Nintendo has unveiled the new Wi-Fi USB connector that will allow DS owners who don't have a wireless router to take their handheld online.

 

Stick it in your PC and it'll open a window to establish a link between your DS, your computer and your Internet connection. (And we do mean PC - Nintendo is only supporting Windows at the moment, so bad luck Mac owners.) There are then three option screens to click through on your DS, and hey presto - you're online.

 

As previously announced, you'll be able to construct a Friends list but there are no usernames or passwords involved. Instead, 12 digit numbers or "Friend Codes" will be used - swap your Friend Code with a mate and they'll be added to your list so you can play with them whenever. If you prefer, you can pick a random stranger who happens to be as wicked/rubbish at the game in question as you via Nintendo's skill-mapping servers.

 

The USB Connector will go on sale in Europe on November 25 alongside Mario Kart DS, priced £30.

 

Nintendo unveiled the connector at the DS Conference 2005 in Japan, where three new titles for the handheld were also announced.

 

Eigo Zuke teaches Japanese speakers how to write and speak English using the DS's touch screen and microphone. It won't make it over here for obvious reasons, though we wouldn't mind a vice versa version.

 

And we're also hoping that since Motto Nou wo Kitaeru Otona no DS Training - Brain Training 2 - will be out in Japan by Christmas, we can expect an English version of the first instalment in the series some time soon.

 

The third game announced was Daredemo Asobi Taikai, a collection of more than 40 popular board games. Wireless multiplayer. Up to eight players opponents. Game sharing. Out next month. Couldn't care less.

 

But HURRAH for the USB Connector and for HURRAH for online multiplayer Mario Kart DS! Roll on November!

Thanks to Digg.Com and EuroGamer.net for informing us about this news!

»» http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=61172

[ Emulatronia ] has posted this update to their website. Apparently, MAME Screensaver allows you to run MAME games at random intervals, much like the demo screen in games. This is the first time I have found out about this app and I'd have to say it's a pretty damn cool idea. Thanks again Emulatronia for letting us know about this release/update.

MAME Screensaver is a Windows screensaver for MAME.

 

It allows you to run MAME as a screen saver, randomly playing games at intervals you specify.

 

Its simple to setup, configure and simple to use, and works just like any other windows screensaver, except when your screensaver kicks in it will randomly and  continuously launch MAME games. With version 0.5 you can play music from a folder while the screensaver is running with almost all music formats including iTunes and OGG. Version 0.5 also introduces an advanced list manager and filtering options.

»» Homepage / Download

Arbee, better known as R. Belmont, has posted an update to his MAME WIP page.

Back to the past

 

I’ve submitted an update to the MESS SNES driver (which of course also affects the Nintendo Super System in MAME). Games I know of that are improved by this include Super Metroid, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 3, Mortal Kombat 3, NBA Live ‘95, Beavis and Butt-head, Clay Fighter (note: you need to press START and skip the singing), NCAA Basketball, and The Irem Skins Game. There are probably others as well - there are many more SNES games than I have time to find and test

 

Games known to still be broken include: Super James Pond, Mortal Kombat 2, NFL Quarterback Club, E.V.O. Search for Eden, and Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. The Donkey Kong Country series has control problems, and Super Mario All-Stars requires you to use Player 2’s controller in-game.

»» http://rbelmont.mameworld.info/

Charles MacDonald, the author of SMS Plus, Genesis Plus, TGEmu, Sega System 24, and more, has posted a small update to his website from his recent post!

Small update for some common questions:

 

The two games I've dumped are xmcota and pzloop2j, which are both already emulated in MAME.

 

The ETA for a complete table dump (65,536 files) is 9 hours, and it's fully automated. Sometimes the system locks up randomly and has to be reset which slows things down, this occured quite a lot for pzloop2j and not at all for xmcota. They have different types of B boards, perhaps that has something to do with it.

 

Many people are suggesting to look at Street Fighter Zero and it's variants, as well as Rockman which had a less common CPS-2 release but is very similar to the CPS-1 version. The only thing that would be really useful is to find two games that are encrypted with the same or similar keys, so unless Rockman has an identical key as another game it's not that useful. I would be interested in getting data out of another variant of xmcota.

»» http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/