* Xfire is free, small, and easy to install

* Keep track of when and where your friends are playing PC games, and join them with one click

* IM your friends from within games while you play

* Fast file download system with special game channels

* Powerful server browser

* Profile-based stats tracking.

* Voice chat

 

Release notes for 1.64 : October 12th, 2006

 

* Added proper coloring of Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory names (thanks to James Abbatiello).

* Many improvements to the *beta* Clans & Guilds system: added more ranks, URL field, privacy settings, the ability to block clan members, and made lots of bug fixes.

* Added encryption of saved game passwords in the XfireUser.ini file.

* Fixed file transfers of files larger than 2 gigabytes.

* Fixed several crashes using xfire: URLs.

* Fixed Xfire update permission problems on 32-bit Vista.

* Fixed some graphical glitches when changing skins.

* Fixed several display issues in the infoview using IE7.

* Fixed several HTML-escaping issues with infoviews.

* Added per-game information to the MAME infoview (thanks to www.arcade-history.com).

* Reduced file access on startup for users with slow anti-virus scanners.

* New games supported: Faces of War, Patriots: A Nation Under Fire, Caesar 4 Demo, Caesar 4, Dark Messiah Multiplayer Open Beta, FEAR Extraction Point SP Demo, Mage Knight Apocalypse, NBA Live 07, NHL07, FIFA 07, Just Cause, The Sims 2 Glamour Life Stuff, Disciples 2 - Gallean's Return, Disciples 2 - Rise of the Elves, Joint Task Force, Battlefield 2142 Demo, GTR 2, Scarface, Archlord, and Medieval II Total War Demo SE.

>> Get it HERE.

SNES emulator

ALL: Cleaned up GZip reader. GZip reader now also support transparent reading, namely a regular file with a .gz extension for no apparent reason. [Nach]

ALL: Commenting out Battlemaniacs fix because it breaks way too much. [Nach]

ALL: Fixed IPS hint not being shown under a particular circumstance. [Deathlike]

ALL: Fixed prevpicture display for DSP-1 games. Cleaned up some stuff in DSP-1 and DSP-2 loading. [Jonas Quinn]

ALL: Fixed silly mistake with size adjustment of IPS patches. [Nach]

ALL: Make sure passing string_merge() a buffer pointer to null doesn't crash. [Nach]

ALL: Standardized names on arrays containing paths. Note to reset your SRAM path after this commit. [Nach]

ALL: Slot level is now updated properly while increment/decrement savestates are in use. [Deathlike]

DOS: DOS exit no longer takes shortcuts and skips atexit() on DOS. [Nach]

DOS: Fixed a bug with trailing \ passed to access() under good ol' DOS. [Nach]

DOS: Fixed anything related to port 209 in the DOS port. Lots of clean up. [Deathlike]

DOS: Reverted to a workaround previously implemented in r1436 to rid of the snow in DOS. Only affects Gaussian at the moment. [Deathlike]

DOS: This should fix joystick problems in DOS. For some reason, the internal settings were not aligned correctly. [Deathlike]

DOS: This should fix the 8 button controller option and Parallel LPT2 P2 option. [Deathlike]

GUI: Fixed the shadow in the F3 menu. [Jonas Quinn]

GUI: GUI state selection now also allows number quick keys. [Deathlike]

GUI: Hopefully fixed GUI savestate selection via numpad keys. [Deathlike]

GUI: Revamped the Video window [ipher] [Deathlike]

GUI: The blink rate change on the GUIInputBoxNach is now once every 30 frames. [Nach]

GUI: This should correctly fix the GUI state selection while using the mouse. [Deathlike]

GUI: Deathlike has been added to the About box [Nach]

SDL: Even better privledge dropping. Now if getlogin() returns, ZSNES running as root will launch browser as the user that logged in. [Nach]

SDL: Fixed display of Keep4_3Ratio option for SDL and redid some code for consistency. [Deathlike]

SDL: SDL port gets the Custom Res good loving too.. and now Keep4_3Ratio is available as a GUI option. [Deathlike]

SDL: Changing the size of the window while in the Filters tab will now update the HQx and hires options. [Deathlike]

W_D: Debug mode in DOS/Windows writes to stdout.txt and stderr.txt. [Nach]

W_D: Fix some issues on MS OSs. [Nach]

W_S: Can now edit custom resolution from the GUI. [Nach]

WIN: Now GUITextBoxInputNach can accept ctrl+v to paste clipboard contents in Windows. [Nach]

SRC: Source cleanup and maintainance, fixed lots of warnings. [Nach] [Deathlike] [Jonas Quinn]

SRC: Updated install instructions to match latest SVN closer. [Nach]

>> Get it HERE.

Clover Studios, who brought us Viewtiful Joe and their recent Okami title (Totally win BTW) has been decided to close at the end of the 2007 fiscal year.

Clover Studio Co., Ltd. has met the goal of developing unique and creative original home video game software, however, in view of promoting a business strategy that concentrates management resources on a selected business to enhance the efficiency of the development power of the entire Capcom group, the dissolution of Clover Studio Co., Ltd. has been raised and passed at a Board of Directors' meeting.

Press Release (ENG)

While all is not lost, some of the former Clover folk have decided to open their own studio without Capcom in the way as what Wired states.

May they be Wii bound? Who knows?

Colecovision emulator for DS

Here is the new version of ColecoDS, whose only innovation is to be compatible with more DS linkers (NinjaDS and G6Lite, this last only in mode GBFS, is necessary to have for the moment lib FAT32 compatible with the devkitpro: (…).

It is a minor update of the version presented at the Neoflash competition last summer.

 

 

Version 1.1, 12/10/2006

 

* Addition of the NinjaDS supports (tested) and max Media, EZ4 (not tested)

* Addition of the G6Lite support via GBFS

>> Get it HERE.