Monday, October 31, 2005

Wi-Fi updates .

So stephen submitted his documentation for verification, and gained $1406.57. Now we are waiting to see it in action, although we already saw a video of the process he has done by now. We hope well for Stephen, and maybe we'll see him as a winner of the DS wifi bounty.

Friday, October 21, 2005

Supercard I/O source is out .

So the supercard I/O source has been released. Also moonshell hacks have been released to enable direct CF/SD access.

The files are available either from scdev.org or by going to our backup host on supercard.filefront.com .

Enjoy !!

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Mario & Luigi Rumble Pak action

Mario & Luigi's DS outing, Partners in Time, will feature some manner of support for the new DS Rumble Pak, Nintendo quietly announced this week.

The Rumble Pak, which goes on general sale in the US next Monday bundled with Metroid Prime Pinball, slots into the DS's GBA cartridge slot and delivers vibrations to complement the gameplay.

MP Pinball is the first game to make use of it - the Pak activating whenever the ball hits a bumper, or the balling Samus takes a hit from a Space Pirate or one of its evil friends.

It's an optional extra though, so if you prefer to take a GBA game out with you when you gently slide the voluptuous handheld into your jacket pocket, that's still an option.

Whether the Rumble Pak will be bundled with MP Pinball here remains to be seen, but we're more interested to learn what it's for in Mario & Luigi - the latest in the quirky handheld RPG series is due out in the States on 28th November, with a European launch down as "Q4".

Article by Eurogamer.net

McDonald's to host DS hotspots

Nintendo of America has signed a deal with McDonald's to put Wi-Fi hotspots in more than 7000 restaurants across the US, giving DS owners free access to the new Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service.

McDonald's already offers wireless Internet access to laptop owners in restaurants all around the country, but charges a fee. The access points are supplied by Texan firm Wayport, which will receive an undisclosed sum from Nintendo for providing wireless access for the DS.

"This agreement with Wayport will bring countless people together to play games in a single, simultaneous wireless community," said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's executive VP of sales and marketing.

"Beginning with free access at participating McDonald's, we have removed one of the major barriers that have kept people from going online to play games."

Wayport CEO Dave Vucina commented: "By enabling Nintendo DS customers to access Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection via our Wi-Fi World network and business model at McDonald's, we are continuing to drive more customers to the restaurants we serve and increase the relevancy of Wi-Fi to a broader customer base."

"Nintendo is a pioneer in providing a new way for their customers to play the games they want to while away from home or the office, and McDonald's is the perfect venue based on their ubiquity and accessibility."

The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service will launch in the US on November 14, with a European launch to follow on November 25 - the same day as Mario Kart DS, complete with online mode, hits shop shelves. Other forthcoming Wi-Fi titles include Metroid Prime Hunters, Animal Crossing: Wild World and Tony Hawk's American SK8Land. Nintendo was unavailable to comment on whether European McDonald's restaurants will also offer free access to the service.

However, it has been confirmed that "Nintendo DS is just the first Nintendo system to connect via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection," according to an official statement.

"The same service will be incorporated into Nintendo's next-generation home video game console, codenamed Revolution, which is set for release in 2006."

Article by EuroGamer.Net

DS Wi-Fi uses WEP, not WPA

ome more technical details of Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection service for the DS have appeared on the net this week thanks to eagle-eyed (well, presumably just 'eyed') attendees of last week's Digital Life Show in New York City, who saw it demonstrated.

Wi-Fi Connection is capable of auto-detecting the SSIDs of 802.11b-compatible wireless networks in its immediate vicinity (or whatever number of metres it is that the thing supports), and is happy to obtain its own IP address automatically (using DHCP) or work with a static one. All of which bodes well for compatibility.

In slightly less good news, Wi-Fi Connection apparently uses WEP security rather than WPA. As Joystiq points out, WEP is pretty easily cracked and most people ought to be running WPA at home by now - which presents a problem.

Mind you, it's not a problem if you've shelled out £30 for the USB Wi-Fi Adapter plug-in for your home PC, which acts as a kind of gateway for the DS no matter the scenario, but for those of you hoping to take it online, by the sound of it you'll have to plunge your network back into the choppy, electronic shark infested waters of WEP - at least for the time being.

We'll bring you more on Wi-Fi Connection very soon - the first game to support it, Mario Kart DS, is due out in Europe on November 25th.

Article by EuroGamer.Net

Friday, October 14, 2005

New firmware 1.52 and software 2.42 OUT !!

So the Supercard software/firmware that all of us Supercard owners were waiting for has finally been released.

You can download the CF and SD version from supercard.filefront.com.

Temporarily the Official Site is down, but will be up soon.

I am sorry to say this but M3,and G6 are nothing near to the SUPERCARD, because the SUPERCARD is far better in anything. Look at the less than 1sec load time.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

So new Firmware will release on FRIDAY !!

Well as some reported from the chinese forums, the new firmware is numbered as the 1.52 version. Well the version may have changed from 1.51 into 1.52 since the Supercard's Team has been testing the software for bugs, and incompatibilities with some games.

So we are all waiting to see this new firmware and software, and of course try them. We all expect great things since we are talking about Supercard.

I will upload the firmware, and software as I arrive from school so that everyone could download it fast, although www.SCDEV.org uploads it to their servers too.

Monday, October 10, 2005

Someone posted on the SC forums about the new SC firmware!

Well dunno but a guy named romman (maybe romman in persona) wrote on the Supercard's Official Forum that this week the new firmware and software will be released this week.

Quoted from SC'S official forums:

"We finished all work, and will test two days. I hope to release in this week.
Hope every one enjoy it."

So if this news is real we can expect the new software on Wednesday or maybe even tomorrow but by the end of this week ,if all goes plain sailing, we should have our hands on the new firmware and software.

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Well Well !!

So as I navigated through the internet to look for some of the information I've been missing out, I have to say that I am very disappointed from the things I found out.

So the first one and the shortest one is that the Supercard Team did not release the firmware yet, but atleast they have done a decent forum for us english owners.

The second news and the most disappointed one is that of DarkFader. I never expected that someone would do such a thing to create a fake ds patcher or whatever that formats your ds, and flashcart to make them in some cases unusable.
There should be a fixing software that is going to be released by DarkFader, but how could we be sure from now on that our DS will be secure? And CAN we trust DarkFader anymore ??!

Surely none of us want that our money is thrown away especially when it is a considrable amount, because we are not talking about a calculator here that costs 1/20 of the ds price. BTW don't forget the flashcarts also! The ones that have been bricked are the supercard, the gbamp, the neoflash, and another cart that I forgot the name. But Darkfader said that he is working out on the M3, and G6 carts too.

As everybody is saying the DS homebrew scene will have an impact from this occurence. Everyone enjoys making homebrew, and I think that nobody wants to see his game on the shelves because of some silly s**t (let's talk my language now!).

DarkFader should clearly take responsibility of what he has done, because he destroyed what "he" created.

I am BAAACK!

Sorry but lately I had some problems with my Internet connection, and now school has begun, and I did not have many chance to check the connection settings.

So I will be active again on this blog, and will report all the news that I missed out since last time.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

DSlazy V 0.2 OUT !!

We have seen the dslazy v 0.1 that patched files with ndsloader.bin, but with the appearance of ndspatch.exe ratx could not be lazier than ever, and so added it to his application.

So this is the link to download DSLazy V 0.2
http://l33t.spod.org/ratx/DS/dslazy/

Have Fun!

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Lots of Updates this wekkend Supercard + Wi-Fi !!!!!

SUPERCARD UPDATE !!

So Romman posted on the forums that the v1.51 of the firmware is finished, and will soon be releasing the patching software.

New firmware 1.51 is ready for you!!! [ Anon:roman ] 219.133.249.178 2005-9-24 22:20:49

Hi, I am romman, our supercard team has finished new firmware 1.51, and covert software will ready soon. And we will release them together.
New firmware feature:
1. Can save game to CF ot SD directly and automaticly. There is a .sav file with the NDS game just like GBA. But can save game to CF and SD without press any HOT keys.
2. Can run game more than 256Mbits, you can play any size games now.
3. Run NDS games directly from CF ot SD card. Very Very fast without loading the game in to Supercard RAM.


------------------------------------------------------------------

Wi-Fi Update!!

Well as an Anonymous person posted in the comments the Wi-Fi hack has considerably advanced to another level. Well done to Stephen !!










Field of work Completion Level
Receiving data: 100%
Transmitting data: 100%
Interrupts/Data Queuing: 100%
arm7/arm9 communication structure: 100%
802.11b implementation (arm7): 100%
TCP/IP [integrating lwIP] (arm9): 20%
API for other wireless functions (arm9): 95%

Well here is an update of the process scene, and as you can see , only the TCP/IP implementation is remaining.

Quote Stephen :
"I have now got transmit working smoothly and the DS has successfully associated to an access point :) From here on it's just TCP/IP integration."

------------------------------------------------------------------

So this is the end of the updates for now, hope for more updates soon.

Saturday, September 24, 2005

No news from RommaN but good news from Stephen's WiFi

Well last week I posted on the WiFi hack development, and now it's at 80%-90% finish.









Field of work Completion Level
Receiving data: 100%
Transmitting data: 85%
Interrupts/Data Queuing: 95%
arm7/arm9 communication structure: 100%
802.11b implementation (arm7): 85%
TCP/IP [integrating lwIP] (arm9): 20%
API for other wireless functions (arm9): 90%


As you see in the table above extracted from the original @ http://www.akkit.org/dswifi/index.html you will notice that it's more thatn 50% finished and as Stephen reported he is smoothly sailing from now on.

I hope he makes progress in this soon so we could all benefit from lots more hacks that use ds Wi-Fi, we could also be able to play online without the official nintendo Wi-Fi connection. As far as I know I will hardly see Nintendo's Wi-Fi in my country, so at least I will be able to play online if I want to using Wi-Fi hacks thanks to people like Stephen.

Keep an eye on Wi-Fi as it will soon make a huge BOOM on the DS.

Portable Sales Surge in Japan

Last week, while the Tokyo Game Show was on the minds of many, Sony Computer Entertainment and Nintendo released new variations of their portable game systems to Japan. Early reports from retailers indicate that both systems managed impressive numbers in their first week, with the big N in particular scoring big.

Game Boy Micro caused the biggest sensation, with sales of around 150,000 units in its first week, despite earlier complaints about a high price tag. The Famicom-themed unit (a version of the Micro made to look like a controller for the Japanese version of the NES) sold out in most locations within days of the 9/13 release and ended up grabbing 60% of overall sales. Following this in order of popularity were silver, black, purple and blue.

In news that's sure to please Nintendo's management, sales of the Game Boy Micro did not adversely affect sales of the company's two other portable systems, Game Boy Advance SP and the DS. We should have specific numbers shortly.

Lining up closely with the Micro's strong sales was Nintendo's unstoppable Super Mario Brother's Famicom Mini series (Japanese version of the NES Classics series) edition. The most popular of the Famicom Mini titles was re-released to coincide with the Game Boy Micro's 9/13 release (and also Mario's 20th anniversary) and ended up selling over 150,000 units.

Other big portable Nintendo titles, including Capcom's Gyakuten Saiban (Phoenix Wright in America) and Bandai's Tamagotchi for the DS and Bandai's Super Robot Taisen J for the Game Boy Advance, also performed well. Many older Game Boy Advance titles saw a sales spike with the influx of new owners.

Less is known at this point about sales of the PSP. Sony released a white-colored version of the system to coincide with the 9/15 release of Konami's Winning Eleven 9. While the system did see a sales surge, early reports indicate that it didn't even manage to top DS sales.

Article by IGN.com

DS price cut on the way

Nintendo has announced plans to celebrate the launch of Nintendogs by knocking a tenner off the price of the Nintendo DS.

From October 7, the handheld will retail for £89. For £99, you'll be able to buy a Nintendogs bundle - either the new pink DS with Nintendogs Dachsund, or the blue one with Nintendogs Labrador.

Nintendo will no doubt be hoping that the European release of their puppy sim will give the DS a boost in the war against the PSP, as it's already done in Japan and the US. More than 250,000 copies of the game were sold in the States in the first week after launch, and when we were out there recently we couldn't find a copy for love nor $29.99.

Article by EuroGamer.net

Animal Crossing DS details

New details have emerged of Animal Crossing: Wild World, the DS version of the hit Gamecube and N64 title that sees you taking of the role of a cute animal, living in a cute town and doing cute things.

According to US magazine Nintendo Power, you only need one DS cart for up to four players to live together in the same village - and indeed the same house, unlike in the Gamecube version.

Then it's up to you and your housemates to fill your new home with cute stuff and, of course, pay off the mortgage.

There's no Animal Crossing train station any more - instead, you visit other LAN and Wi-Fi villages by passing through gates. Loveable old K. K. Slider, who you may have seen entertaining commuters in previous games, now has his own nightclub where he puts on regular gigs.

Animal Crossing: Wild World is due out in Europe early next year, and it'll be one of the first DS titles to make use of Nintendo's new Wi-Fi Connection service. Can't wait..

Article by EuroGamer.net

Games will get cheaper

Activision CEO Robert Kotick has predicted that the price of current generation games will drop as our new friends PS3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Revolution join the party.

Speaking at a Bank of America conference last week, Kotick said: "You're likely to see price declines on the older generation software."

Sounds like good news to us - especially since next-gen games are expected to carry a suggested retail price of £44.99.

But there will be less new titles to choose from, Kotick continued, as publishers pour their resources into creating games for the next-gen consoles - just as they stopped bothering with PlayStation and Nintendo 64 development following the arrival of the PS2, Xbox and Gamecube.

"I'm a pretty big believer that history is likely to repeat itself," he said.

He also revealed that Activision plans to release no less than 40 titles for the Xbox 360 over the course of 2006 - nearly double the amount of current-gen Xbox titles released by the publisher in the year following the console's launch.

Article by EuroGamer.net

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Nintendo Best Friends Edition Revealed

A few weeks ago IGN.com revealed that Nintendo had registered Nintendogs: Holiday Edition with the ESRB for an E rating. Today, the company revealed that Nintendogs: Holiday Edition has been renamed "Best Friends Version," and is the version that will be bundled with two new DS system colors shipping this October.

On October 24th, Nintendo will release Pearl Pink and Teal DS bundled with a special fourth edition of Nintendogs. Each bundle will retail for $149.99, 10 dollars less than if gamers purchased the system and game separately. The bundle will also include a unique Nintendogs branded skin for the system, as well as a bone-shaped screen cleaner.



Nintendogs: Best Friends Version will feature all 18 of the same dogs within the other three versions already available. This version, though, will have a new list of six starter puppies: Labrador retriever, golden retriever, German shepherd, beagle, Yorkshire terrier and miniature dachshund.

Nintendogs, to date, has sold through nearly 1.5 million units in Japan and North America.

Article by IGN.com.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

A patching tutorial !!

So some guys are finding it difficult to work with the roms so here it is a tutorial complete with a link to the file.

No 1- Download the software that you need to patch DS games to run on every GBA Flashcart, from HERE or click Here and download the file ndspatch.rar .

No 2- Extract the files into an empty folder (preferably), and copy the CLEAN rom dumps/backups/demos there.

No 3- Drag the roms you want to convert on the .exe file ndspatch.exe .

No 4- You will see that new .nds.gba files have been created. These are trimmed and patched nds games, so if you have a normal gba flashcart use the files as is in .nds.gba format. If you own a supercard or M3 or something that is able to play it's own patched roms in DS mode you need to rename the file into .nds instead of .nds.gba format.

No 5- Now copy the roms onto your flashcart, and run them. BUT you need to have either PASSME/FLASHME/WIFIME/SUPERPASS available in order to run these games, so if you only have a flashcart but none of the above you cannot run the games, and will result in white screen.

No 6- To be able to save you need to copy a .sav file from a converted gba game(in the case of the supercard users) or a normal .sav file. Now rename the save file exactly as the converted ds rom you want to associate/assign it to.

No 7- If you succeeded in loading the ds rom play it as usual, but then the saves will be redirected to the SRAM, so you have to quickly turn ON and OFF the DS, boot in DS mode, and save the SRAM to the gba.sav file. (In the case of supercard users you have to go to the saver menu and select the .sav file then select yes and it's done)

No 8- I am not able to tell if other flashcards then Supercard automatically load the save files, but it should be enabled in order to load the save file in the DS rom.( For Supercard users just check the AUTO LOAD SAVER option from the OPTIONS menu when in DS mode)

NOTE: Not all roms patched with the ndspatcher work, save/save correctly. For example, WARIO WARE = 2 white screens, NEED FOR SPEED UNDERGROUND 2 + PGA TOUR= NOT saving, and NINTENDOGS CHIUAUA (US) = SAVING BUT NOT ALL DATA (because of some limitations in the saving)

NDS Patcher that loads DS games from any GBA flashcart !! Updated !!

Sorry for late news but I was formatting my PC.

Well a patcher for ds games has been released to patch DS games to load from any GBA cart. A great step forward in the DS scene, although you still have to use the QPC method. It also trims the roms, for faster loading.

Quote from readme - "This program will patch a normal (ie. not a GST release) rom to allow it to load from a GBA flash cart instead of the usual NDS card. It also attempts to patch the saving functions so that it can save on the flash cart's SRAM instead of using the NDS card's SRAM."

I have tested this myself and I am currently uploading the zip file on Filefront so everyone can download it.

Hope you enjoy it, I really am.

UPDATE: You do not need to have different ds carts for saving. I saved NintendoDogs with metroid demo in the DS slot, although I did not have a 2Mb gba save, it saved part of the data, but it works. I also tried NFS2DS and Ridge Racer, but they do not work.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

TGS:- More on Wi-Fi from Nintendo .

Speaking at the Tokyo Game Show, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has revealed more details of the company's plans to promote wireless gaming for the Nintendo DS.

"It is our goal that all consumers who purchase a Wi-Fi enabled game will try Wi-Fi connection at least once," he said.

Iwata confirmed that consumers will not be required to pay any monthly fees to play first party titles - the only costs incurred will be the price of games and the user's own Internet connection. He said that Nintendo has worked hard to design a system which is secure and protected from the kind of abuse that can come from anonymity.

A Nintendo-branded USB Wi-Fi access point will appear on the shelves along side the first Wi-Fi enabled game for use by gamers who don't have a wireless Internet connection already set up - which would suggest that third party wireless access points can also be used.

Online retailer Play is already taking pre-orders for the "Nintendo DS USB Access Point", due for release on November 11. The adaptor is priced at GBP 14.99, a saving on what Play claims is an RRP of GBP 19.99.

Nintendo has said that there will be two types of service to choose from - users can either find people to play against according to how they've performed in the offline game, or create a list of friends.

Neither service will support voice chat as, according to a Nintendo Europe product manager quoted in a recent product guide, "We need to be entirely confident that there can be no untoward activity."

Gamers will be able to play online for free at high street stores across the country, which will be equipped with Wi-Fi antennae. Nintendo is also said to be negotiating free Wi-Fi hotspot connections with leading telecomms companies, and looking to close the deal by the end of the year.

The supplement confirmed that Mario Kart DS will launch in Europe on November 11, with Tony Hawk's American SK8Land to follow soon after. Animal Crossing Wild World and Metroid Prime Hunters are due for release in 2006.

Article by EuroGamer.net

Supercard also works with GBM

Romman, officially confirmed on the Supercard website that the Supercard works with the GameBoy Micro.





Notice that I have put two different photos one with a Supercard CF , and the other with a Supercard SD, so that you see for yourself that both work with the GBM.

Monday, September 19, 2005

Some interesting NintendoDS Gadgets

I was searching through Google when I encountered some interesting NintendoDS gadgets that I did not know about their existence, yet until now.

NO.1 The NDS/GBASP camera ;




Features:

<1.1> Photo - Taking
<1.2> Photo management
<1.3> Memory management
<1.4> Connection to PC
<2> Built-in 8 MB memory capacity
<3> 640 * 480 pixel resolution
<4> Can save upto 26 hotographs
<5> Photos can also be deleted
<6> No matter day or night, indoors or out doors,contrast can be adjusted
<7> Colours include tend to blue, tend to red, natural and rich colour"
<8> 9 photos can be viewed on each page
<9> Photographs canbe viewed on each page
<10> Photographs can also be viewed one by one in a sequence
<11> Photograph could be backup to computer by USB port.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NO.2 NDS Solar Charger;



Features:

Uses sunlights to charge the NDS game console

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NO.3 NDS Winding Handle Charger;



Features:

Rotate the handle to charge the NDS game console and no need of any other power source.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No.4 NDS Speaker Amplifier



Amplifies the NDS sound using the speakers + they are also foldable.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The site from where I extracted these gadgets is FirstSing.com, plus there are also other products that I think you have already seen but I did not post here so it's up to you to take a look.

Maybe not all of these gadgets are in production state, but I have to admit that they are very interesting, especially the solar charger and the camera.

Takes time to patch your homebrew games/apps look here to save time.

Are you tired of patching all those homebrew games or apps with ndsloader.b to play them on your DS. Do not worry there is a shortcut. So Ratx posted on scdev.org that he created an application to patch the files with simply two clicks.

HERE http://l33t.spod.org/ratx/DS/dslazy/ you will find the file that contains the current files:- " screenshot.jpg, readme.txt, ndsloader.bin, go.bat, dslazy.exe ". Follow the few steps from the readme file, but it should not be difficult to patch the files.

Visit the site to download the file. Soon I will be uploading them on filefront, but you'll have to wait because currently there are some problems with filefront.

So have fun with this app and good work to Ratx

Reaching 10,000 clicks!

Since 14th August this blog/site has improved quite a bit, thanks to constant visitors that navigate through this blog/site everyday.

Right now while I am posting this article a total of 9708 hits have been registered, but after this night(or day) when I'll wake up tomorrow I will see a 10000 hits on the index page.

Keep in touch for Supercard, and NDS news. Soon there will be a BOOM.

Will Konami and Capcom Merge?

US website Bloomberg has published a report predicting that major Japanese publishers will look to mergers as a means of raising funds and combatting escalating development costs.

The report refers to the recent Namco/Bandai merger and the bid for Taito by Square Enix (itself born out of a previous merger) as evidence of a growing trend.

But not everyone is convinced by the findings - speaking to Bloomberg, Capcom spokesperson Ryosuke Tanaka pointed out that the company has not been involved in any mergers or acquisitions during its entire 20 year history.
Advertisement


Bloomberg is not alone in its predictions, however. A Cosmo Securities analyst has also stated that "Capcom is probably the most likely candidate for acquisition or merger out of the remaining large companies.

"The company is in a difficult situation financially. The most effective of possible combinations for Capcom would be if Sega Sammy bought the company."

Bloomberg also highlighted Konami as a prime candidate for a new merger, and Konami executive officer Michihiro Ishizuka said the possibility is already under consideration.

"Rising costs and falling profit margins will speed up consolidation in the industry," he stated.

"Buying companies with knowhow and infrastructure for online businesses would make a lot of sense for us."

Konami has previously purchased Bomberman developer Hudson Soft, and bought stakes in toy manufacturer Takara and developer Genki. The company also owns Japan's largest fitness gym operator, People Co., and is in the process of rebranding the gyms under the Konami name.


Article by EuroGamer.net

TGS:- Sonic Rush

By nature, Sonic Rush is a 2D game, but the title is filled with 3D elements that, while staying in the 2D plane, moved Sonic around in ways that break the game out of the flat plane and help give it life. The game is gorgeous, taking all advantage of the 2D style to blow out the graphic quality at full speed on both DS screens. You see little details all over the game, while the big set-piece Sonic features (the twirling slides and wild level shifts) overwhelm you. The TGS build did have some bouts of early development slowdown when we hit one or two of these, but the game should be full-speed at all times in the finished game. (A giant propeller that sucked in Sonic in the center of the stage and had no gameplay to it dragged the game slow, but we are thinking that this was not a graphics engine clog and instead a stop-gap for de-compressing level data -- after seeing these kinds of glitches in early builds of other games, we have confidence that the developer will have these ironed out when the game is shipped.)

Sonic Rush doesn't do a lot with the DS's key touchscreen feature, but it does make use of the double-screen set up uniquely. The game constantly plays across the two screen, but in the demo level here at TGS, it seemed that the split plane has been carefully addressed so that you're not always lost in the gap trying to play on both screens at once. The game mostly crosses over at big moments, and the level design rarely has you jumping from one screen to the other except when needed. This way, you're typically playing on one screen at a time, but you still see all kinds of things up above or down below that you know you'll have to get to in another play-through. The boss battles should also make use of the two screens for bigger battles once the action slows down and you can concentrate.

The level present here at TGS, for example, was a half-underwater stage that often played out the fastest sequences with the screen split right on the surface of the water. You could see all of the open-air up above, and there were floating mines all over that Blaze could grab to float to the surface and jump out to explore out of the water. The stage was filled with catapults and bouncepads to send your character speeding and flying through the game, and there were sections that were upside down that, if you were fast enough, you could race along the surface of. There was even a section that had us racing along the surface of the water, blazing to try to stay in the upper section. The stage had a nice waving water effect drawn across it, and though it's a fast game, Sonic Team didn't skimp on the details when you slow down. Small floating fish sprites floated through the water, and when you spun to jump, they'd fall out of.

Sonic Rush only uses some of the distinct hardware features of the DS, but we don't imagine that this game would have come together on another game system the way that Sonic fans need. The game is due out in America this November, so look for more on it very soon.

Article by IGN.com

TGS:- Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble

Viewtiful Joe Scratch!, as it is known in Japan, is in a word, Viewtiful. It's beautiful too.

The DS's moderate 3D abilities are put to their fullest in this amazing DS product, with full 3D on both screens. The top screen (at least, depending on how you scratch or set the angle) is a zoomed-in picture of the main screen action, while the bottom screen was the regular Viewtiful Joe action. It's dressed up with the comic-style animation shading, and character detail was fantastic and smooth throughout. World detail was also colorful and busy with polygons, with only some small concessions in texture smoothness (which we probably wouldn't have gone looking for if we hadn't watched the game for so long waiting in line for Japanese children to let us big boys play.) The framerate was nice and fast throughout despite having both screens filled with 3D detail. The only detail that marked this DS version out against its Cube papa was that the slo-mo sequences animated with some frame-doubling instead of the console's perfect smoothness. All in all, a dazzling display on DS.

You may see some screenshots HERE
or click HERE to read the full artcile by IGN.com

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Some WiFi interesting news you will enjoy.

You thought developers left WiFi apart, but here is a site of a Wi-Fi "hacker". See for yourself there is also a development stage design.

This is part of the developer's words on his project:

"The API will be purely exposed on ARM9, and will consist of a TCP interface through lwIP (look it up for it's api), a small raw interface to allow sending/receiving raw data, and a custom interface to poll for and connect to access points and other wireless networks.
As far as integration goes, it'll probably require a function to be called on init of arm7 and arm9, a function to be called periodically on arm7 and arm9 (via timer or vblank), and the wifi interrupt will need to be connected on arm7."

Click for Site

Some interesting DS homebrew Apps to try on Supercard while waiting.

Some of you have heard or even tried these homebrew apps, but for those that are not aware I will post the links to their respective homepages to find out more. Some of these apps are in development process, but do show something on the screen when you try them.

So here is a small list:-

DSLinux: this app ports linux to the nintendo DS system. It currently shows some linux loading code on the upper screen of the DS, while touch keyboard is shown on the lower screen.
DOWNLOAD

WinsDS: this app shows a GUI on both screens and is highly developed. You can drag, write on the notepad, play tic-tac-toe, and there is also a love calvulator.
DOWNLOAD

WindowsDS: this emulates WinXp on the DS, but currently it only shows a splash screen. (Sorry I lost the website for this if anyone knows what it is post in comments pls thank you)
DOWNLOAD

NOTE: I patched these roms with ndsloader.bin to make them work on supercard. If you do not know how to patch them read Here and scroll down to read.

Next Game Releases .

I navigated through DS Fusion and found a release list of the next DS games to be released this year.

Tak - The Great Juju Challenge ( 9/19/2005 )
Ultimate Spider-Man with Bonus! ( 9/19/2005 )
Wac A Mole DS ( 9/20/2005 )
Dig Dug - Digging Strike ( 9/20/2005 )
Trace Memory DS ( 9/26/2005 )
Frogger DS ( 9/27/2005 )
Lost in Blue ( 9/27/2005 )
Lunar Dragon Song ( 9/27/2005 )
Castlevania - Dawn of Sorrow DS ( 10/4/2005 )
FIFA Soccer 2006 ( 10/4/2005 )
Zoo Tycoon DS ( 10/10/2005 )
Trauma Center - Under the Knife ( 10/11/2005 )
Scooby-Doo! Unmasked ( 10/17/2005 )
Phoenix Wright - Ace Attorney ( 10/17/2005 )
Texas Hold Em Poker DS ( 10/18/2005 )
Quad Desert Fury 2 DS ( 10/18/2005 )
Animaniacs Lights Camera DS ( 10/20/2005 )
Real Time Conflict Shogun DS ( 10/24/2005 )
Marvel Nemesis Rise Impe DS ( 10/24/2005 )
Sims 2 ( 10/24/2005 )
Metroid Pinball DS ( 10/24/2005 )
Scurge Hive DS ( 10/26/2005 )
Shrek SuperSlam ( 11/1/2005 )
Shamu's Big Adventure DS ( 11/1/2005 )

No news about the Supercard DS SD saving progress.

Four days passed since Romman posted the news on the Supercard DS saving for CF/SD cards. No software or firmware have been released, only some basic information e.g no different save cards needed i.e. only one card needed.

More news will be posted when available, until then I will try to issue some homebrew apps, and some interesting nintendo revolution things to keep you busy.

Keep in touch!

Friday, September 16, 2005

Well what I thought about SC was true then.

Quote from scdev.org forums from exzapel:

"I just read the front page, I can confirm this post is true upon speaking with romman about it. He said that he would just like to release them at the same time. But infact, the CF version of the kernel is done.

However, he said he wasn't sure how soon the SD version will be done and that it may take as little as a day or as long as a few weeks, these are not his exact words I mind you, this is the impression I got.

But he truly has confirmed there is a CF version done and an SD version on the way to completion and that neither will be released until they are both finished. I hope that I helped you understand the situation. "

by exzapel

Hamtaro on DS.

Famitsu Weekly has revealed that Hamtaro, Nintendo's cutesy hamster adventure series, is on its way to Nintendo DS - and for once we have the luxury of actually looking directly at the page to confirm that. It's called Totoko Hamtaro: Ham Ham Q.

Hamster-lovers (no, not that sort) have been speculating for a while based on retailer notices and scattered reports, but now we can actually see it for ourselves, which is a comfort - even if we still have no idea what people are expected to do with the stylus.

It's due out this year in Japan, judging by the big "2005" in the corner of the Hamtaro box-out, and it looks like you'll be gathering fuel for balloons, and generally smiling with delight as you do so.

Article by Eurogamer.net

Thursday, September 15, 2005

GameBoy Micro Part2 : The Interior

So we have seen the exterior design of the GameBoy Micro in Part1, and now we'll see the interior circuit of the GBM.





Thanks to PC Watch for the photos click HERE if you want to see more.

GameBoy Micro Part1 : The Exterior

So nintendo released the Gameboy Micro in Japan and on 19th September it's going to be released in the US, so lets take a look at it from the exterior and interior views.


These are the US packages of the GBM.

Now Let's take a look to its design.





Images provided by IGN.com and by PC Watch

Burnout Legends DS

Electronic Arts made it official that Burnout Legends is coming to the Nintendo DS.

No details have been revealed about the dual screen version of the Criterion-designed racer aside from a November 2005 release date. The game will be based upon the just-released PlayStation Portable production, which takes elements, such as cars, tracks, and gameplay features, from past Burnout games on the console and combines them into one racing design.

To view the latest screenshots on IGN.com click HERE

The Puffy AmiYumi girls head to Nintendo's new handheld.

Publisher and developer D3Publisher announced today that the rock and roll gals of Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi will arrive on Nintendo DS early next year, following the Game Boy Advance adventure expected later this year.


Based on the popular Cartoon Network show, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi for the DS challenges players to use their touch-screen guitar skills to defeat enemies across the globe -- using nothing but the power of rock and roll. Players can help Ami and Yumi in solo mode, or join another player in co-op wireless mode. Along the way, you'll earn popularity points and even make a little sushi.

Article by IGN.com

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

No releases for now .

Currently there have been no firmware or patching software releases by the Supercard Team. No exact date have been announced, but I suppose that by the end of the week or maybe even tomorrow everything will be released.
The only thing that we know is that the last step they are working on is the SD part of the software/firmware and Romman said it may take some time, but we all hope this inconvenient will not delay the release too long.

More info soon when available.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Some Updates on supercard !

So, ROMMAN AND HIS TEAM or THE SUPERCARD TEAM worked out how to directly load and save from/to CF/SD cards. Right now they have finished the CF part and working on the SD part.

Well RommaN began to visit the english forum more frequently and gave some updates, yes because he is not in Canada anymore but in CHINA again. I think that everyone agrees with me when I say that Hong-Kong, Tokyo, and China altogether form a completely modern and technological world (I would like to live there).

So all of us (Supercard Users) are waiting for the final update that will turn our supercard for GBA into a NDS/GBA card. We never expected this to happen, but dreams come true sometimes.

!!CONGRATULATIONS!! to the SUPERCARD TEAM.

I will be updating every few hours if there are news or very good news, so keep an eye on supercard.blogspot.com . You'd better bookmark this site/blog.

Monday, September 12, 2005

!! AttentioN !! GooD News from RommaN !!

Very Good News from ROMMAN (If it's the real one, but hope so)

Quoting from supercard forums:-

"Hi, everybody, this is romman, I am back to China now.
Good news one:
We had succeeded make supercard save DS game saver on CF card or SD card. No save lost any more!!!
Good news two:
We had succeeded make SuperCard CF version play DS game from CF card directly, that mean SuperCard can play DS game more than 256Mbits. SD version is still in progressing..., we need more time...
We will release all the function soon with kernal update!!! "

Finally some response , and we heard what we were expecting to hear from ROMMAN. Now we will take the best from the Supercard, a GREAT product with great updates.

Saturday, September 10, 2005

New DS Titles From Sega to join Monkey Ball.

News earlier in the week that Super Monkey Ball was bound for the DS was enough to hold us over for many months, but Sega didn't stop there. The company has announced two other games for the system, and while they probably won't offer the same addictive challenge of Monkey Ball, they should command a following, especially in Japan.

First up is a DS adaptation of Mushi King, Sega's world-conquering arcade game for kids. Following up on a successful Game Boy Advance release that has already topped the half million sales mark, Sega will be brining Konchuu Ouja Mushi King: Greatest Champion e no Michi DS to the DS. The game is listed as an RPG, and given that it shares the same name as the GBA title, we're expecting a similar game. A Japanese release is set for 12/8.

The other new game is set for release in 2006. Sega will be tapping into the Doraemon license for a new DS game titled Doraemon: Nobuta no Kyouryuu 2006 DS, or Doreamon: Nobuta's Dinosaur 2006. The game is listed as an RPG, but aside from that details are top secret at this point.

These two titles join Monkey Ball (set for December release) and Sonic Rush (now set for Japanese release on 11/23) to form a strong DS lineup from the former Nintendo rival.

Article by IGN.com

Marvel Nemesis

This fall, Electronic Arts will unleash the first Marvel-centric fighting game for the Nintendo DS. The dual screen game, Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects, is based on the same game design as the title that will also ship on the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and PSP, with the Nintendo DS version having exclusive features made specifically for the Nintendo portable.


Marvel Nemesis will feature 18 playable characters, each represented in the game's extensive storyline in Story Mode. Adding to the feature list is a Time Attack mode where players can work their way through an assortment of opponents in a set amount of time. Of course, the game will feature two player connectivity using the wireless function of the Nintendo DS system. The Nintendo DS touch screen is used minimally but effectively, enabling the character's powered "rage" move simply by tapping the screen like a massive button.

Read more on this game along with an interview done by IGN.com to Jai Kristjan, the game's producer at EA Canada. CLICK HERE

New website Format - Leave Comments !

I changed the format of the website to a more cleaner one. I would like some feedback from you about the other format i.e would you like the drop-down article thingy etc, and what should I add e.g calendar etc.

The site will be better than ever if you send your feedback in.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Ford Racing 3 screens + New DS Game

New Ford Racing 3 ds screens hereHERE

+PLUS+

The DS is establishing a name for kids games, mini-game based games and more adult-oriented fare like Nintendo's own Brain trainer title. Now Namco is combining all three into one with Kono Quiz Yarou!!.

This quiz game places you in the shoes of Kyuji Kaidou, a freshman at Kuizu Higashi High School. (The "Kuizu" part of the school's name is a pun on "Quiz," with Kyuji's last name being a pun on "solve.") Kyuji, along with other kids from around the world, take part in a tournament to determine the king of quizzes. At stake is a 100 million dollar prize.

Kono Quiz Yarou!! features both single and multiplayer modes. In single player, you select a character and work through a story which has you take part in a tournament. Each character has unique special moves. In multiplayer mode, up to eight players can hook up for both competitive and cooperative play. The game supports download play from a single cartridge.

Tony Hawk's American Sk8land

Back in July we had a first look at Tony Hawk DS, the then-untitled sequel for the dual screen handheld. The reason for the lack of a name was pretty clear after playing the game: the development team is clearly aiming its portable project in a completely different direction than the console sequel, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. The Nintendo DS and GBA rendition will be completely original designs that are based upon the existing, established Tony Hawk gameplay mechanics. So, this November, be prepared to say hello to Tony Hawk's American Sk8land on the handhelds.


The Nintendo DS version of Tony Hawk will utilize a very stylized art direction that will truly set itself apart from the console renditions. We've already experienced this engine in motion in a very early hands-on, and the game in that pre-alpha build was already running at 60 frames per second in full 3D environments, complete with a ton of graphical detail in the area. The game will be the first Tony Hawk game to offer a constant overhead view of the skateparks via the lower screen's scrolling map that shows locations and objectives.

For screenshots click HERE
For full article by IGN.com click HERE

Animal Crossing renamed plus dated to next year for a European release

The DS version of Animal Crossing has been renamed to Animal Crossing: Wild World.

Animal Crossing lets the player live in a town of their choosing as a animal, raising money through work, paying off a mortgage and watching the seasons change as real-time floats by.

Nintendo UK told Eurogamer that the DS version of Animal Crossing, newly renamed Wild World, is aiming for a first quarter 2006 release in Europe.

The date is no clearer than that however, but import fans should note that the game will release in America on December 5th this year, according to schedules at the UK arm of Nintendo's operation.

Players will be able to trade items, chat with each other and so forth, when the game finally releases. Animal Crossing achieved cult status on GameCube with its unique styling and ability to keep people playing till near-death in an effort to fill that stupid bloody museum with dinosaur skeletons. Not that we're bitter, or anything.

Doesn't look like you're going to have to wait so long after all, eh?

Article by EuroGamer.net

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Monkey Ball Set for DS

Sega's Monkey Ball is a guaranteed riot wherever it ends up, be it on GameCube, Xbox, PS2 or even Game Boy Advance. Now DS owners will be able to get in on the fun as Sega brings Super Monkey Ball DS to the platform. The game is unveiled in the latest issue of Famitsu.

Monkey Ball DS features the same basic gameplay idea as its predecessors, although a shift in control to the stylus ought to make for a different feel. The top screen displays the action in 3D. The bottom screen shows a 2D version of your monkey ball with AiAi inside. To move on the top screen, you scratch the monkey ball with the stylus. AiAi's expressions change depending on the situation.

The game will offer over 100 stages, some pulled from previous entries and some new. In addition, you can look forward to six party games, of which two will be playable by up to four players. We currently know of a hockey-style party game where you draw lines with the stylus in order to deflect a puck. The game will also have a racing party game with the top screen showing a map of the track. Presumably, this mode will use a more traditional control scheme.

Super Monkey Ball DS is currently 60% complete and is set for Japanese release in December.

Article by IGN.com

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on DS

Harry Potter's no stranger to the handheld market, as the wizard has had adventures that's spanned over both the Game Boy Color as well as the Game Boy Advance systems during his theatrical and literary career. But Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the first time the character's heading to the Nintendo DS, with a Game Boy Advance version in tow as well.

Though much of the experience takes place in a wandering design, we did experience a level that requires players to guide Harry on his broomstick through the forest to avoid being a snack by a massive, pursuing dragon on his tail. This fast-paced challenge was very similar in concept to the familiar Battletoads vehicle missions where players work up and down avoiding and leaping over obstacles that zoom in from one side of the screen. Both versions will also have a challenge based on the movie's Yule Ball scene, where players bust a move in a Dance Dance Revolution-style competition of timing D-pad and button presses to the beat of the music.

For screenshots go HERE for the full article by IGN.com click HERE .

Comments Updated for blog security

I updated the blog's comments so that a word verification had to be entered in order to post a comment. I did this to secure the blog from spam and unwanted content so it will be as clean as possible from unwanted ads.

I hope you are not bored by this addition if so please pass comments.

A list of Working + Non-working nDS roms with Supercard

Working:-

  • Electroplankton - 0kb

  • Need For Speed - Underground 2 - 64kb

  • Yoshi Touch & Go - 4kb

  • Feel the Magic - XY-XX - 64kb

  • WarioWare Touched! - 64kb

  • Polarium - 64kb

  • Pac-Pix - 4kb

  • Cool 104 Joker & Setline - 64kb

  • Asphalt - Urban GT - 64kb

  • Pac-Pix - 4kb

  • Ridge Racer DS - 64kb[Needs a 64k save cart]

  • Super Mario 64 DS - 64kb[for some it freezes after 1st star]

  • Star Wars Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith - 4kb

  • Robots - 4kb

  • GoldenEye - Rogue Agent - 64kb

  • Sprung - The Dating Game - 64kb

  • Polarium - 64kb

  • Daigasso! Band Brothers - 2mb

  • Ping Pals - 4kb[0kb when converted]

  • Another Code - Futatsu no Kioku - 64kb

  • Nintendogs - Chihuahua & Friends - 2mb

  • Spider-Man 2 - 64kb

  • Retro Atari Classics - 4kb

  • Another Code - Two Memories - 64kb

  • Tiger Woods PGA Tour - 64kb

  • Bomberman - 4kb

  • Madagascar

  • Nanostray - 4kb

  • Animaniacs - Lights, Camera, Action! - 0kb

  • Nintendogs - Chihuahua & Friends - 2mb

  • Nintendogs - Lab & Friends - 2mb

  • Nintendogs - Dachshund & Friends - 2mb

  • Yu-Gi-Oh! Nightmare Troubadour [No text]


  • Non-Working:-

  • Pokemon Dash - 64kb[0kb when converted]

  • Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - Chaos Theory - 2mb[0kb when converted]

  • The Urbz - Sims In The City - 64kb[0kb when converted]


  • I had to change this post because some did not understand well if the roms were all working or not so I rearranged it to be more understandable. My apologies. If any mistakes please post comments.

    There is also a bigger list that is available at www.gbarl.it posted by zio128 just click HERE if you would like to view it now.

    Tuesday, September 06, 2005

    New Pokemon game dated ! Yet again

    Nintendo of Japan has announced that GBA and DS title Pokémon Mysterious Dungeon will launch over there on November 17.

    Chunsoft's Mysterious Dungeon series has been around since way back in the days of the SNES and sees you exploring a load of, well, mysterious dungeons, on the look out for handy items. And in this case, we'd imagine, Pokémon.

    MD games don't usually make it over here, but what with Pikachu and chums appearing in the new titles there could be a break with tradition on the way. More news as we get it.

    Monday, September 05, 2005

    Ultimate Spider-Man

    Last year's Spider-Man 2 for the Nintendo DS was one of the more successful and noteworthy games in the system's launch library. But if our current play with Ultimate Spider-Man for the Nintendo DS is anything to go by, perhaps we may have been a bit too glowing in our review of last year's game when it came out. Ultimate Spider-Man is similar in design to Spider-Man 2 but the new game has clearly been given far more time in the oven, and given way more creative freedom in the action design. We were able to put a bit of time in the final build of the Nintendo DS game, and we walked away thoroughly impressed with the direction the series has taken on the handheld.

    The graphic engine has definitely been given a boost from last year's game, and the art style now uses toon-style shading to mimic both the Ultimate Spider-Man comic book as well as the console version set to release day and date. Everything moves at a tremendously smooth 60 frames per second clip, though it did bog down once or twice when the camera made some walls transparent during transitions from outdoor to indoor environments.

    Ultimate Spider-Man also features two player battles using the wireless capabilities of the Nintendo DS, and in this mode each player chooses a character from the game (Spidey, Venom, Peter Parker…and others that would be considered "spoilers" if I said who they were) and simply try to beat the other person up. We played this mode for several minutes, and while it has its moments, don't expect it to be the selling point of Ultimate Spider-Man.

    Release set to late September so keep an eye on latest releases.

    Click HERE to see full article by IGN.com

    Another Nintendo DS superiority

    Still riding the success of a new red color in Japan, Nintendo DS won yet again during the week of August 22nd to 28th in Japan, with 57,313 sales to the PlayStation Portable's 20,322. Overall game sales for the week were a strong 113.49% of the weekly average.



    The top three game sales spots were Sony territory, with the new games Tales of Legendia (Namco, 242,371 sales) and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY: Generation of C.E. (Bandai, 118,343) at #1 and #2 respectively, and last week's release from Bandai, NARUTO: Uzumaki Ninden, at #3 (33,762)

    Saturday, September 03, 2005

    Attention !! About M3 !!

    On http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/genmessage.php?board=985&topic=23185744 a member posted this :-

    Hi,
    Thanks for your concern about our products.
    We will have our agents in every country and district, and you can contact our
    agents for purchasing our products or you may buy it from online shops after our
    products have been put out.
    We will list their websites on M3 site.
    No need modify your console, just plug&play.
    Save in GBA cart and then save in CF/SD card.
    You Can play SNES games by SNES emulator , but it is not perfect. It is not
    concerned about G6, and that’s the emulator’s problem.
    In fact , we can make it ,but we don’t do it. Because the conversion file are
    very larger, and the movie file reaches 256Mb.We think 10FPS is enough and movie
    effects is good.
    Can support our own format rom, GST & clean dump rom. later .

    Regards
    Danny

    That means clean dumps are not supported yet.

    [Quoted fromalbrowne a member of the Unofficial Supercard site]

    Also note that it says 'Save in GBA cart and then save in CF/SD card. ', JUST like SuperCard and that it uses SNESDS, JUST like SuperCard and that it runs movies at 10 FPS JUST like SuperCard and that DS roms need to be patched to run on it, JUST like SuperCard.

    So check before you buy M3 if you already own a Supercard.

    Tuesday, August 30, 2005

    Already patched roms found here !!

    All the links for the roms that have been prepatched for SC can be found here along with what is contained in the files.

    N.B. To download these files just "right-click" and "save target as". When the files finish downloading open them with a torrent manager such as BitComet OR Azureus.



    http://www.megaupload.com/?d=25SQGAXY

    [This file contains Daigasso Band Brothers, Spiderman 2, Tiger Woods PGA, Retro Atari Classics, and GoldenEye: Rogue Agent]



    http://www.romman.net/forum/UploadFile/2005-8/2005821155853895.torrent

    [This file contains Yoshi! Touch and Go, Puyo Pop Fever, Pac Pix, Super Mario 64 DS, Sprung]



    http://www.romman.net/forum/UploadFile/2005-8/200586154034952.torrent

    [This file contains Robots, Cool Joker, and Polarium along with some demos]



    http://www.romman.net/forum/UploadFile/2005-8/200581422238850.torrent

    [This file contains Ridge Racer, Feel The Magic XXX, Metroid, Naruto RPG 2, and Cool Joker]


    N.B. After you download these files you need a torrent manager to open you will find many to choose from Zeropaid.com

    Supercard Official Site back to normality + Release of Patching Software v2.41

    So the official supercard site has now been restored to normality, and good news for everyone the beta v2.41 of the patcher is out. Not ALL the games work with this patcher though but it will be fixed as time passes. At least we have something to do by then.

    Hope you enjoy playing DS Games. I am currently downloading the software so as soon as it is finished it will be up on Filefront.

    Monday, August 29, 2005

    Nds Save backups work

    So Brian successfuly created an nds file that transfers the EEPROM save file of the nds games to the sram of the Supercard, and save it in a (2.40 patched) gba save file.

    I can confirm myself that this method works, although it takes a minute to do this procedure, but it's worth it.

    cory1492 posted the site http://www.bbennett69.f2s.com/Index%20of%20-nds.htm to download the source code and the EEPROM.nds file that you need, and there is also a readme file although I will post a step-by-step procedure later this day.

    I will be uploading them to filefront for backup so if the site goes down they will be available(and if I lose the file it will be there).

    Sunday, August 28, 2005

    Good news for saving NDS games on GBA cart

    Brian an active member in the supercard forums, just posted that he have finaly written the code to backup and restore save data from an NDS card to the SRAM of a GBA cartridge, he said that on Monday he should show something. So we must wait and see.

    Saturday, August 27, 2005

    Tamagotchi DS in English

    Bandai has revealed that it will bring Tamagotchi: Shop Simulation to the DS in the US. The game, a dual screen design based around the company's virtual pet toy from more than a half decade ago, is scheduled to hit this territory sometime in early 2006.

    In Tamagotchi: Shop Simulation, players open specialty shops, and develop their businesses by servicing customers through mini games that utilize the Nintendo DS's touch-screen functionality. Players can select from a variety of different stores, including a bakery, beauty salon, dentist's office, flower shop, and more. Once the shop is open, players will help their customers by completing mini games with the Nintendo DS stylus. Apply makeup, treat cavities, decorate cakes and complete many other shop-specific tasks to earn money and progress towards "royal" shop status. Shop interiors can be customized, and cute Tamagotchi characters will make appearances throughout the adventure.

    Some screenshots of this game are available HERE

    Metroid to use Wi-Fi

    Earlier this week Nintendo revealed that Metroid Prime: Hunters for the Nintendo DS has been delayed into 2006. Today, the company announced that the game will be using that extra time so the development team can implement support for the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection online service. Previously, the game was only to work locally with four players wirelessly, but with support for Nintendo's service, players will be able to compete in Metroid Prime: Hunters over the Internet.

    Metroid Prime: Hunters will also make an appearance at the Penny Arcade Expo in Bellevue, Washington this weekend, where players will be able to sample the single player mode of this Nintendo DS first person shooter. This Expo will also mark the debut of three previously unannounced bounty hunter characters, including Sylux, a ruthless sharpshooter who harbors an intense hatred for Metroid heroine Samus Aran; Trace, a young outcast who seeks power and a planet to invade; and Weavel, a cyborg Space Pirate assassin. More news on Metroid Prime: Hunters as it progresses in its development cycle.

    article by IGN.com

    Friday, August 26, 2005

    Supercard Torrent Roms

    I will be uploading Supercard Torrents to megaupload for those that have problems viewing the Supercard's site.

    Thursday, August 25, 2005

    More news on Resident Evil for DS

    Capcom has made a number of changes to the original game. Character models and motion have been redone. New traps and battles await as you work your way through the now classic storyline involving Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield and that well-known mansion that introduced the world to Resident Evil back in 1996.

    One particularly scary new bit involves smarter zombies who'll actually work their way around doors as they chase after you. You'll find that there's no solace in a room that you think you've completely freed from zombie infestation.

    The DS's stylus is being put to use in the remake. You'll use the stylus to work your way through puzzles. The only example we have is a simple one -- inputting numbers into a key pad in order to unlock a door. The stylus is also used when facing off against zombies with your knife. You slash away at your foes by, as you might expect, scratching the screen with the stylus.

    Capcom also has plans for wireless support, although details have yet to be revealed. Deadly Silence is still pretty early into development, so we're not expecting to see it for a while. However, seeing as how the game is part of Capcom's 10th anniversary celebration for the Resident Evil series, we expect a release some time next year.

    article by IGN.com

    Wednesday, August 24, 2005

    Resident Evil on DS !

    Japan's much-loved gaming publication, Famitsu, has confirmed the development of Resident Evil on Nintendo's DS.

    Screenshots of the game on ds are also available.

    Dubbed Biohazard: Deadly Silence (DS! Brilliant!), represents the 10th anniversary of Resident Evil and appears to be a remake of the first game, albeit in what seems full 3D (rather than the pre-rendered backdrops of the PlayStation original), and the ability to enter a first-person mode for fights, from what we've seen in the screens.

    Right now, Capcom isn't talking about Deadly Silence. So presumably if we hear anything then it's all a [rubbish joke - Ed].

    article by EuroGamer.net

    Good news.

    I succeeded in finding a working proxy so I can access the supercard to bring the latest news to this blog, in fact cory1492 was right they are sort of trying to bound the website from being accessed, but will wait from some answers from the e-mail I sent to ROMMAN this morning.

    Lately there was a lack of update regarding news, but a method to save ds games to the cf/sd card is being worked out.

    Unfortunately the patching software is not out yet, and the only thing I can think about the software, is that it will be out along with the superpass in september.

    I will try to make up and updload more news, so as to keep you updated.

    Tuesday, August 23, 2005

    Some News on the Supercard site ! ->Updated

    Well, lately I have been talking to ROMMAN, and it seems that they have some problems with the server. They are currently checking the situation.

    Update:
    cory1492 an active poster in this blog posted some screenshots on the current situation with the supercard site.

    This first screenshot was taken by cory1492 when no proxies where used i.e a normal internet connection outsied china.

    http://www.myfilestash.com/userfiles/cory1492/SCnoproxy.jpg

    This second screenshot cory1492 took it when he was using a chinese proxy to access the supercard's site.

    http://www.myfilestash.com/userfiles/cory1492/SCproxy.jpg

    Further updates will be published to keep you informed. In the meantime if someone just encounters some new information just post in the comments here.Thanks!

    Monday, August 22, 2005

    Some guidelines for Supercard newbies

    All version of Super Card support GBA, GBA SP and NDS!!
    Type of CF card support - Type I Card; Size: 42.8*36.4*3.3 mm; Capacity: 16 M- 2 G;
    Format: FAT formatted only.


    How to PLAY in GBA Mode:-

    Press L+R+A+SELECT while you are playing a game so you can backup the save on SD/CF card. Save will be auto reload after you play the game again.
    OR
    Press L+R+B+SELECT while you are playing a game to save in REAL-TIME mode. You have to first start the rom, then repress L+R+B+SELECT to load the save game.

    To play a GBA game

    1.Download GBA game.
    2.Use Super Card software to convert your GBA game into a rom which can be used on SC. This section will create three new files, One is the game file, the other two are the game save files, copy them into CF.
    3.Plug SC in to GBA, and Plug CF into SC slot, turn on GBA power.
    4.Find the game from the SC main menu, and press A.

    To watch movie on GBA

    1. Download the movie player software and unzip it, store it into CF. Store your movie file(.gbs .gbm) into CF too.
    2. Plug SC and CF into GBA. In the SC main menu, select the movie player software and press A, you can enter movie player main menu, and then select the first menu press A, and you can find the movie file(.gbs .gbm), and then press A too, you can enjoy your movie now.

    To read E-book? listen Music? view PIC

    1. Download the movie player software and unzip it, store it into CF. Store your Txt file, Music files and Image files into CF too.
    2. Plug SC and CF into GBA. In the SC main menu, select the movie player software and press A, you can enter movie player main menu. 3. Now, You can enter the menu and enjoy your E-book, Music and Images just by press A.

    How to PLAY in DS mode:-

    To load commercial NDS roms using SuperCard you need:

    1. SuperCard SD or CF version - with the latest FIRMWARE installed on it.
    2. Compact Flash (CF) or Secure Digital (CD) card with SPECIAL patched NDS ROMS *.nds.dsi
    3. SuperPass, PassMe, Magic Key with one Nintendo DS game in it. (ANY game)

    (Also works without PassMe IF you have modified your DS firmware with FlashMe/Wifime/Passme. When you've got your Metroid Demo or any other game in your DS slot, hold down A+B+X+Y as soon as you power on your DS.)

    How to play NDS games:

    1.Download NDS patched game.(Click HERE to download patching software)
    2.Transfer the patched DS onto SD/CF.
    3.Plug SC in to GBA slot, and Plug CF into SC slot, turn on your DS.
    4.Hold down A+B+X+Y as soon as you power on your DS.{Not needed with latest firmware}
    5.Find the game from the SC main menu, press A.

    Supercard.cn Site is currently !! DOWN !!

    Currently the Official Supercard site www.supercard.cn is currently down.
    We hope that it will be up soon to check for latest news, maybe it is being rearranged to suite the new supercard for nds.
    If anybody have some news about the Supercard site (if it is up,etc), please post updates in comments.Thanks!

    No online Battle Mode for Mario Kart DS

    Mario Kart DS' hugely-popular Battle Mode will not be playable online, Nintendo confirmed last week.

    In an interview with French website Puissance-Nintendo, the producer of the game Hideki Konno admitted that Battle Mode will be restricted to wireless LAN play only; a revelation that will come as a blow to fans looking forward to full online action with players from around the world.

    However, Konno-san promised that the online mode will support four-player head-to-head racing, with the Xbox-Live style service allowing players to create their own buddy lists and quick race against anyone. Likewise, Nintendo's DS online service will automatically store racing stats and be able to match players with similarly skilled racers.

    Konno-san also revealed some new power-ups in the game, including a squid that enables players to obscure their rival's main playing screen with ink temporarily.
    Advertisement


    With Nintendo's London-based games extravaganza taking place on Thursday of this week, expect some more news on Mario Kart DS and more soon.

    article by EuroGamer

    Sunday, August 21, 2005

    GOOD News for European DS gamers !!

    THQ has signed a distribution agreement with Majesco that will see it release 14 of the US publisher's titles in Europe and other PAL regions over a two-year period. No financial details were disclosed.

    Among the titles will be Jaws Unleashed, critically acclaimed platform game Psychonauts, Aeon Flux, and Nintendo DS titles Nanostray, Black & White Creatures and Age of Empires 2.

    "This is a great opportunity for THQ to expand its portfolio of products internationally," said Ian Curran, THQ's senior vice president in charge of European publishing.
    Advertisement


    Majesco president Jesse Sutton described the deal as a "significant initiative" in expanding the company's global presence. "THQ is recognized worldwide as a premier publisher and we are excited to partner with them to effectively extend our brands throughout the global community," he said in a statement.

    Majesco has previously seen some of its titles - including vampire action game BloodRayne - released in Europe through a distribution deal with Vivendi-Universal Games, but its impact here has been very slight.

    However, the publisher has endured problems recently, lowering sales expectations and coming under fire from shareholders following poor sales of Psychonauts and Advent Rising in the US.

    article by www.eurogamer.net

    Friday, August 19, 2005

    We have to wait !!

    Later this afternoon I have talked to ROMMAN, one of the members that are working on superpass and its software.
    I know this is bad news, but ROMMAN told me that they are currently very busy (with the superpass I suppose), and at the question I asked him(Will the software be released next week?) he responded(We are currently very busy) so I suppose it will be released in September along with the Superpass.

    DS Sales Top 100,000 in One Week!

    The new Nintendo DS release Jump Superstars, along with a new red DS, sent DS sales through the roof in Japan during the week of August 8th through the 14th. Overall, the over 100,000 DS sales accounted for 54% of all systems sold during the week, and even the Game Boy Advance SP saw an interesting upsurge to nearly 20,000 units.



    The #1 DS title Jump Superstars overall saw an impressive 220,912 sales, or approximately 70% sell-through. The #2 title, Konami's World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 for PlayStation 2, also made another good showing in its second week with 102,048 sales. A lot of older Nintendo titles saw a boost this week with the new DS color. In the #3 spot was Nintendo's DS game Gentle Brain Exercises, a June 30th release, which saw an over 150% increase from last week with 46,873 sales. At #4 is Sega's June 23rd Game Boy Advance release The King of Beetle Mushiking: Greatest Champion with 36,309 sales, and at #5 is the GameCube title Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, in its second week with 34,108 sales.



    The high DS sales this week further widen the DS' lead over the PlayStation Portable in lifetime to date sales, as the DS now leads the PSP by 1,269,153 sales. A bar chart showing DS vs. PSP sales can be seen above.

    Thursday, August 18, 2005

    German Games Convention 2005

    Unfortunately ther have not been many DS movement at the German Games Convention, but as I went through IGN's website, and the Official site of the exhibition I collected some urls about the DS's state.

    HERE you will find some Yu-Gi-Oh: Nightmare Troubadour screens

    HERE are some Mario Kart DS screens

    HERE Advance Wars: Dual Strike screens

    HERE Metroid Prime: Hunters screens

    HERE New Super Mario Bros

    Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow + Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare New DS screens

    IGN.com has released new screens of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare" ds game, and the expected continuation of the Castlevania series with "Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow ".

    Click HERE to view the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare screens.

    Or

    Click HERE to view the Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow screens.

    Supercard software @ 95%

    [Question:]
    Could we have an update on the status of the patching software please?
    Perhaps a release date
    or some more games would suffice :)

    [Answer:]
    [ look ] 212.67.*.* 2005-8-18 13:56:14
    Apparently its 95% ready


    So the software is partially finished, and this week or the next it should be released to public use.

    Tuesday, August 16, 2005

    Some screenshots from EA's FIFA 06

    More screenshots have been released regarding the Nintendo DS's soccer game that is going to be released in Autumn. The PC version of this game had its gameplay completely rebuild, lets hope this ones is good too.

    Screenshots can be found on IGN's website follow THIS link.

    Nintendo DS price dropdown only in US

    Nintendo today(August 16) announced that the company will drop the MSRP of the Nintendo DS system. Effective from August 21st, the Nintendo DS will retail for $129.99, down from its original $149.99 retail price established at its launch back in November 2004.

    BUT:-
    The systems will no longer come bundled with Super Mario 64 DS. Currently, the price drop is only for North America. The Nintendo DS price in Japan remains at 15,000 yen, and the European DS continues to retail for around 149.99 euros.

    Monday, August 15, 2005

    Supercard NDS Compatibility list

    Compatibility list by dshack.free.fr :
    Cool 104 Joker & Setline (J)(Wario).nds
    Feel The Magic XYXX (U).nds
    Metroid_Prime_Hunter_Demo.nds
    Naruto RPG 2 - Chidori vs Rasengan (J).nds (Does not work with Demo Metroid)
    Polarium (U).nds
    Ridge Racer DS (U).nds (Does not work with Demo Metroid)
    Robots (E)(Trashman).nds

    These roms all load with metroid demo but some of them do not save such as ridge racer, so it is not playable.

    Sunday, August 14, 2005

    EA Madden NFL 06

    So the first review for this game has been released by IGN.com and an average 6/10 was given.
    Graphics : The graphics are not so good although the Nintendo DS is a portable it has better graphical power.
    Sound : I have not played this game, but for IGN the sound has increased in commentary and effects in this version of Madden.
    IN-Game : There are many different modes you can chose from in Madden NFL 06, such as Season Mode, Franchise Mode, and last but not least Multiplayer.

    Superpass

    Superpass, the modified version of passme, will soon be released to enhance Nintendo DS homebrew, and normal games.

    What does the supercard look like?

    For whom never saw a supercard, here are some photos provided by the supercard official site.

    Nintendo News