheld multi-entertainment device, launching in North America on 22nd October, will include an upgraded battery doubling the operational time compared to the standard power pack.

The new handheld, which possesses an incredible cache of functions (next-gen games, DVD-quality movies, awesome MP3 playback, a razor-sharp digital camera, picture and text messaging, optional email, and GPS), will retail at a very affordable $229 (SRP).

Steve Carroll, CTO for Gizmondo, says: "This upgraded power pack will enable the user to enjoy up to six hours of continuous gaming, 150 hours on standby, and similarly increased operation times for the movie, music, and GPS functions."

Carl Freer, co-founder and Chairman, Tiger Telematics, says: "Economies of scale from launching in the UK first have allowed us to include this upgraded battery pack for the US launch. We're also making this new battery available in Europe for those wanting to get more out of their new Gizmondo handheld."

Gizmondo is powered by Microsoft Windows CE advanced real-time operating system, boasting a 2.8-inch TFT colour screen with a Samsung ARM9 400Mhz processor and incorporates the GoForce 3D 4500 NVIDIA graphics accelerator. It provides cutting-edge gaming, multimedia messaging, an MP3 music player, Mpeg4 movie playing capability, a digital camera and a GPRS network link to allow wide-area network gaming. Additionally, it contains a GPS chip for location-based services, is equipped with Bluetooth for use in multi-player gaming and accepts SD and MMC card accessories. ...

Xbox UK boss Neil Thompson has confirmed that he is confident Microsoft will have a strong head start in the next-gen console battle, suggesting that the PS3 might not launch until spring 2007.

“I’ll be happy to compete whenever they turn up, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s not until spring 07,” he told trade magazine MCV.

“If they hit Xmas 06, then maybe it’ll be a very thin launch; a launch in name only.”

So far Sony has only hinted that the next-generation PlayStation will hit the market in spring 2006, and it seems unlikely that the company will follow in the footsteps of Microsoft and attempt a global launch. They're more likely to follow the traditional model and launch in Japan first, followed by North American and then PAL territories.

But just when will the console arrive in Europe? Autumn 2006 seems likely to be the earliest date, with a 2007 release still a distinct possibility. As for how much the console will cost, estimates continue to vary wildly, with some industry figures predicting that the PS3 could retail for as much as GBP 499. ...