General News

31/01/2004   Microsoft will use Apple hardware on Xbox2 The Apple G5s you see in this picture are going to Redmond, and they won’t be used by graphical designers or any other media content creators. They’re going to be used by programmers; not for Microsoft’s MAC products, Virtual PC or any other Mac OS software. Instead, these three palettes of Dual 2.0GHz G5s are alpha kits; Xbox 2 alpha kits to be more specific. Yes, the forbidden Apple entering the Microsoft paradise. Hard to believe, isn’t it? We know. No one will believe us, but don’t worry; time will tell. By the way, in case you're wondering; yes, the Xbox 2 will use a PowerPC architecture. Instead, these three palettes of Dual 2.0GHz G5s are alpha kits; Xbox 2 alpha kits to be more specific. Yes, the forbidden Apple entering the Microsoft paradise. Hard to believe, isn’t it? We know. No one will believe us, but don’t worry; time will tell. By the way, in case you're wondering; yes, the Xbox 2 will use a PowerPC architecture. Read more   Key publishers will support Nintendo's DS Nintendo's new Dual Screen handheld console is set to receive third party software support from key Japanese publishers Konami and Namco, while leading western publisher EA has confirmed that it is evaluating the system. According to a report in Nihon Keizai Shimbun, both Konami and Namco have confirmed their intentions to develop for the NDS, with a Namco spokesperson commenting that "we're not at the development stage yet, but we intend to support Nintendo DS." Working with Nintendo on unusual hardware isn't a new thing for either of the companies, with Konami having recently produced the light-sensitive Game Boy Advance title Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand, while Namco created the drum controller for GameCube title Donkey Konga, which launched in Japan before Christmas.   On February 25th in Europe the "Dark Age of Camelot: Trials of Atlantis" Mythic Entertainment, developer and publisher of the award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game "Dark Age of Camelot," today announced that "Dark Age of Camelot: Trials of Atlantis" will be released in Europe on February 25th, 2004. Published and distributed in Europe by Wanadoo, Mythic’s latest expansion pack to "Dark Age of Camelot" updates the entire game’s graphics and includes a new world of underwater challenges based on the legend of Atlantis. Designed for high-level group play, "Trials of Atlantis" adds three all-new character races and a boat travel system to the game.   Killer7 is No Longer GameCube Exclusive Capcom Producer, Hiroyuki Kobayashi today revealed new details on Killer7. Already scheduled to release for the GameCube, the game will now also be released for the PlayStation 2.Killer7 for the GameCube is scheduled to be released in winter 2004 for Japan and North American markets and sometime early in 2005 for the European markets. Although, Killer7 for the PS2 is scheduled to be released in both North America and Japan, details on the release date has not been confirmed.   Xbox at 99$? The current trend of thought responsible for plenty of salty sweat-marks on cushy leather seats, is all about console price cuts. Every analyst, including EA's lot, claim that as the, traditionally slow, summer season approaches both MS and Sony will cut their hardware price to USD 129. A general E3 date is predicted as the most likely for the relevant announcements. Others however, have taken the whole thing a step further and suggest that Microsoft, in fear of Nintendo's apparent success, following the price cut which brought the GameCube to under USD 100 is planning a similar move for this coming fall. The same sources that report such a dramatic price cut by MS, justify it by claiming that the company will release its next-gen offering (XBox 2?) in late 2005 rather than 2006. Such a possibility would definitely confuse the market, making the oldest console the most expensive. Sony would definitely not like cutting their price to under USD 100, especially if their plans for a 2006 release of the PS3 remain unchanged.   Strong Cube boosts Nintendo profits Nintendo has announced a selection of financial figures for the nine months ended December 31, revealing that rising GameCube sales have helped the company's operating profits to top 103 billion Yen (€786 million). Once other accounting factors (including the weak dollar, which continues to plague Nintendo's financials) are brought into consideration, the platform holder reports a net profit for the nine month period of 34.6 billion Yen (€264 million). The overall sales figure for the period was 439.6 billion Yen (€3.6 billion), around 80 per cent of the company's target for the full year to March, which was set at 510 billion Yen (€3.9 billion) last November. The operating profit figure meanwhile is at 89 per cent of the full year target of 115 billion Yen (€878 million).   North American Release for Colin McRae Rally 04 on the PS2 and PC Cancelled Codemasters has announced that the North American versions of Colin McRae Rally 04 have been cancelled. Now, Codemasters promising rally racer will only be available on Microsoft’s Xbox in North American territories.   Resident Evil 4 was presented in playable form on the Nintendo GameCube At Capcom’s recent press conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the first time ever, Resident Evil 4 was presented to the gaming press in playable form on the Nintendo GameCube. However, it is believed that due to possible NDA’s (Non Disclosure Agreements) being placed on the press, detailed information on the game will not be seen for quite some time. Resident Evil 4, starring Resident Evil 2’s Leon S. Kennedy, is scheduled for a Winter 2004 release in Japan and North American territories   The PSX's CPU is not 90nm Sony's PSX Playstation-cum-personal digital video recorder is not based on a 90nm processor as is widely believed but a 130nm version of the chip, Canadian technology analysis company Semiconductor Insights has claimed. "Sony claims to manufacture at 90nm, but the design rules are relaxed to 130nm," SI says. "The e-DRAM trench cells are also laid out using 130nm design rules." The company bases its conclusion - to be outlined in a forthcoming report Quick Look I: Sony CXD9797GB Emotion Engine and Graphics Synthesizer - after getting its hands on the chip and opening up the packaging. Certainly, Sony claims the chip is fabbed at 90nm. In this press release of 27 November 2003, detailing the upcoming Japanese launch to the two PSX models, the DESR-5000 and DESR-7000, the machines' processor is stated as being a "90nm EE+GS". When Sony announced last may that it was working on an SoC that combined the PlayStation 2's Emotion Engine and Graphics Synthesiser chips onto a single die, it said that it would fabricate the part at 90nm. Indeed, it referred to the past as the "EE+GS@90nm". 29/01/2004   PS2 price drops to $129.99? IGN reports today's extended third-quarter financial results from Electronic Arts and revealed plenty of juicy information regarding the company's past, present, and future, even hinted at a PlayStation 2 and Xbox price drop. Read some highlights: The new Nintendo DS was briefly discussed and it was confirmed that the platform that EA is in the midst of assessing the status of the new system. Sony's PSP, however, was talked about much more directly. As EA anticipates a late November/early December release and predicts a $199-$249 price point. Software should carry an MSRP of $39.99 and EA will supply at least eight to 12 of these titles before the end of the fiscal year. Budgets for the games are between $1-2 million and will be based on existing Electronic Arts franchises with PSP-specific feature sets. Read more   XBOX Limited Edition Weeks after anuncair editions limited after Japan, Microsoft announced a new Xbox edition limited after the European market! This new pack will include a traslucida Xbox and two pads with the same style. According to different sources, it will leave the 14 of March on sale, to fest jar the second anniversary of the exit of the Xbox in Europe. Nevertheless, one does not even know whichever units will take place its price far from it. [Image] 26/01/2004   First release of GC Dolphin The awaited emulator of GameCube for PC named Dolphin has been published, after several months of images and videos of sample in Emulation64. The version is still primitive and some games only work, but even so it is to admire that it has been able to emulate at this level a console of last generation like the GC. You can download the emulator here   Linux Booting on GameCube Tmbinc managed to get the Linux kernel booted. You can see a screen of kernel messages.   Sony Update PSX Sony Computer Entertainment has announced it will release two patches for the PSX. The PS2 compatible DVD-HDD recorder was released in a rush last December to meet the holiday shopping season, which caused Sony to omit a number of originally planned functions. The upcoming firmware patch scheduled for distribution early next month will bring back half of the capabilities missing from the PSX's original specifications, such as MP3 playback and 24x speed HDD to DVD dubbing. The patch will also add on some extra features and bug fixes. 25/01/2004   EA Gets TimeSplitters 3 Electronic Arts and UK-based developer Free Radical Design announced a distribution and publishing partnership agreement for the next game in the best selling TimeSplitters game franchise. Free Radical is the developer of the franchise. The new title in the celebrated series will be published by EA Partners, will be announced shortly and is slated for worldwide release in 2005. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.   XBox Secret Weapons LucasArts have released the final Secret Weapons Over Normandy Xbox Live content package. This package features one additional flyable plane, an all-new two-player mission, and two new alternative camo schemes. A true German Secret Weapon the rocket powered He162 Volksjager [The People's Fighter] is now available for selection. Originally designed to be cheap and easy to produce, the He162 could very well have become the jet-powered workhorse of the Luftwaffe. Fly it, or any craft of your choice, in a brand new Axis vs. Allies themed two-player engagement, titled Furious Engel. Also added to Xbox Live are updated camo patterns for the P-51 Mustang and the B-17 Flying Fortress.   Xbox Fighter Delayed Metro 3D has confirmed plans to delay the release of their fighting game "Dronez" on Microsoft's Xbox. Originally slated to hit shelves on March 26, the game's released has been postponed until April 22. While an official explanation for the delay hasn't been given, sources close to the project suggest lingering quality control issues and testing as the likely culprit. Dronez, an Xbox Live compatible fighting game, has been in development for several years and was originally targeted for release on Sega's Dreamcast console.   Taito Reports Q3 Results Taito reported their fiscal third quarter results today with an operating profit of 3.97 billion yen ($37 million), that's up nearly 19% from the same period last year. Sales during the quarter were 61.8 billion yen ($582 million), which was up more than 15% from last year. Taito attributed their success to several recently released games including Bujingai and Marathon Runner for PlayStation 2 and their growing arcade business. Despite the rise in sales however, the company still posted a loss for the quarter due to outstanding tax debts.   Namco Targets Britain Japanese developer Namco has confirmed plans to establish a game development studio in the United Kingdom. According to company director Yoichi Haraguchi, the new studio will allow Namco to directly compete with global software publishers including Electronic Arts. Namco has previously outsourced development to separate companies located in Canada and France. Details regarding the new studio including its management personnel are expected to be unveiled later this spring.   Namco will Support Nintendo's DS According to the Japanese News publication Nikkei Industrial Daily, third party publisher and strong Nintendo supporter Namco is onboard to support Nintendo’s newly revealed “Mystery Product” the Nintendo DS. However it has been stated by Namco’s representatives that the company has yet to begin work on any DS related projects. Also, in the same article it Konami was asked about Nintendo’s new platform. Their response had been “We look forward to seeing this new game machine.   New Developer Promises Fusion Gaming Level Of Detail software, a new game development outfit, specialises in the conception and development of video games with an arcade orientation. Co-founded by 4 professionals, Rodolphe Recca, Sebastien Lachambre, Sebastien Clement and Thomas Cornet each with 4 to 10 years of experience, the company has introduced an ambitious attempt at fusion gaming as its first title Light In the Darkness. The game is a mix of 3 game styles in full 3D. The LitD universe combines Asian and European gaming styles, including Fighting, Platform and RPG in an heroic fantasy world. Once released the game will allow 1 to 4 players to play simultaneously. Each player will have to manage a team of four heroes to prevent the humans, your former friends and allies, from going to war against all the other magical creatures. The project is next-gen console oriented.   E3 2004 EXPO In E3 2004 we will see the Sony's and Nintendo's new handhelds. Nintendo is tossing its hat in the ring along with Sony's PSP. Word is the PSP Prototype will be shown at the show this May. Nintendo's Code Name "Nintendo DS" The DS is for double screen! 2- 3inch color screens will be a able to display 2 different perspectives, such as close-up and wide angle views of the game in process. More details will be known at after the E3 Expo on the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP. [More in official site] 24/01/2004   Linux for GameCube Linuxpreview released Linuxpreview is a small application that draws Tux the penguin on the GameCube screen. Linux on the GameCube is coming soon! (Screenshots/Download) Top members of the homebrew scene (Costis, tmbinc) as well as the core team of the Xbox Linux Project (mist, gimli/ed, hamtitampti, ionic) have united to bring Linux to the GameCube. Read the Roadmap. [More]   First legal victory of modchips in Europe Italian has declared legal the installation of modchips in the console PlayStation 2. According to the judge the use of these Chips allows to avoid monopoly situations and to improve the possibilities of use of the PS2, being added in addition that the users must right to use the console as they want, not being able to prohibit the company a specific use. We will see that it must say Sony on the matter.   Konami announces that it will release Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes on March 26 Konami of Europe has today announced that it will release Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes in Europe on March 26, only a few weeks after it arrives in North American stores. The game will ship on two discs in packaging that features an exclusive image by lead artist Yoji Shinkawa.Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is the result of collaboration between series creator Hideo Kojima, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, and Canada-based Silicon Knights. The game is loosely based on the original Metal Gear Solid PlayStation game but boasts an updated storyline and lots of additional features   OzXodus WARN about Fake chips! These are the kinds of posts that we really don’t like making, but we promised quality and service and we feel that it is our duty to warn all our loyal dealers, distributors and of course the end users and fans out there about some really disturbing findings that have recently been brought to our attention. Certain unscrupulous dealers are offering “Xenium” chips at ridiculously low prices. (see listing below) We have complete control of our own original stock and pricing and therefore know that this pricing structure is impossible to justify legitimately. There can only be one possible answer to this; you are being ripped off!! Scam artists have always been there and have always profited off the backs of others or off the naivetι of misinformed consumers. We will not allow that and will do whatever is necessary to protect the integrity and reputation of our brand. We cannot sit back and watch our brand being associated with complete scam artists out to make a quick buck and blow up your consoles. [More]   EA Live ? As most gamers already know, EA Xbox games up to now have not featured online support for reasons unspecified. The word is that this year, though, EA will be announcing Live support for the next round of sports titles, as well as a number of new titles, including the once-canned Battlefield 1942. In fact, we have reports of an unnamed Microsoft representative in New Zealand who confirmed that Battlefield 1942 will be EA's first Xbox Live game.   Nintendo Announces Dual-Screened Portable Game System An unprecedented approach to video game play -- holding two separate game screens in the palm of your hand -- hits the scene later this year when Nintendo introduces a new portable game system, code-named Nintendo DS. From information made available today, players can look forward to being able to manage their game progress from two different perspectives, enhancing both the speed and strategy of the challenge. For example in a soccer game, users can view the whole game on one screen while simultaneously focusing on an individual soccer player's tackle or goal on the other screen. Players will no longer be forced to interrupt game play to shift perspective, such as moving from a wide shot to a close up, or alternating between a character's ongoing battle and a map of the environment. Nintendo DS makes it possible to perform the tasks in real time by simply glancing from one screen to the other. Today's announcement is but a glimpse of the additional features and benefits that will be shown in full at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles in May. Once fully revealed, players will see innovative advances in game interaction.   Final Fantasy XII Final Fantasy XII is already on the way. First traditional RPG installment in Square's long-running Final Fantasy series since Final Fantasy X. While Final Fantasy X-2 offered a mission-based structure, Final Fantasy XI explored online roleplaying, and Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles focused on multiplayer link-up gaming, Final Fantasy XII (12) goes back to the meat of the series by offering a sweeping storyline, a party setup, and character advancement. The game follows the exploits of main character Vaan who can join forces with at least two characters at the time. Final Fantasy XII is being produced and directed by Yasumi

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