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Wood Firmware Update v1.50

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 13:33:27 +0100

The latest update of Wood has hit and this time it provides updates for folks eager to play Pokemon Black and White 2!

Check out the changelog and files below.

‘pocket monsters - black 2 (japan)’ fixed.

‘pocket monsters - white 2 (japan)’ fixed.

Download the latest releases from FileTrip:

K101

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 13:09:56 +0100

I just had an update from the folks over at K-Team. The new K101 model will go into production sometime in the middle of August and should be stocked on K1GBA.com when production is finished.

It’s worth noting that I’ve heard nothing from K1GBA.com so at this point I’m recommending visitors do not order any K1s.

The Indie Android Console - OUYA

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 01:00:00 +0100

Every so often a great idea comes along and everyone gets behind it, the Raspberry Pi is a great example of that. OUYA, an Android power handheld, hopes to Kickstart its way to a similar level of success.

The dream is relatively simple — an inexpensive open source console device to support the growing array of indie developers. The best bit is developers for the device have too offer something back for free — whether it be a demo, a F2P version, or just the whole game.

In return developers get a kit that doesn’t cost the earth to develop on — did I mention it runs on the familiar Android OS?

For $90 you receive an OUYA at launch if you live in the U.S., for us Brits it’ll cost about £80 due to the extra shipping cost.

It’s a great time to be retro and a great time to be indie. My Raspberry Pi should arrive sometime in the next two weeks and when it does I’ll have a great, and cheap, retro emulator — I can’t wait for the launch of the OUYA have to have an equally inexpensive indie console sitting right next to it.

Kickstart the OUYA

Online HTML 5 Gameboy Color Emulator

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 14:12:00 +0100

Online HTML 5 Gameboy Color Emulator:

Play Gameboy and Gameboy Color games online using this HTML 5 Gameboy color emulator.

Manage your save files and control options using this link http://gamecenter.grantgalitz.org/gameboy/

JXD S5100 Deluxe Edition

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 12:41:45 +0100

Obscure Handhelds spotted this one before me, the JXD S5100 Deluxe which has appeared across the usual Chinese android device sites. Sporting a sleek 3DS-inspired design, a 5” capacitative touch-screen, and Android 2.3 but no shoulder butto, a deal-breaker, and an analogue nub rather than a stick. The JXD S5100D sticks out as a halfway house between a tablet and a games console, I’d give this one a miss.

Wood Firmware Update 1.49

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 12:18:13 +0100

Good news for all your folks eager to play Pokemon Conquest, the latest version of Wood firmware for the R4, R4i Gold, and Acekard R.P.G Nintendo DS flashcards has been released. Check below for the changelog.

‘inazuma eleven 2 - feuersturm (germany)’ fixed.

‘murder on the titanic’ fixed.

‘inazuma eleven 2 - eissturm (germany)’ fixed.

‘pokemon conquest (usa, australia)’ fixed.

big games on cards with small cluster size hangs fixed

Download the latest releases from FileTrip:

Nintendo’s eShop 8-Bit Summer: Starting July 5th The...

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 11:59:00 +0100

Nintendo’s eShop 8-Bit Summer: Starting July 5th

The Legend of Zelda. Kirby’s Pinball Land, The Sword of Hope 2, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Tumblepop, and Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3.

XG Flash 2 Turbo Link

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 12:18:00 +0100

I recently had the good fortune of finding a XG Flash 2 Turbo for a fairly reasonable price and I didn’t hesitate to pick it up. “Why?” You might ask, the answer is the onboard real-time clock.

Regular readers will know that I’m a big fan of the Gameboy Advance library. In my opinion it has some of the greatest titles in recent years: Advance Wars, Castlevania, Metroid, Sabre Wulf (a personal choice), and Pokemon. The problem is, although more than 90% of these can be emulated by most cartridges, a number of Pokemon games can’t be emulated with complete compatibility on a number of flash carts due to their real-time clock (RTC) — a small device that keeps track of time.

While only a few games are affected by this (the notables being Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald and Boktai 1 & 2 — the latter two of which can’t be emulated completely by any flash-cart due to their solar sensor) it’s still a huge blow to any flash cartridges that don’t have an RTC like the only Slot-2 flash cartridge in production, the EZ-Flash IV.

A lot of information about the XG Flash 2 Turbo (XGF 2 Turbo) has gone missing since it was a fairly unnoticeable entry into the market at the time — it was dwarfed by it’s bigger cousin the EZ-Flash and EFA range. One website went as far as to suggest you avoid it all together, not a choice I’d make if I were you in the present day.

Here’s a few pieces of information that I picked up while setting up my cartridge.

Distinguishing your version and battery issues

There are actually two very similar versions of the XGF 2 Turbo — the standard and the ‘pro’ model. Contrary to what you’d expect the ‘pro’ model is inferior and is plagued by battery problems and comes with a handy drawer to replace it every so often with. The standard model comes with a rechargeable Panasonic 3v Li 2020 battery which you shouldn’t need to replace.

You may find that the RTC isn’t working when you use it. A quick test for this is to try Pokemon Ruby and check for an ‘The internal battery has run dry’ message. If that appears your rechargeable battery is simply drained. Place the cartridge in the slot of your GBA/GBA-SP/GBM/NDS and turn the device on to charge it, this process will take several hours but should you use your cartridge semi-regularly you shouldn’t need to do this again.

Putting games on your cartridge

ROMs are transferred directly to the onboard memory of the cartridge via the ext. port of the GBA or GBA-SP so the XGF2 Turbo is not ideally suited to Gameboy Micro users. The link between the computer and the cartridge is achieved via an (included) four-pronged cable. One USB lead, one GBA-SP lead, one GBA lead, and one for charging a GBA power pack. I’m lead to believe that connection via USB can also charge the rechargeable battery.

Like most slot-2 solutions special software is required to transfer ROMs onto the cartridge. The software can be found here but don’t expect it to run under Windows Vista or Windows 7. You’ll have to use an XP machine or use VirtualBox or some other form of VMWare to run the XGF2 Turbo client. When you have done so you’ll need to manually install the drivers by pointing Windows to the c:\XG2Link\WinXP directory.

Once the software has been installed transferring ROMs is surprisingly simple! The only caveat is to get the software to recognise the device you must press and hold Start and Select simultaneously after switching the GBA/GBA-SP on whilst the cable is connected.

Here’s a quick bullet point list of how to transfer ROMs:

Install software on XP machine or VirtualBox running XP SP2
Install drivers by navigating to c:\XG2Link\WinXP
Plug GBA/GBA-SP into ext. cable into the device
Hold Start+Select and turn device on
Run the software and transfer ROMS

You’ll notice that transferring ROMs is a very slow process in comparison to modern transfer speeds, many sites claim it was slow even for the time, but that’s the only real disadvantage I have found so far. I’ll post back with some more thoughts on how the cartridge holds up to regular usage.

Online Store: DJ Transformer's Shop

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 05:17:17 +0100

In most cases there’s nothing better to play games on than the original hardware and that’s certainly true with the Game Boy. The problem is that two decades after it’s original release it’s hard to find a reliable source of working Game Boys or accessories. That’s why I was so happy when I stumbled across DJTransformer’s store.

The shop stocks some vital Game Boy items that are otherwise exceedingly hard to track down including replacement buttons and switches; a GB transferrer 2, to transfer saves from original cartridges; and perhaps most importantly actual (customised) Game Boys. Although the prices vary from £60 to <90 for a refurbished Game Boy, they all come fitted with a new screen and the price per mod-installation seem more than reasonable.

Although I imagine the site would will be invaluable to anyone in the chiptune scene, as DJ Transformer stocks custom tools like MIDI-converters and LSDJ cartridges, the stand out product for me is definitely the 64M USB Flash Cartridge which is sold at the most reasonable price point I have ever seen.

If you’re into your Game Boy era give DJ Transformer’s shop a look, you’d be surprised how tempting some of the products can seem!

Smartboy received a shipment of their Programmer v3 circuit...

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 01:02:00 +0100

Smartboy received a shipment of their Programmer v3 circuit boards on Thursday

GOG's Wacky Summer Promo and Free Games

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 23:46:16 +0100

GOG.com are known for their generosity and they certainly live up to that reputation. To promote their new ‘Battle of the Games’ sale they’re giving away two of the Ultima World classics, Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire and Ultima: Worlds of Adventure 2: Martian Dreams, DRM free as per GOG usual at no cost.

“Great!” you might say, “What’s this Battle of the Games then?”. Well..

For their Summer promotion over the next seventeen days GOG are letting users decide which of the two chosen games they prefer the most. The following day that game goes on sale at 60% off while the unlucky losing games only scores a 40% reduction in price.

Round 1 is up pitting Myst: Masterpiece Edition and The 7th Guest against each other so get voting now and don’t forget to check GOG every day until July 5th to vote for your favourite of the two titles and pick up the previous day’s winner cheap.

Pokemon Trading Card Game 2 Finally Translated

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 19:12:21 +0100

Pokemon Trading Card Game 2 Finally Translated:

After several have tried and failed Artemis251 set out to translate the under appreciated and Japanese only Pokemon Trading Card Game 2 for the Gameboy Colour. Almost twoyears after he started in the Summer of 2010 version one of his translation patch has been released.

If you’re into the Pokemon TCG, or were back in the 90s, give this a shot!

Open Dingux Released for End Users

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 18:12:00 +0100

After a two year project Open Dingux has finally been officially released by the developers mth and Ayla. Anyone running standard ‘ol Dingux would be advised to jump aboard the new high powered, V-SYNC supported train and install Open Dingux on their Dingoo.

Here’s a quote of the original release post on the Dingoonity forums.

It has happened, the egg that was laid two years ago has finally hatched: Ayla and I have declared OpenDingux to be ready for end users. So if you are using Dingux and would like a more polished distro, this would be the ideal time to try OpenDingux. Or if you are already using an OpenDingux pre-release, it is a good time to upgrade.

You can download the kernel, rootfs and (if you are a developer) the toolchain from the OpenDingux Releases page.

The installation consists of 3 steps:

install the dual boot loader, see instructions on the wiki; it is the same boot loader as for legacy Dingux, so if you already have it installed, skip this step

download the right kernel, put it in the root of your SD card and name it “zImage”

download the rootfs, put it in the root of your SD card and name it “rootfs.bin” (note: “.bin” is new compared to legacy)

Note that the dual boot loader can have issues with files being placed at the end of a large SD card, so if it fails to boot, please retry with an empty card.
OpenDingux has nice splash and loading screens, configuration tools for the audio mixer and TV-out, simple per-app CPU clocking configuraton in gmenu2x and allows you to control brightness, volume, TV-out and several other features at any time with power slider + button combinations. The wiki contains more information about OpenDingux.
For developers: when targeting OpenDingux, please use the SDL_HWSURFACE and SDL_DOUBLEBUF flags when opening the video surface, so you can take advantage of higher performance and V-SYNC. You might also like to hear that OpenDingux has an updated FTP daemon that works with many more FTP clients, so you can upload your program under development while the system is running.

Many thanks to everyone who helped with ideas and testing, especially the people on the #dingoonity IRC channel.

The announcement coincides with the release of a new version of the PocketNES emulator for Open Dingux which includes support for 50Hz PAL games and a mono stereo switch.

Open Dingux Download
PocketSNES Download

GBA Emulation on the PSP: gpSP-J Setup

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 17:53:00 +0100

In my eyes the PSP is perhaps the best modern emulation tool available, it plays PS1, N64, GBA, SNES, NES, and a host of other great old titles on a wide bright screen. The best part is that PSPs can be picked up pre-owned relatively cheaply post-Vita. This guide on emulating the GBA will be the first of many tutorials on PSP emulation, all of which will assume you’re running a PSP update to 6.60 and running the custom PRO-B10 firmware. If you’re not check out this great guide over on Reddit.

gpSP-J is a Japanese offshoot of gpSP, an old Gameboy Advance emulator for the PSP. The new Japanese version is maintained by a anonymous hacker who releases new versions unannounced and without an English changelog. As such it’s quite difficult to ascertain when a genuine new version has been released, so unless you’re having issues with a particular game it’s best to hold back updating. gpSP-J supports save states, in-game screencapture, RTC functionality for Pokemon fans, configurable buttons, and all save types.

Download gpSP-J version 120512
Extract the contents of the downloaded .zip file. I recommend using 7-Zip for this purpose.
One of the folders extracted should be named ‘PSP’, copy this folder to the root of your PSP’s memory card and overwrite any files when prompted.
Using Google located and download a “gba_bios.bin” file, extract it if it’s zipped, and copy this to the gpSP-J folder which is located at X:\PSP\GAME\gpSP-J where X is your PSP’s drive letter.
Copy across any GBA ROMs to your ROM folder which can be found at X:\PSP\GAME\GPSP-J\roms
Boot up your PSP and navigate, using the XMB, to the ‘Game’ category and run the gpSP-J ‘game’. It should appear as a Gameboy Adcance logo with a Japanese flag in the bottom right. It’ll be named ‘gameplaySP -’ followed by Japanese characters.
You may see the following screen. Dismiss it by pressing any button
You should then see the following screen. If you don’t you either do not have any .gba ROM in your roms folder or do not have/have an incorrect copy of the gba_bios.bin in your gpSP-J directory.
Press X to bring you to the emulator options menu. It’ll appear rather intimidating but don’t panic, there is an english language version!
Scroll down to the fifth menu item (shown above) and press O to enter the next menu. You’ll notice that gpSP-J’s controls are the opposite of the usual on the PSP where X is forwards/accept and O is back/decline. This is because the gpSP-J copies the GBA button layout which has the ‘A’ (O) button on the right and the ‘B’ (X) button on the left.
The menu that appears should look like this.
Scroll down to the second to last option and move the control-pad to the right so that english text appears at the bottom (as shown above)
Exit out of gpSP-J either by pressing X and then scrolling down to the last menu item and pressing O or by turning your PSP off and on again
Open gpSP-J again through the XMB as before and now gpSP-J should be in english

The Envision - Tchay’s Second Portable Gamecube: The...

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 23:35:00 +0100

The Envision - Tchay’s Second Portable Gamecube: The Envision using the Wiikey Fusion

SD2SNES Pre-Order

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 04:26:20 +0100

You have just a few hours to register on StoneAgeGamer for a chance to buy one of their fifty SD2SNES deluxe packages.

Here’s some info on the scheme they’re running.

The full price of a SD2SNES (Deluxe Edition) is $259.99. This comes with a 4GB SD card. You can also upgrade to a 16GB SD card (+$15), a 32GB SD card (+$40), or a 64GB SD card (+$70). You can choose one of 2 colors for your cart: Pitch Black or Ultra Purple. Finally you can choose your cart’s shell region: North American or Universal. Universal cart shells fit into any system, but have the appearance of Super Famicom/European shells.

If you are one of the 50 people chosen you will be required to put down a $75.00 deposit and also pay for your SD card upgrade. Once your cart is ready for production you will then be required to pay the remaining $184.99 plus your shipping costs.

While the price is steep, but not unheard of for a flash cartridge, the SD2SNES on paper looks like the best implementation of native SNES ROM emulation — the feature list is certainly impressive. I’ll let you know what I think when I get a look at one of these myself.

nesDS r114 Released

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 03:56:00 +0100

Another NES emulator for a trusty Nintendo handheld hardware has been updated, but this one has been far better maintained. The latest revision of nesDS has been unveiled, revision 114.

r114

cheat list bug fixed.

all saving flushed.

alpha blend fixed.

touch the current menu item to hide menu.

fix the flicking of cheat list.

To download the latest version visit the nesDS project on Sourceforge.

Pocket NES for GBA Update

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 09:45:38 +0100

After years of inactivity an updated version of the previously dead Pocket NES project has appeared on the GBATemp forums!

Find the list of “awesome features” after the jump!

“Awesome Features:
* Seamless sound, no more crackling on square wave channels.
* Correct frequency sweeps and triangle wave volume.
* Completely automatic speedhacks that just work, so there’s no menu for them anymore.
* FAST. Turn off VSYNC and watch the games zoom.
* Many parts are are more accurate than before.
* Working Savestates
* Fixed many bugs
* DMC IRQs! Play Fire Hawk and Mig 29 Soviet Fighter!”

Although this means a smoother playing experience there have been a few broken mappers which were working in the previous release (Mapper #9, #17, #33, #40, #64, 73, #105).

It’s worth noting that the developerDwedit has released the source code for the latest released which means we might be able to expect a version of Pocket NES with compatibility for our favourite GBA flashcart, the EZ-Flash IV, and we’ll be sure to let you know if that happens.

GOG

Sat, 09 Jun 2012 17:31:00 +0100

In a now forgotten era of gaming some of the most recognisable franchises were born. During this time privacy, DRM and other modern issues simply didn’t exist for your average gamer and thankfully they don’t have to now.

Good Old Games offers an unparalleled service that brings some of the most acclaimed classic games to a digital platform free of some of the many issues that would otherwise make playing that 1989 copy of Space Quest a nightmare. Every single game offered on GOG is compatible with Windows XP, and perhaps more impressively, Vista which is no small feat considering both the notorious hostility of the operating system as well as the fact that some of the titles predate the ’90s. And while it may be a near impossibility to pick up a retail copy of Alone in the Dark at your local game store GOG certainly aren’t taking advantage of the fact.

Games are all either $6 or $10 and prices are fairly converted for all currencies, so residents of the UK won’t find themselves paying more than their distant American cousins. With a service as complex as this I half expected a patchy and incomplete library of games but browsing through the list I was more than pleasantly surprised. Fallout 2, Unreal Tournament and Prince of Persia, the list of undeniably ‘great’ titles goes on for a good hundred, and that’s without acknowledging the vast list of unrecognised or cult games hidden among the rest. While finding them would usually be a chore GOG has a couple of features that highlight the gems buried by poor marketing or tarnished by an unfair critics’ reception. The first and most obvious is the weekly ‘GOG Gem Promo’ where twice a month once previously unnoticed games get a spot in the limelight for 24 hours. Although it’s only a recent tradition the promotion has already proved its worth with choices such as the steam punk ‘Syberia’ and the cinematic ‘Another World’. GOG also offers users the ability to create ‘GOGMixes’, sharable lists of games with a running theme and a description for each. Popular lists include lists of compatible games for Linux and a list of the ‘best’ CRPGs but if you have an eye for a niche genre and want to share some lesser known cult titles there’s nothing stopping you.

When I asked what criteria a game has to fulfill to be added I got a surprisingly sensible answer, it has to be a Good Old Game. A quick bit of elaboration explained that for a game to be considered old it has to be at least three years old, although GOG is making an exception to this rule with the Witcher 2. Of course ‘good’ is a little more subjective but GOG aims to bring back both critically recognised games as well as cult titles that didn’t necessarily achieve commercial success. When you’re getting Fallout 2 for the price of a Big Mac and fries, it’s almost impossible to complain and the folks at GOG certainly aren’t giving you any reason to, what they are giving you however is the game with no strings attached. No title at GOG contains DRM, download limits or restrictions — the game is yours to keep, forever and play in whichever way you see fit. GOG believe that if you’ve bought the original that you shouldn’t be checked every step of the way to see if you’ve really bought the game. And they also believe that the only people who suffer the effects of DRM are people who legitimately buy the games. GOG’s user-friendly ethos goes much deeper than the face of the company and is certainly at the core of the service.GOG recently migrated its service away from being Geo-IP reliant and is offering money back on certain Witcher 2 transactions to mitigate regional pricing.

Underneath all the heavy concepts of standardised pricing and DRM, the service still stands on all four legs. At its most basic level, it still offers good old games at a cheap price in a friendly fashion. Purchasing takes less than two minutes and games can be downloaded with or without an extra client. A service that revived old games for use on new PCs without hassle was always going to hit the big time but between its battle against DRM, its superb user experience and the fair pricing GOG deserves all the success it gets