Emulator Release: Pasofami 1.3u
17:04:  A new version of Pasofami, a NES emulator for Windows, has been released. I don't know what's new. Get it at the NES page.

Emulator Release: SadNES32 0.13 Demon Edge
16:57:  A new version of SadNES32, a NES emulator for Windows, has been released, and here's what's new:

Site News: A second backdoor found in the PS2??
12:11:  More troubles for the Playstation 2 and Sony, as users have now found a second backdoor that allows users to record DVD movies with their VCR using the analog RGB output.

To read more, check out TechWeb.

Thanks to Krimson for the news.

Utility Release: UltraHLE fix for Voodoo 3 and Banshee users
12:00:  Adrian Salazar passed along the info that a fix for users of UltraHLE that have Voodoo 3 or Banshee cards that are having problems with the emulator has been released. Make sure to read the included readme file for instructions on installation.

Download it now from the N64 Emulators area.

Misc. News: Back in Time reviews upcoming Atari's Greatest Hits for PC
11:38:  Mike Stulir of Back in Time sends us the following:

"Yet another collection of classic coin-op arcade games will be released in the next week or so, and Back In Time has once again managed to get a pre-release copy. The new collection is called Atari's Greatest Hits. This collection contains 12 faithfully emulated coin-op classics such as Battlezone, Millipede, Gravitar, and Asteroids Deluxe."

To see the review, head over to Back in Time website.

Misc. News: Opera Public Beta 1 released
11:33:  Opera, one of the alternative web browsers, has a new beta out. Among the improvements are better support for frames and java, and faster speed than IE5.

Head over to the Opera Website and give it a try.

Thanks to Ultimo for passing along the news.

Misc. News: Bit Age Times #7 posted
11:23:  Tom Zjaba informed us that the latest version of the Bit Age Times has been posted at the Tommorrow's Heroes website. Highlights of this issue include:

Media News: More on playing Genesis and TurboGrafx games on your Dreamcast
11:19:  Rich Craig passed along an article regarding the pricing and play time for downloading Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx games into your Dreamcast for play.

You can read the entire article at IGN Dreamcast.

3/30/2000
Media News: Sega, Nintendo, and Electronic Arts suing Yahoo!
20:40:  The following excerpt comes from an article posted on AltaVista:

"SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The nation's three top-selling makers of video games are suing a major portal to the Web, alleging that Yahoo! knowingly created a market for pirated copies of games and the computer hardware needed to run them."

To read the entire article, head over to AltaVista Live!.

Special thanks to The Shadowvision Network for the news.

Misc. News: Project A.Y.
20:29:  We received the following E-Mail from bcass:

"A new site has just been posted at World Of Spectrum, covering the music of the ZX Spectrum. This site plays host to a vast array of information, an MS-DOS player and hundreds of accurately extracted game music files. The player (AYPLAY) plays back actual Spectrum music code giving the best play back quality possible, while the music files themselves contain relevant details such as credits and track titles, as well as multiple tunes per file. This is the first time a truly concerted effort has been made to gather all the music ever created on the ZX Spectrum, and with support, it is hoped that the size and accuracy of the collection can be increased."

Head over to Project A.Y. and check it out!

Emulator Release: DBOY v0.58 released
20:24:  Yet another version of the Gameboy emulator DBOY has been released. No what's new yet.

Download it from the Gameboy Emulators area.

Emulator Release: RockNES 1.050 DOS
00:42:  A new version of RockNES for DOS has been released, and here's what's new:

3/29/2000
Misc. News: Woop.
18:32:  Since it seems that this month has been full of death in ZD, my grandmother passed away about 2 weeks ago. I have been unable to update since then, and I am now going through the 200 or so emails I recieved. I will hopefully have them done by tommorrow. Thank you.

Misc. News: ZD-spc skins page updated
16:33:  I have finally updated the ZD-spc skins page with seven new skins. Thanks go out to the submitters. Send in any more skins you have, I love seeing them!

You can download ZD-spc at the ZD-spc homepage.
And you can download the skins at the ZD-spc skins page.

Misc. News: By the way...
01:26:  After downloading and setting up R5, which doesn't take long, you may stare at your montior thinking "This is really rather neat, but..what can I do with it?" Well, get onto the internet-almost trivial-, and go over to BeBits, for all of your application, game, and etc needs. If it isn't on BeBits, it probably doesn't exist. There are a few exceptions, though.

Misc. News: BeOS R5 Released!
01:12:  The BeOS related silence of this page is finally broken. BeOS R5 has been released.

If you will remember, R5 was to come in two versions, a downloadable, personal edition, and a professional edition, for the paltry sum of $70.

What about the downloadable, you say? Well, it is around 43megs, actually. Ths downloadable version installs like a Windows application. You then launch R5 from within Windows. Windows exits out, and BeOS R5 begins. BeOS is actually running on it's own filesystem, and is NOT running from within windows. This is because the install file creates a 500 meg BFS-Be File System- file within Windows, which BeOS then uses.

First things first, though, please save yourself a little time and go to the BeOS Hardware CompatabilityList. R5 is much more compatable with all sorts of hardware, but, you want to be certain. Be.com is a little slow, right now, as you might imagine.

There are also, floating around, the development tools for BeOS 5. I shall find them and link to them when I find them.

Enough chat, see for yourself.

For the direct link to the BeOS 5 download page, with information and such, go to free.be.com. It would be a good idea to go to BeNews for information and links to mirrors.

By the way. free.be.com is absolutely swamped. So, have a bit of patience, and search BeNews for rather frequently updated mirrors. Here are some of the better mirrors for you. I can not promise they will exist when you get to them though.
Mirror 1 at Download.com
Mirror 2 at Download.com
Mirror 3 at gate.tfb.com-West Coast-
Mirror 4 at Bezip.de.

Who loves you? Happy downloading!

3/28/2000
Emulator Release: DBOY 0.57
13:51:  A new version of DBOY, a great Gameboy emulator for DOS, has been released. I don't know what's new, but you can get it at the Gameboy page.

Site News: Gens 0.36
00:51:  The Windows version of Gens, a SEGA Genesis emulator, has been updated to version 0.36. Here's what's new:

Emulator Release: Generator32 0.13
00:45:  Generator32, a SEGA Genesis emulator for Windows, has been updated to version 0.13. Here's what's new:

3/27/2000
Emulator Release: MAME32 0.36 Final
23:20:  The official Windows version of MAME, MAME32, has been brought up to date with the DOS version. You can get it at the MAME page.

Misc. News: In memory of Ernest J. Smith Jr., 1956-2000
22:48:  Today, my father passed away at the age of 43 years. I'm personally devestated about the whole thing. The man taught me how to use computers in the first place, and I can't help but to feel a great sense of loss now that he's gone.

I will be be taking an extended break from ZD until I feel up to posting once again.

Emulator News: ZD-spc 2.8 bug fix
19:36:  There was a small bug in the version I released earlier today preventing you to have the 32bit sound card visualization on at the same time having the keyboard visualization off. So I have uploaded a fixed version. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. You don't need to download this version however; all you need to do without being annoyed with the caps lock changing is to disable the visualization from the preferences. It is recommended by me to download this version.

You can download the updated version at the ZD-spc homepage.
You can also download it directly from here.

Emulator Release: ZD-spc 2.8
17:14:  A new version of ZD-spc has been released. Here is a list of what's new:

Emulator Release: Ages 1.17c (Quark)
06:05:  The first version of Ages, a soon to be SEGA Genesis and SEGA 32X emulator, but right now just a SEGA Genesis emulator, has been released. The authors say that you should compare this emulator with your favourite (note: With rasterFX, Z80 emulation and sound turned OFF) Genesis emulator and if you notice any differences, write them down and mail the authors about it. I don't have a real features list for this emulator, but try it out, it looks promising.

You can download it from the SEGA Genesis emulators page.

3/26/2000
Utility Release: The SMB2 Level Discombobulator v0.53 released
23:19:  After several updates throughout the last two days, this seems to be the final release of The SMB2 Discombobulator for the week. It is a level editor for Super Mario Bros. 2 for NES and SNES. Updated in this version:

Utility Release: SPCTool 0.61
16:42:  A new version of an excellent SPC Player\Utility has been released. Here is what's new in this version:

3/25/2000
Emulator Release: Unofficial MAME32 with autofire
14:53:  The unofficial version of MAME32 with autofire has been updated to 0.36 final. You can get it at the MAME page.

Emulator Release: SNEeSe 0.441
14:48:  A new version of SNEeSe, a SNES emulator for DOS, has been released, and here's what's new:

Utility Release: Pete's PSEmu Pro OpenGL plugin
14:39:  Pete has released a new version of his great OpenGL plugin for PSEmu Pro. Here's what's new:

Emulator Release: NO$MSX 1.3
14:32:  A new version of NO$MSX, a MSX emulator for Windows and DOS, has been released, and here's what's new:

Emulator Release: CCS64 2.0 beta for Windows
14:20:  A new version of CCS64, a Commodore 64 emulator, has been released, and here's what's new:

3/24/2000
Emulator Release: ZD-spc 2.7
12:30:  I have released a new version of ZD-spc! This version has big news, just not many changes. Here is a list of what's new:

Misc. News: Hello.
12:27:  Hello everybody. Sorry that I've been gone for the last couple weeks, but I've been really busy. I've hardly had any time to use the computer, let alone update. So this is just a little note saying that I am sort of back, and will try to do updates regularly.

Thanks.

Emulator Release: Little John 0.2.1
05:02:  Little John, a NES emulator for Windows and Linux/Sun/Solaris has been updated to version 0.2.1. Here's what's new:

Emulator Release: Nemu64 0.7a
01:49:  A new version of Nemu64, the great N64 emulator for Windows, has been released, and here's what's new:

*** Lemmy ***

3/23/2000
Misc. News: Diablo II Beta Testers announced
07:18:  138,495 people filled out applications to become beta testers for the upcoming Blizzard Software title, Diablo II. If you applied, head over to Battle.net and see if you were one of the chosen ones.

Thanks to -=][nferno=- for the news.

Misc. News: Creative releases Windows 2000 version of Live!Ware
07:03:  grug passes along the info that Creative, makers of such products as SoundBlaster Live!, AWE64, and many other audio and video products for the PC, have released Live!Ware for Windows 2000. This enables PC users running Windows 2000 to be able to use their SoundBlaster Live! sound card.

Live!Ware for Windows 2000

3/22/2000
Emulator News: Bochs bought by Mandrakesoft; open-sourced
23:43:  Bochs, a portable x86 emulator for multiple platforms, including Linux and Macintosh, has been bought from its creator by MandrakeSoft, the people responsible for the excellent Linux-Mandrake. After the purchase, MandrakeSoft immediately placed Bochs under an open-source license, making the emulator free to use and change. Kudos to MandrakeSoft for this move.

You can read the press release here, or get Bochs for Linux on the PC Emulators for Unix page.

Site News: Message Boards Working Again!
23:31:  Our apologies. Our message boards have been broken for the past day or two, and we got them working again. Please feel free to post away!

Emulator News: The future of NO$GMB is uncertain
23:26:  The NO$GMB webpage has been shut down because someone has been distributing cracked version of the executable. The author hasn't decided if he will continue releasing public freeware version of the emulator or not.

Misc. News: "ROM Request" redesigned
23:19:  DooMStalK has redesigned his website, ROM Request. Go pay him a visit.

Emulator Release: Vortendo
23:17:  Vortendo is an NES emulator written in Visual Basic 6.0. It's fast considering it was written in VB, but is still an early emulator, as most of the roms I tried with it did not work. He's calling this first public release "version 1.0 Alcaline for Windows."

Misc. News: A German firm registers MP3 as trademark??
22:23:  From The Register:

"A German company appears to have registered the MP3 name as its trademark and in accordance with European Union rules is awaiting observations from any parties who may be interested."

Check out the entire article at The Register.

Thanks to torvus for the news.

Emulator Release: SNEeSe v0.43 released
22:17:  SNEeSe, a SNES emulator for DOS, has been updated. For a list of what's new, check out the SNEeSe homepage.

Download it now from the SNES emulators area.

Emulator Release: New Color GameBoy Emulator, VGBC
22:11:  This new Color GameBoy emulator comes downloadable as a demo only - there is a charge for the full version. I only tried it briefly, but on my P400 with 64 MB ram, the sound was very, very choppy. Perhaps that could be fixed by tweaking its settings. It does, however, have a neat way of displaying a picture of a CGB which houses the emulated game. The full version is not yet available for purchase. VGBC's actual feature list is this:

Emulator Release: MacMAME 0.36 RC2
15:18:  The Macintosh version of MAME has been updated to Release Candidate 2. It won't be long until the final release is out. Here's what's new:

Misc. News: I have returned
15:16:  I'm back. I'd like to thank everyone for the kind e-mails they sent me. They helped me get through the tough times.

3/21/2000
Emulator Release: Gens v0.34 (Win) released
17:56:  Gens, a Genesis emulator for Windows, has been updated. Here's what's new:

Emulator Release: MAME 0.36 Final
16:07:  At long last the final version of MAME 0.36 has been released. You can see what's new at the MAME homepage. You can get it at the MAME page. Thanks to Retrogames for the news.

Misc. News: New gaming console to run Linux OS
14:21:  Think that the stage is getting crowded with Sony, Nintendo, Sega, and now...Microsoft? Enter Indrema, a company designing a gaming console/TV enhancement device based around the linux OS. Heres an initial spec list:

Site News: GLMAME32 0.36 RC2
02:26:  A new version of GLMAME32, a version of MAME32 that uses OpenGL for graphics, has been released. It should have the same basic features as the same version of MAME32. You can get it at the MAME page.

Emulator Release: Nemu64.ini 1.1.1
02:13:  Myzar has completed a new (and unofficial) Nemu64.ini file. It includes support for 4 new games. Sorry, I don't have the names =/. Anyway, you can get it at the N64 page.

3/20/2000
Misc. News: EmuFAQ article by Chuck Cochems
22:59:  Chuck Cochems has written an article for "the Scribe's" EmuFAQ. It deals with the same topic as his article; it discusses ROMs from a legal and ethical standpoint. I recommend reading it when you have some time on your hands.

Misc. News: New Article: Fair Use & ROMs
22:52:  A new article has been added to our articles page. It is entitled Fair Use & ROMs and it's written by Chuck Cochems. It talks about ROMs from a legal and ethical standpoint. Go check it out!

Emulator Release: AdriPSX 00.05.14 DOS
22:12:  A new version of AdriPSX has been released, and here's what's new:

Misc. News: DIV Games Studio
22:02:  DIV Games Studio is an up-and-coming tool that will allow you to make video games without any previous knowledge of programming, but it can also extended through the use of C++. You will be able to make pretty much any game based on sprites or projected planes. Here are some features:

Emulator Release: Meka 0.51
19:51:  A new version of Meka, a Master System and Gamegear emulator for DOS, has been released, and here's what's new:

Emulator Release: RockNES 1.042
13:15:  This should be the last bugfix for RockNES 1.04x. Here's what's new:

Misc. News: OverClocked #100
12:54:  As of today, David Lloyd has completed 100 episodes of his OverClocked comic strip. All of us at ZD would like to congratulate him on his achievements.

3/19/2000
Utility Release: The SMB2 Discombobulator v0.26 released
23:03:  The SMB2 Discombobulator, a utility for Win9x that allows you to edit the levels in Super Mario Bros. 2 for the NES and SNES, has been updated to version 0.26. This utility is new to ZD, unless you are a follower of our ROM Hack Message Board. Acmlm is the programmer of this great utility, and it is definitely worth checking out!

You can try it now in the Facelift Utilities area.

Emulator Release: RockNES 1.041 DOS
13:48:  A bugfix version of RockNES has been released, and here's what's new:

3/18/2000
Emulator Release: RockNES 1.04 DOS
23:52:  A new version of RockNES has been released, and here's what's new:

Emulator Release: Virtual TI 2.5 beta 5
23:38:  A new version of Virtual TI, a Texas Instruments calculator emulator for Windows, has been released, and here's what's new:

Emulator Release: Hu-Go 1.2
23:28:  A new version of Hu-Go, a TurboGrafx 16 emulator for DOS, has been released, and here's what's new:

Utility Release: PSXPlay 1.41
17:14:  PSXPlay, a Playstation Utility for watching video files from a PSX CD, has been updated to version 1.41. Here's the translated list of what's new:

Emulator Release: DreamNES 1.7
16:45:  A new version of DreamNES, a NES emulator for Windows9x, has been released. Here's what's new in build 1.7:

Emulator Release: REW 0.12 STX
16:31:  Another release of this strange Gameboy emulator for Windows9x has become available. This time, there seems to be an official homepage for it at http://ryze.virtualave.net/rew/. Although it's not known at this time what's new, feel free to mail in with your findings.

A big thanks goes to sKaNkPiT for this scoop. You can download REW 0.12 STX from the Gameboy emulators page.

Emulator Release: NESten 0.6 Beta Epitaph
16:12:  TNSe has released version 0.6 Beta Epitaph of his incredible NES emulator for Windows 9x, NESten. Here's what's new:

Interview News: X-4000 of Challenge Games
04:47:  Here's a little background on X-4000 before we talk about his interview. A little while back, ZD was contacted by X-4000, a person who was aspiring to become a ROM hacker and had created a Super Mario Brothers 3 hack. I loved the idea of what he was doing, and made the post.

We now have Challenge Games, a website dedicated to creating new versions of old games. X-4000 has been interviewed by Daily Emulation News, and I implore all of you to go visit the page because it's a great read.

Thanks to KGeno for the mail.

Media News: Diablo II beta testing to begin Monday!
04:36:  While not emulation related news, we at ZD are trying to incorporate gaming news into ZD since many people into emulation are into PC video games as well.

It's official! Blizzard.com, creators of popular strategy & RPG PC games such as Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo have announced that beta testing will begin on Monday for the very-anticipated sequel to the original Diablo, Diablo II.

Diablo II Beta Sign-Ups Announced!

The beta signup is scheduled for a 24-hour period on www.blizzard.com beginning on Monday, Mar. 20 at 12:01 a.m. PST. and ending Monday, Mar. 20 at 11:59 p.m. PST. Following the registration period, Blizzard will randomly select 1,000 testers based on a variety of system configurations and locations. Only one submission per person will be accepted. Selected testers will be notified within a week of registration, and a complete list of testers will be posted on www.battle.net.

I'm going to be among those who sign up, but remember - everyone has an equal chance to be one of the 1,000! Thanks to everyone who mailed in about this exciting announcement!

Emulator News: Upcoming GBC emulator from author of Virtual TI
04:28:  Rusty Wagner, author of the popular Texas Instruments calculator emulator dubbed "Virtual TI", has informed ZD that he's currently working on a GBC emulator for Windows that he's named "Virtual Game Boy Color"! Here's the list of features that it will support:

Emulator News: Fusion price drop & 2.3 updater released
04:19:  Omar has informed us that Fusion, a commercial Macintosh emulator for DOS, has been reduced in price at some point from $79.95 to $49.95. While we're on the subject of Fusion, the official Fusion website has posted the updater to version 2.3 for all registered users. If you purchased Fusion and would like to upgrade to the latest release, head on over to the Microcode Solutions page and give it a download.

Emulator Release: A-Saturn 0.15a *final*
04:10:  Over the last few weeks, there's been lots of speculation as to whether or not A-Saturn, the Saturn emulator for Win9x that was farther along than any other, was discontinued. In fact, Paul "TBBle" Hampson recently sent me a letter with information from the "secret room" of the official A-Saturn homepage, however I've been asked by several people not to post this information.

Today, a new version of A-Saturn 0.15a was released at the official page! Written are the words "final public release". Obviously, this means that this will be the final release of the Saturn emulator which had the greatest potential - A-Saturn.

Thanks to Ben-J for the news of the release. You can download the final version of A-Saturn from the Saturn emulators page.

Emulator Release: X-MAME 0.36 RC 1.1
04:01:  The new version of X-MAME, the UNIX version of MAME has been released to come up to speed with Release Candidate 1 (although Release Candidate 2 is already out for DOS), plus the following changes:

Emulator News: Quick note on PSEmu oddities
03:40:  A few days ago, ZD reported on the strange oddities that have been going on, including the latest line, "and now, for something completely different!" Many ZD readers have been swift in pointing out that this line is from "Monty Python's Flying Circus". The quote was used when they'd go from one infamous skit to the next. Thanks to The Dragon Keeper and about 10 other people for pointing this one out!

Emulator Release: Return of Coco 0.83
03:32:  About a week ago, a new version of Return of Coco (and we don't mean Koko B. Ware) was released. Return of Coco is a Tandy Color Computer emulator. Here's what's new in version 0.83:

Emulator Release: Little John 0.2 Sun/Solaris, Linux & Windows
03:26:  A new version of Little John (Sun/Solaris binary), a NES emulator for various flavors of UNIX & Windows, has been released. Since we never had the Linux version or source of Little John up for download, they both have been added along with the Sun/Solaris binary to the NES emulator for UNIX page.

The Windows version has been added to the NES emulators page.

There's no list of changes included. Thanks to AVP for the news.

Utility Release: Che's Ultimate Cheater v1.23
03:06:  Che has released version 1.23 of one of the greatest Save-ram utilties of all time... you guess it - Che's Ultimate Cheater! Here's all of the newly supported games & bugfixes:

Misc. News: Back in Time - Breakout shots
02:59:  Mike Stulir, the creator of the retro-arcade emulation website "Back in Time" has posted up some Breakout screenshots. He sums it up nicely:

I have posted the first screen captures from "Breakout -- The Great Escape" which will be released later this year. Along with an extensive look at what to expect from this product, I have also included some of the conceptual drawings that were used in designing the game.

Arcade fans should be sure to take a look at these screenshots from this upcoming game.

Emulator News: WinSTon 0.3 progress
02:51:  Many of you may remember an Atari ST emulator named WinSTon for Windows9x. Great news for all supporters: it's not dead! While it's been a while between releases, there's lots of great news ffrom the WinSTon camp with regards to progress on version 0.3. Here's some of the features you can expect to see in the next release:

Media News: More Dolphin information
02:42:  A very short time after Microsoft released their information on the X-Box, Nintendo has decided to release their own statement regarding their soon-to-be console, the Dolphin. From the The-nextlevel.com article:

"A 2001 launch for Project Dolphin is not only in keeping with the normal product lifespan for our home consoles, but provides two important benefits," adds Peter Main, Nintendo's executive vice president of sales and marketing. "First, it allows the millions of current Nintendo 64 owners to devote their video game dollars to the best lineup of new games in our history--without having to buy a new system. Secondly, the new launch date for Dolphin means that our system will come to market next year with a portfolio of game names across all genres that simply can't be matched by any other company."

Will the Dolphin sink or swim? Time will tell! Be sure to read the entire article for more information. Thanks to Bytoro for the word.

Media News: More on the X-Box
02:37:  We've been reporting on the X-Box recently here at ZD. Over at PCRave.com, an article has been published which takes an in-depth look at Microsoft's new gaming console and whether or not it can be a major player in the system wars. From the article:

Many people question Microsoft's ability to produce the X-Box. Case in point: Microsoft Windows isn't generally well known for being a stable product. Conversely, from a financial standpoint, Microsoft is more than capable in funding the research and development costs for producing the X-Box. All the technology required to leverage all the features and performance standards already set by existing consoles such as SEGA's Dreamcast and SONY's Playstation 2 is staggering. How can Microsoft climb such an insurmountable hill? Microsoft's design strategy is simple. Implement existing technology already in place in the PC world and migrate them into their product. This involves using their operating system technology popularly known as Windows and all the underlying APIs such as DirectX. Programming would be a non-issue since existing development can be done using familiar PC development tools. There lessons the learning curve. And since the system is static to Microsoft's specifications, stability and performance can be tweaked in a predictable fashion. This can't be said for PCs.

Be sure to give the entire article a read. Thanks to Beemo for the word.

3/17/2000
Misc. News: Bogus Site Alert
02:17:  A couple of web pages were recently tipped off to us as "bogus". Since ZD is always looking for those who like to rip emu-sceners off, we thought you'd be interested in taking a look at this.

The first page, sent to us by The Cheetah, is guilty of selling ROM CDs online. While ROM CDs aren't quite so bad, what is the worst part is that the site is also selling emulators such as NESticle on the discs. ZD doesn't support the sale of emulators illegally. You can access the site here, as well as e-mail the site owner.

The second page, which Chaos mentioned to us, is a seedy operation that tries to get others to run banner ads of their MOD chip page. Unfortunately, the site doesn't pay anyone who puts the ads on their site. So, whatever you do, don't fall for the trap like many others have.

Finally, another person is auctioning off a ROM/emulator CD on Auction.com. You can take a look at the auction here, and the seller can be contacted at this address. According to Super Atomic Man, who sent us the news, the description of the discs on the page looks suspiciously like another site that sold ROM CDs.

Wow, after all that seeding out, I feel like starting a emulation-scene protection agency. :)

Thanks a million to The Cheetah, Chaos, and Super Atomic Man for pointing out these crooks.

Utility News: Amiga Explorer 3.5
02:06:  Cloanto, the creators of the licensed Amiga emulatior Amiga Forever, have released a program for Amiga hybrid users, called Amiga Explorer 3.5. This program allows users to connect an Amiga to a PC through a serial cable or TCP/IP conncetion. Among its features:

- Automatic installation of the Amiga side through the same serial cable which can later be used by the software itself

- Extremely simple configuration: by default it requires only one or two mouse clicks on the Windows side

- Can use either TCP/IP or a standard null-modem serial cable (available in most computer shops - schematics are also included in the documentation)

- The Windows side can copy to and from the Amiga, and move, rename, delete, format and examine properties of Amiga files, directories and volumes through the familiar Windows Desktop and Explorer interfaces

- Virtual floppy (ADF), hard disk (HDF) and ROM image files, very useful for archiving and emulation purposes, are created on the fly. ADF files can be both read from and written to Amiga floppy drives.

- The Amiga side, including the self-installation part, works with all Amiga OS versions from 1.2 to 3.5

- The Windows side works on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000

The software is available for $19.95 at the Amiga Explorer web page, and is a great purchace for legacy Amiga users who also use PCs regularly.

Emulator Release: NES9x Source V. 1.0 Beta Release
01:29:  The source to the emulator NES9x was recently released. The goal, according to the author, is to keep the program open source. Hopefully it'll make the the emulator all the better.

You can pick it up at the NES Emulators page.

Utility Release: GL2ideal 1.2
01:23:  About a week ago, version 1.2 of GL2ideal (a Glide wrapper based on GL2IDE Revision A) was released. With the recent tragic family deaths that have affected various ZD staff members (and I wish all my condolences and hope that they can get through this rough period), various utilities and emulators have been overlooked. For this, I apologize. Here's what was changed in GL2ideal 1.2:

Emulator Release: Unofficial MAME32 0.36 RC2 with autofire
01:10:  The unofficial release of MAME32 with autofire has been updated to version 0.36 Release Candidiate to, to correspond with the official DOS version release of MAME. As a reminder, this *is* an unofficial build so please do not send any problems or comments about it to the MAME team.

You can download UMAME32 0.36 RC2 with autofire from the MAME page. Thanks to everyone who mailed in.

Media News: New York Times Article -- Must Read
01:04:  An article from The New York Times recently was sent to us from Ian M. Andrzejewski. This article is a good read, about UC-Irvine's planned video games study program being offered this fall. It's a well-written and enjoyable article, and I suggest that everyone takes the chance to read it.

You can read the article here.

Thanks again to Ian M. Andrzejewski for the great article.

Misc. News: New feature over at EmuSphere
00:54:  Speaking of EmuSphere.com, a new section has been added to the site: a tips & tricks section! Here's Adrox's explanation of it:

I am very pleased to announce a new, very innovative feature at EmuSphere. This feature is an interactive forum where users can share their emulation experience and post their own tips and undocumented tricks on their favorite emulators. Everything is completely automated by a powerful set of CGI scripts custom built for this forum. The URL is:

http://www.emusphere.com/tips/

Our goal is to have a large and universal forum to allow users to have quick access to enhancement features and troubleshooting for most emulators in one handy location.

Be sure to check it out and contribute if you can.

Emulator News: ESNES, NLKE and NLKSNES sites move
00:47:  There seem to be lots of site movings these days! The official pages for ESNES, NLKSNES and NLKE (all SNES emulators for DOS, the latter being the combined effort of the first two) have all moved to http://megax.aig.uc3m.es/esnes/. Be sure to update your bookmarks.

Thanks to Emuforce.com for the word.

Emulator News: RockNES progress
00:37:  Over at the official RockNES website, a progress reported has been posted. It says the following:

Fixed all major problems with sound emulation. PCM RAW works fine, and the output is better (fixed the waves to be rendered as signed samples). Rebuild most of sound stuff (VBlank tables). A new version should come out this weekend, stay tuned!

It sounds like RockNES is coming along quite well. Thanks to EmuSphere.com for the news bit.

3/16/2000
Emulator News: Fellow moves and "project fellow" is official
23:55:  About a week ago, I posted on the release of version 0.36 R1 of Fellow, an Amiga emulator for DOS. It wasn't known at the time if this was an official release. I've received confirmation from Domy that this indeed an official release.

Also, the new Fellow website is now hosted by Vintage Gaming and is located at fellow.vintagegaming.com. Be sure to update your bookmarks.

Emulator Release: Callus95 Patch 1B
23:40:  A few days ago, CPS2Shock released version 0.42 1B of their patch for the multi-arcade emulator for Windows9x, Callus. Here's the list of changes:

Emulator News: New GameBoy emulator...FWGBC
20:50:  FWGBC, programmed by FanWen (known for fwNes) in DGJPP, is an upcoming GameBoy emulator for Dos/Win9x. It has a pretty extensive list of features, and among those, it offers emulation of mono gb, super gb and color gb with 15 different video modes to choose from. FWGBC also has realtime save/load capability, as well as joystick support, screen shots, multi-language, and a powerful cheat finder. Stay tuned for more info.

3/15/2000
Media News: pcrave analyses the Microsoft X-Box
11:48:  An article on the X-box is on pcrave, and it is quite informative. I recommend any fan of the X-Box or Playstation 2 to read it.

You can read it at the pcrave website.

Thanks to Beemo for sending us the news.

Misc. News: PSEmu.net oddities
04:22:  The strange occurances that have been ongoing at PSEmu.net, the official site for the former Playstation emulator PSEmu have taken quite an interesting turn. The main page now reads:

AND NOW, FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!

These are in big, bold purple letters and they link to Virtual GameStation, the newest Playstation emulator for Windows. What does it mean? I don't know! :)

Thanks to SddenDeath for the tidbit.

Media News: ZD mentioned during French video game program
03:59:  I've recently been informed by Davester (who lives in Canada) that a French video game program (www.rdnerdz.com) that aired on Friday at 7pm mentioned Zophar's Domain (and the URL) to the public while answering a question on emulators! It aired on a channel called Z (www.ztele.com). I've also been informed by Dieu Tout-Puissant that the name of the program is La Revanche des nerdZ : Jeux. The host referred to us as the "main center of the emulation on internet"! We here at ZD are very excited that emulation is reaching mainstream exposure like French video game programs.

Help spread the word about emulation! (If anyone has more information on the airing of this program, and perhaps a clip, drop me a line). Thanks again to Davester and Dieu Tout-Puissant for informing me of the program.

Overclocked Update: #97 - Emoooooo! . . . . Mammy?
03:44:  David Lloyd has updated the Overclocked site to add some new remixes, as well as Episode 97. This episode deals with the trials & tribulations of filling a newbie with knowledge so that they can grow, prosper and contribute to the community.

Be sure to drop by and view the comic strip. Thanks to David Lloyd himself for the word.

Emulator News: Nemu64 INI 3-15
03:22:  A new version of the unofficial Nemu64 INI file, useful for making other games work that normally wouldn't, has been released. Here's what's new in the INI 3-15 build:

Media News: Sony takes back Playstation 2 units in Japan
03:02:  After days and days of reported problems with the Playstation 2 DVD problems, Sony has taken back around 100 units from users complaining of problems. From the CNN article:

Sony Computer Entertainment has taken back PlayStation 2 game consoles from some users for testing, though it has stopped short of issuing a recall of the hot new product or its memory card, a Sony representative said today.

The company in the middle of last week began investigating problems reported by some users that could not be resolved over the phone, Sony representative Benjamin Guernsey said.

While the article does in fact concur with the fact that Sony hasn't actually recalled anything yet, it shows that the PSX2 definitely has some major problems. Thanks to everyone who mailed in about this, and be sure to give the CNN article a read.

Emulator Release: Javanese 0.2
02:50:  Brice Fines has released version 0.2 of his NES emulator for Java, Javanese. This release includes the classes as well as source. Here's what's new:

Emulator Release: REW 0.12PR
02:29:  Recently, we posted a news piece about the questions surrounding a recent release of REW that was believed to have been unofficial. Retrogames today received an email from BouKiChi that v0.12 is a public release and that it is *not* coded by him, but someone anonymous.

Thanks to Reiginsei of EmuCamp for the following unofficial list of changes:

Misc. News: The Scribe to leave emulation
02:16:  I've never been one to like bringing bad news to people, as I've had lots of bad news broken to me and there's never a 'right way' to say it. However, it must be done so here goes.

Sam Pettus (or The Scribe as we've all come to know him), the creative genius mind behind the numerous compatibility charts (SNES Chart, Genesis Chart, and others), FAQs (the EmuFAQ for one) and game compilation lists (such as G30) has announced his imminent departure from emulation, effective at the end of the month. From The Scribe himself:

As of today, I am suspending work on all of my outstanding projects. This includes G3O, EmuFAQ 2000, and the Dreamcast Database (D2). I have some in-development material for G3O that I will get to Eidolon shortly, and I have asked Chuck Cochems if he would take over editorship of EmuFAQ 2000. He's got a helluva article coming out this weekend (if we can swing it) that you should all read - well, it's got my recommendation anyway, for what it's worth. I'm still looking for somebody to take over Dreamcast Database; otherwise, D2 v1.50 (20000301) will be the final release.

I'm not going to bore you guys with a lot of verbage, so let me say this. I'm going to take all my thoughts and put them in what will be my last article for the emuscene, "Aftermath." It shouldn't take long to write, as I've been planning it ever since this opportunity first presented itself some weeks ago. I'll try to have it ready for Zophar before the end of the month. Before that comes out, though, let me say that the past two years have been among the most enjoyable experiences I have had since I first "came online." Sometimes you have to give up the things you enjoy the most in order to move on to even better things. Such is the case here, and I know that the emuscene can and will carry on without me. I did what I came here to do. It is now time to move on.

I wish you well, each and every one of you.

Let me say that few minds and sheer will such as The Scribe's exist, and I wish him the best of luck. Thank you, Sam, for all you've done. We look forward to reading your final article.

Emulator Release: Gens (Windows) 0.3
02:09:  Stef has released version 0.3 of his Genesis emulator for Windows, Gens. Here's what's new in Gens 0.3:

Emulator Release: MEKA 0.50 (registered users only)
01:58:  A new version of the Sega Master System/GameGear emulator for DOS, MEKA, has been released to registered users around the globe. Here's a (very) clipped version of what's new in 0.50:

3/14/2000
Site News: RockNES WIP
23:09:  The RockNES WIP has been updated, here's what the team has to say:

Emulator News: Virtual Game Station compatibility list
22:47:  An unofficial compatibility list for Virtual Game Station has been created. This is a user-input list, which means if you have data on Virtual Game Station compatibility, go ahead and submit it!

The unofficial list can be found here.

Emulator Release: MsKISS 0.2.4
22:34:  MsKISS, an MSX emulator for DOS, has been updated to version 0.2.4. Here's a condensed version of what's new; the complete what's new can be found below:

Misc. News: New NeoGeo CD Cover Scan: "Final Romance 2"
21:21:  Darkmazda's Domain has released another scan of a NeoGeo CD game cover. This time it's of the game "Final Romance 2". The cover, donated by Kyo Takagen of k.o.f. perfect, brings the total of cover scans on the site to 68.

Thanks to homt for the news.

Misc. News: Rainepack #07 Released
21:16:  Another set of flyers were recently released at the Arcade Flyer Archive. This time, we see the release of Rainepack #07, a number of flyers related to games emulated on Raine.

This pack contains 8 new images and 3 replacement images of previously released (but low-quality) flyers. This brings up the total of covers that they have available to an impressive 65.

The pack can be downloaded here.

Site News: Interview with Zophar
21:09:  Today, Console & Emulation, an emulation news site, interviewed our very own Zophar.

The interview goes over a number of things, including the site itself, Zophar's personal life, and some of his favorite games. What the interview doesn't mention is that he was feeling pretty smug at about the time he sent it back to them. :)

Anyway, you can go read the interview here.

Emulator Release: MESS 0.36RC1
14:05:  MESS, a multiple console and computer emulator for DOS, has been updated to version 0.36 release candidate 1. Here's what's new for this version:

Emulator Release: MAME 0.36RC2 fixed binaries
13:53:  Fixed binaries for MAME 0.36RC2 have been uploaded. Apparently, the original releases had stereo sound disabled. This has been corrected.

Grab them from the MAME page.

3/13/2000
Misc. News: Brutal: Paws of Fury remake
03:39:  Dr. M has used the MUGEN engine to create a Brutal: Paws of Fury remake. Fans of the original game should take a look at this, even though I doubt that the original "belt" system is used in the remake.

You can download it from Dr. M's webpage.

Emulator Release: Basilisk II Build 115
03:34:  A new version of this Macintosh emulator for Windows NT/2000 has been released. There are many new features in this version, including:

• Ethernet driver for Windows 2000 professional. See Ethernet.win32.txt for details.
• Now remembers last 4 sent ethernet packets (instead of 1) for echo detection. This may or may not cure some AppleTalk related networking problems. If you want to experiment with a different echo buffer size, change MAX_ECHO in ether_windows.cpp.
• Workaround for one NT4 bug which caused the ethernet adapter sometimes be unavailable after relaunching BasiliskII or the GUI.
• Integrated Gwenolé Beauchesne's faster memory bank method to the Windows 9x compatible version.

Utility News: Teamsound
02:44:  I've found a neat utility that some of you out there might find useful. It's an internet voice chat system called Teamsound, and it works with some games including Quake 2, Unreal Tournament, Everquest, and so on. Those of you who play team games and use strategy will love this little toy. Others, who just want a simple voice chat program, will find this useful as well.

You can find more information and download this at the Teamsound Webpage.

Translation News: Kawaii Lavendar Elf
01:44:  Lina-chan, Nuku-Nuku, and Filia have updated their webpage with news on their Tenchi Muyo RPG and Record of Lodoss War translations. Tenchi Muyo is now almost ready for release, the battle bug fixed and now final beta testing.

For more info, visit their homepage
Lina-chan, Nuku-Nuku, and Filia's Homepage

Media News: Man Dies from Playing Video Games
01:18:  Yes, you read correctly. A South Korean man has actually died from too much of a good thing. The man died of stress-related problems brought on from a 17-hour marathon session of the game One Thousand Years (which is kind of ironic, considering that he was playing this game almost as long). He went sleep-deprived and malnourished within the last few months of his life.

You can read more about it at The Andrenaline Vault.

Thanks to WiLD for the news.

Site News: Poll Update -- Finally!
01:10:  I'd like to apologize for the lack of poll updates as of late, and I'd like to let you know that I'm going to be doing them more often from now on. If you ever have a poll suggestion, please -- contact us. I'd like to hear them.

Anyway, here are the results of the last poll:
Should Shade Eagle create a Framed version of the FAQ for navigational purposes? A no-frames version WILL exist.

Choice 1 was: "Aww, heck, why not? Everyone is using frames nowadays!"
It received 97 votes (53.3 percent).

Choice 2 was: "No way! My future children can't be subjected to frames!"
It received 27 votes (14.8 percent).

Choice 3 was: "I'm indifferent. I guess it's better than irregular."
It received 44 votes (24.2 percent).

Choice 4 was: "Frames? Ahhh!"
It received 0 votes (0 percent).

Choice 5 was: "What are you thinking, pal? Don't offer a no-frames version!"
It received 14 votes (7.7 percent).

As for the new poll, Zophar suggested it to me, and I think that it's a great idea to ask:

What's your favorite form of entertainment?

If you want to -- we're not forcing -- you can go vote.

Emulator News: REW 0.12 "PR"
00:01:  A release of REW (a Gameboy emulator for Windows) was uploaded recently to a non-english website, Emulation9.com. However, the official REW site was not updated with 0.12, and it's unknown whether PR stands for "public" or "private" release.

A couple emulation websites have already posted the file, but we at ZD do not believe in posting emulators that may be meant for beta testing and not for the public. We will not be posting this file until we have official word from the author.

Thanks to JEK Chan of JC-Emunews for pointing this out.

3/12/2000
Emulator Release: DreamNES 1.6
23:41:  A new build of DreamNES (a NES emulator for Windows) has been released. Here's what's new in version 1.6:

Emulator Release: MAME 0.36 RC2
23:25:  A new build of MAME (DOS), Version 0.36 Release Candidate 2, has just been released. Here's the list of new games supported and the authors of the various drivers:

Site News: Macintosh & Java Updates
23:21:  First and foremost, the entire staff of ZD is very saddened by the news of the loss of Mickey McMurray's (also known as Lopantu on ZD) father, William J McMurray. I don't begin to pretend to know what it's like to lose your father at a young age, and pray I never do.

I'm taking over responsibility for all Macintosh & Java related updates until such time that Mickey feels he's ready to come back. When ready, his job will be here waiting for him.

The world has lost another good soul.

Free ROMs News: Hyper Volleyball FR
01:50:  The PAL French language version of Hyper Volleyball (Super NES) is available on http://www.power3d.com. It is mentioned that Ubi Soft has only granted Power3d.com rights to distribute this ROM. It is worth mentioning that Top50 of Power3d.com translated it, and that if anyone sees any errors, that they should e-mail him at Top50@Power3d.com

You can download the ROM from the Power3d site, but the site is in French, so you could try using Altavista's Babelfish service to translate it.

Note: It takes a bit of work to get Babelfish working with this site.

Thanks to Top50 for the news.

3/11/2000
Misc. News: In Memory of William J McMurray
17:42:  In Loving Memory of William J McMurray - devoted father, husband and friend to all who knew him. He will be sorely missed.

June 4, 1946 - March 11, 2000

Emulator News: MAME HiScore.dat page opens
14:59:  The official MAME website has put up a page for HiScore.dat saving/loading routines. If you're interested, head over over and check it out.

Media News: A new Intellivision system in April EGM?
07:34:  I've recently been informed that there was an article published in the video game magazine "Electronic Gaming Monthly" regarding a possible new Intellivision system dubbed "Giga Intellivision". Although this magazine tends to publish true stories, this *is* the April's issue (April 1st, hint hint) so take the following snip with a grain of salt and good humour:

Encouraged by the success of their line of educational and "Youth Oriented"-licensed PC titles, Mattel is rumoured to be working with Daewoo, AMD and Dolby Labs to develop a next-generation gaming console system. Retro gaming fans will be particularly excited to learn the new machine will most likely go by the name Giga Intellivision.

The new system will reportedly feature the following: The recently announced AMD 1.6 GHz processor, an as-yet-unnamed graphics processor (thought to be developed by a relatively unknown team called Lipra 1 Technologies), an internal 8 GB hard drive for saves, built-in cable modem, DVD/CD player, and in a novel approach to the market, a deluxe model will be shipped with a 100-watt, six speaker sound system, including subwoofer. Korean giant Daewoo will be primarily involved as a manufacturer.

As you may have already realized, AMD did not announce a 1.6Ghz chip; it's 1.0GHz. Also, the specs sound eerily similar to Microsoft's X-Box. Just another fun April Fool's article from EGM :) (Yes, I know about Lipra 1 being an anagram for April 1, mwuahahah).

A big thanks to RReich for typing up the article & Knux Five for some additional info. Be sure to read the entire article.

Misc. News: Arcade Flyer Archive released Mamepack #16
07:24:  There's been another update over at the Arcade Flyer Archive:

We released our new mamepack #16. This release contains 8 new images and 22 replacements which brings us to a total of 966.

Be sure to check out the images and give them a visit.

Misc. News: DirectPad Pro
06:54:  A few days ago, I posted about a great USB PSX Adapter for the PC: Smart JoyPad. But as you probably know, there are many other such devices. One of them is available at ZipLabel.com and has been dubbed "DirectPad Pro". It supports N64, Saturn, PSX and many other controllers (it works through the Parallel Port). Be sure to drop by and give it a look if you're interested in adapters such as these.

Thanks to Darren Ranalli for the news.

Misc. News: "Hack of the Millenium"
06:47:  Langrisser Legends has released a trainer for the NGPC game, SNK vs Capcom: Match of the Millenium. Be sure to read the documentation for more information on how to apply the trainer.

Thanks to Bozel for the news.

Site News: Nifty Page-O-Hacks hosted!
06:36:  For those of you who missed the quick update that was done while I was on vacation, Zophar's Domain now hosts the "Nifty Page-O-Hacks":

Super Carrots 3? Super Bovine Battle? No, this guy doesn't have a serious food-problem. This is the Nifty Page-O-Hacks, and if you're looking for an insane, whacky, original hack of an old vintage console game, this is the place!

Since the site was not added to the drop-down bar or the Hosted page, I've added it to both. Be sure to check out this very interesting ROM hack-related website.

Also, if you're interested in being hosted and have a quality emulation or gaming related website that is established and complete, drop by our Hosted page, read the rules and send a mail!

3/10/2000
Media News: More on the mysterious X-Box chip..
22:04:  The magical x86-compatible chip in the X-Box that Zophar previously mentioned earlier in his update is actually an Intel Pentium III.

I know what many of you are saying: "I thought it was going to be the AMD Athlon!" Well, it was. Intel just played the shrewd businessman and won the coveted spot in the X-Box by cutting the price of their 600 MHz Pentium III chip to less than that of the Athlon that was going to be used.

No word yet if this is payback from Intel to AMD for beating the "Old Guard" to 1 GHz.

You can read more about it in this ZDnet article.

Misc. News: GeoShock Returning Soon?
21:06:  Palas Roy informed us of a message on the GeoShock site. When you try to access geoshock.dhs.org, you are redirected to http://www.arcadeathome.com/geoshock. The following is the message:

"WE WILL BE BACK WITH A VENGENCE ...

... JUST KEEP YOUR EYES ON THIS PLACE !!!"

This is sweet news for Neo Geo fans. :)

Emulator News: Solution to Nemu/Voodoo3 problem
15:49:  Most Voodoo3 owners will find themselves unable to run Nemu, an N64 emulator for Windows due to the fact that the emulator does not directly support the Voodoo tree of cards. Shadyn has recently informed me that he believes he has discovered the solution:

What the Nemu team said about setting the resolution and color depth IS necessary, but that alone may not work. If you still have problems running Nemu, make sure you have the latest drivers (1.04 series, use either 1.04.00 or one of the betas) then go into your Display Properties and click the Settings tab, then click Advanced. Go to the 3dfx Tweaks tab and there will be four sections (Desktop, Direct3D, OpenGL/Glide, and Video Overlay), simply uncheck ALL of the options checkboxes for these four sections, Apply the changes, and start Nemu. It should run very well now. (It crashed my computer upon loading a rom at first. Since I did this it runs more or less perfectly).

Once again, thanks to Shadyn for pointing this out.

Misc. News: Intel also at 1 GHz
13:28:  Intel has also come out with a 1 GHz (1000 MHz) processor this month. I for one am glad to have waited for Intel. I know for fact that Intel had their 1 GHz for a while now, and was just waiting for the right time to release it and didn't expect AMD to come out that quick. Too bad AMD got it first.

Intel at 1 GHz

A thanks goes out to Dieu for the e-mail.

Media News: Microsoft officially announces X-Box!
10:27:  Over the last few months, Zophar's Domain has reported on the rumoured existence of Microsoft's video game console, the X-Box. Yesterday, Bill Gates officially acknowledged that the console system X-Box is a reality and that it will be released in the Fall of 2001! From the press release:

"We're taking the time today to announce the breakthrough game console known as X-Box," said Gates during the feed. "The X-box provides performance better than twice that of any previous platform."

"X-Box is a global product so we'll be selling it worldwide," continued Gates. "...We're very anxious to have software developers throughout the world contributing to the platform." Microsoft stressed the importance of getting X-Box development kits into the hands of developers now in order to give them a year's worth of time to create what Gates hopes to be "unbelievable games".

The official X-Box website has posted the technical specifications of Microsoft's X-Box:

Free ROMs News: 75 Acorn Electra games
09:46:  There's recently been an update on The Stairway to Hell, a website dedicated to all things BBC Acorn related. This latest update adds 75 new Acorn Electra games to the website! Up until recently, there were not this many games available, so this should shake up the Acorn scene a bit.

Thanks to dllm for the mail. Acorn enthusiasts should check this out.

Misc. News: Star Control TimeWarp
09:38:  Many of you may remember a game that came out for the Genesis (and PC) a while ago called "Star Control". It was an interesting battle/strategy type of game where you built fleets of ships and combatted your enemy (or you could just have an all-out melee battle) on the starfield. The game did have two sequels, Star Control II & III.

Star Control TimeWarp is an independent effort by members of the internet community to remake Star Control II's melee mode. While not exactly emulation, it does use some of the original's sound effects and music. If you're interested in checking out this freeware game based on the Star Control universe, check it out at the link below. Thanks to Brian Bushnell for this tidbit.

Misc. News: Lunar 2 remake - Latest Info!
09:10:  Yo!

In case you guys didn't know, the name of this website and my own nickname come from the greatest RPG series in the known universe - the Lunar series! Created by GameArts and translated by Working Designs, this series has an excellent storyline, incredible soundtrack and characters you can't help but care about.

The latest incantation is Lunar 2: Eternal Blue remake for the Playstation. Over the last couple of days, a lot of news has been coming out about this fantastic remake. We'll start with the demo. RPGamer is reporting that an 8-hour full demo of the Lunar 2 remake will be included with Vanguard Bandits, set to ship late this month. From the article:

Lunar 2: Eternal Blue is currently on track for a late Spring release. Lunar fans will be pleased to learn that, similarly to Lunar: SSSC, Lunar 2's packaging will be far above current industry standards. The Lunar 2 "package" will include 3 game CDs, one soundtrack CD, one "Making of Lunar 2" documentary CD, and several currently unannounced goodies.

After reading the full article, you'll then want to head over to TheGia.com and check out some Lunar 2: Eternal Blue remake screenshots! Although yours truly does not make an appearance in any of these shots, they're quite tasty none-the-less!

Thanks to DEliTA and RPGamer.com for the news, and be sure to visit all of the links below to get your fill of Lunar 2: Eternal Blue remake news!

Misc. News: AMD processors reach 1 GHz!
08:44:  A few days ago, AMD reached a milestone that everyone has been awaiting for a very long time now. The very first 1 GHz processor is going to be shipped by none other than AMD! Read on...

AMD today reached a computer industry milestone, announcing commencement of shipments of 1GHz AMD Athlon™ processors. The first commercially available systems based on the 1GHz AMD Athlon processor will be available from Compaq Computer Corporation and Gateway.

"The commencement of commercial shipments of 1GHz AMD Athlon processors is a watershed event not only for AMD, but also for the personal computer industry," said W.J. Sanders III, chairman and chief executive officer of AMD. "Attaining the 1GHz performance mark has long been a paramount goal for producers of PC processors. Introduction of a PC processor capable of executing one billion clock cycles per second is our industry's equivalent of breaking the sound barrier. Just as the achievement of Chuck Yeager signaled the beginning of a new era in aviation, the 1GHz processor ushers in a new era of information technology. AMD plans to lead in the gigahertz era.

I always thought it would be Intel to get out the first 1 GHz chip. Guess I was wrong! Thanks to everyone who mailed in about this milestone.

Media News: More on the Playstation 2's "Playstation Driver"
08:23:  Michael Kollin of Sony-Otaku.com has been kind enough to provide ZD with 2 articles about the famed "Playstation Driver" present in the PSX2 which is supposed to give original Playstation games an added "bang", much like bleem! strives to do. However, it doesn't appear from the pictures (although they are rather grainy scans) that there's much difference.

Be sure to check out both articles below.

Emulator Release: Project Fellow 0.36 R1
08:14:  Many of you know that "Fellow" is an Amiga emulator for DOS that's been around for quite some time. Today, a new (rather unofficial) version of Fellow dubbed "Project Fellow" 0.36 R1 was released. This new version is highly optimized and it's recommended that you download it if you have a slower Pentium as it contains hacks to speed emulation up. Here's the full list of changes:

Emulator Release: RockNES X 1.0
08:02:  Fx3 has released a brand-new Windows 9x DirectX version of his NES emulator, RockNES which has been dubbed RockNES X. Here's what's present in this first release:

3/9/2000
Translation News: AGTP
16:40:  AGTP turned 1 year old on the 7th! Happy Birthday to them! and to go with their birthday celebration, they released translations out the wazoo!

Emulator Release: Jum's Atari 5200 Emulator v1.0a
06:39:  James "Jum" Higgs has released version 1.0a of his Atari 5200 emulator for DOS. Here's what's new in this recent attempt at Atari 5200 emulation:

This version has sound and most collision detection working. Some games are even playable! Also includes a preview of my 5200 Pong game :\

Thanks to James himself for the word. You can download Jum's A5200 Emulator from the Atari 5200 emulators page.

Overclocked Update: The Quitting Game
06:16:  This is one of those rare times when I do an OC update because of something extremely hilarious or important. This episode is a must-see for all site-maintainers (and future maintainers). Just like in professional wrestling, boxing and Gilligan, you never really do 'quit'. You just may think you do.

Also, be sure to check out the main Overclocked site for lots of updates that you may not have seen (this is the first update we've done in about a month, per the cut-back of Overclocked updates that we promised).

Emulator Release: Famtasia 5.1 Beta 5
05:58:  About a week ago, a new version of Famtasia (a japanese NES emulator for Windows9X) was released. We somehow neglected to add this new build to our NES emulators page, so I posted it up. No english what's new list exists at the present time, so if anybody knows what was changed, feel free to contact us.

Thanks to everyone who mailed in.

Misc. News: Classicgaming needs your help!
05:00:  We've just been informed that ClassicGaming.com, a network dedicated to providing classic-gaming related websites with server space is in need of a Lead Editor. Here's the requirements:

ClassicGaming.com is on the look out for an old-school game fanatic to work full-time as the site's Lead Editor. This is a full-time, paid position that requires strong writing skills, web experience, a good knowledge of gaming history, and management skills. Experience within the community is a huge plus!

If you're interested, be sure to visit the "Jobs" page below.

Media News: Nintendo to provide $80M worth of safety gloves?
03:23:  In a pretty strange twist of fate, Nintendo has agreed to provide $80,000,000 worth of protective safety gloves to owners of "Mario Party", an N64 game blamed for cuts and blisters to the hand. Crazy? Read on:

The "Mario Party'' game on the Nintendo 64 home game system can cause hand injury because players are encouraged to rapidly rotate a joy stick with a grooved tip, state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said Wednesday.

Consumers report having to use the palms of their hands to rotate the joystick, he said.

Nintendo agreed to provide up to four protective gloves to each household of consumers owning the video game, Spitzer said.

The fingerless gloves have padded palms.

Who ever said that Nintendo didn't have consumers in the palm of their glove... err... hand?

Thanks to drEw for the story, and be sure to visit Altavista's article in its entirety.

Media News: Playstation 2 woes
03:10:  As many of you already know, the Sony Playstation 2 was recently released in Japan. There have been many reported problems with various aspects such as some DVDs not being recognized properly, memory card corruption and other non-fun things. Here's such an example from Thresh's FiringSquad:

It appears that playing Ridge Racer V will cause corruption of the card data which in turn destroys the DVD drivers that are loaded onto the card. DVD functionality is thus removed from the PS2 and the user will have to re-load the DVD drivers onto the 8M card. Sony have issued an official recall of the PS2 memory card in Japan.

Other problems reported to NCS over the past 48 hours include "skippy" DVD playback where the sound skips intermittently when watching a movie on the PS2. The DVD drivers also appear to have problems recognizing Japanese region 2 DVDs as valid media, and rejects attempts at playback. Finally, double sided, dual layer DVDs require numerous attempts before the PS2 will accept the disc or perform the layer switch.

More limited are reports of problems with the PS2 overheating and "freezing" after a certain amount of time.

Is Sony's Playstation 2 all it was cracked up to be? Feel free to post your comments on our message boards. Thanks to Grizzly Addams for the notice.

Emulator Release: Gens Windows 0.24
02:54:  Stef has released version 0.24 of his Sega Genesis emulator for Windows9X, Gens. Here's what's new in this latest build:

Technical Docs News: Bart Trzynadlowski's Sega Genesis Technical Notes 2nd Edition
02:39:  We've added Bart Trzynadlowski's Sega Genesis Technical Notes 2nd Edition to the Sega Genesis Technical Docs section. Here's a list of changes since Edition 1:

Misc. News: FastTrak Software Publishing in need of help
02:15:  A new gaming-related software company known as "FastTrak Software Publishing" needs your help! They are looking for someone with the ability to become a full-time staff member to create and maintain the official website. Here's the requirements:

“Urgently required: Full time permanent position to create and maintain a web portal for all things games development related. UK based – North London (Watford). Skills required: V. Good Web abilities, basic programming skills – pref C & C++. Must have a serious passion for games, games and games, oh and preferably music too! Additional qualities: reliable, honest, humorous and a workaholic. Please contact now – Jon Silvera of FastTrak Software Publishing on +44 (0)1923 495 506 or e-mail jsilvera@polaron-group.co.uk – Thank you.”

If anyone is interested in the job, don't hesitate to e-mail them as soon as possible!

Emulator News: Snes9X Developer's update
02:03:  About a week ago, Gary Henderson posted an update on the Snes9X.com website. Since we neglected to mention this, we'll give it a go right now. A snip from the most recent journal update:

Network game-play (both local network and Internet) on the Windows port is progressing; no GUI yet, but several rewrites later and I can now play multi-player games between machines on my mini-network at home. There are some Windows threading issues I still have to look into - basically if Snes9x can't hit 100% frame rate, the main emulation thread seems to steal all available CPU time from network client and/or server threads and emulation speed doesn't remain constant. Also, I need to improve the protocol: slim-line it some more, otherwise just two people playing will saturate a modem connection, and add additional messages; but it's getting there.

If you missed this new journal update and would like to see the entire journal, be sure to head over to the Snes9X website. Thanks to everyone who mailed in and pointed this out.

Emulator Release: French MacMAME 0.36 RC 1
01:48:  The French version of MacMAME has recently been brought in sync with the English version of 0.36 Release Candidate 1. You can download French MacMAME 0.36 RC 1 from the Macintosh Multi-Arcade Emulators page. Thanks to Jon Markus for the news.

Interview News: Katharsis of GeoShock Interviewed
01:09:  Lord[EFN] over at EmuCamp conducted an informative interview with Katharsis of GeoShock. As of late, GeoShock has been down, but as Katharsis says in the interview, it's coming back.

3/8/2000
Emulator Release: Corn 0.1
18:42:  A new version of a GREAT Nintendo 64 emulator has been released! Here is what's new in this version:

Utility Release: ZD-spc 2.61
15:39:  A new version of ZD-spc, an SPC player for Windows, has been released. This is the most stable version of ZD-spc 2.X released! A thanks goes out to Tom-Servo for the beta testing in Windows 2000. Here is what's new:

Misc. News: Amiga Flashback Site Redesigned
13:35:  Amiga Flashback is back with a new site design and about 14 new LSD doc disks and 30 new game mods. Thanks to ALx for the news.

Utility Release: NesToy 3.02
13:23:  A new version of NesToy, a NES ROM utility, has been released, and here's what's new:

Emulator News: Callus 95 0.42 1A *unofficial* patch
13:01:  First, I'd like to stress that this patch is 100% unofficial, although it is endorsed by Bloodlust Software. Many of you may remember Callus, a Capcom CPS-1 Multi-Arcade emulator from 1998. It was discontinued a number of years ago, but there have been many attempts to create 'patches' for the emulator to get numerous other games working.

This unofficial 1A patch supports 75 games (almost every new game however is only a clone of a past supported game) and fixes a few bugs. You can download it at the Multi Arcade Emulators page.

Thanks to all who mailed in. Be sure to visit the official patch homepage.

Media News: Bloodlust Software website gets facelift!
12:41:  The official Bloodlust Software website hosted right here at Zophar's Domain has received a facelift. While some visitors may feel a little detached while viewing "A dissection of Bloodlust Software", we ask you to keep an open mind while viewing it.

Oh, and you should be 18 years old and over before entering this site. If you're offended by graphic violence and language, don't go. Remember... we warned you.

Misc. News: Bung officially ceases development of copier devices
12:12:  For the last few months, we at ZD have been reporting on the lawsuit that Bung (a manufacturer of video game console backup units such as the Doctor V64) lost to Nintendo. The following has just been posted on Bung's official homepage:

We regret to announce that, we will suspend our business for selling the following products since 12:00 PM on 8/3/2000 in Hong Kong (2:00 AM in London).

Doctor V64, 128M RAM Card for V64, Emulation Adapter for V64, Connection Adapter for V64, Power Supply for V64, Doctor V64jr, Doctor 512, GB Xchanger, GB Card 4M, GB Card 16M, GB Card 64M, GB Starter's Kit, GB Beginner Kit, GB Professor Kit, Mini MGD Kit, Pro MGD Kit

It looks like my Doctor V64 unit is a collector's item now. You can check out the entire release at Bung's official website.

Misc. News: UltraINI (The Company) V1E Beta 4a
11:47:  About a month ago, The Company released V1E Beta 4a of their Ultra.ini compilation. For some reason, ZD has only been carrying one version of the INI, so here's The Company's version for everyone to try out. You can grab it at the N64 emulators page.

Thanks to The Company for pointing this out to us.

Emulator News: KGB progress report
10:25:  About two weeks ago, a new progress report for KGB (a Gameboy emulator for DOS & Windows) was posted up on the official homepage. Here's what was said:

Hello! ^_^ Just checked and it's almost been a month since my last update so I thought i'd better provide some information for anyone interested (but there's NO NEW DOWNLOAD YET!).. :o)

What have I been working on? Well, I quickly added loading support for RAR archives and also support for all DirectInput controllers (big thanks to TNSe!!!). This means you can use all your fancy joysticks/joypads/whatever to play Gameboy games.. woohoo.. ! hehe..

The reason I haven't done a release yet is because I'm FINALLY working on sound (yeah.. finally got over my phobia ^_^ ). I've written the emulation code for 3 of the gameboy's 4 sound channels and are now trying to integrate the emulation code into the main program (currently i'm producing .WAV files from a sound register dump), hopefully this won't take too long.. this is my first experience with DirectSound and I'm still learning. :o)

Yay. okay.. that's about it.. i'll go now and do stuff.. cya!.. ^_^

Thanks to dReam sLider for informing us about this. We apologize for not posting this sooner.

Emulator Release: Come Back 64 0.9G DOS
10:01:  About a week ago, a new version of Come Back 64 (a Commodore 64 emulator for DOS) was released. Since we somehow missed it, here's what's new:

Emulator News: French emulator help files & translations
08:54:  Two weeks ago, "Top50" of Power3d.com released an "Snes9x FR" helpfile which includes a complete glossary, full graphical help for Snes9x in French and links to English emulation sites. Also available is the final release of System16 FR (a complete translation of the multi-arcade emulator, System 16) in French!

Be sure to visit the official website for all French emulation enthusiasts. Thanks to Top50 for the news.

Emulator Release: PlasticNES 0.2
08:39:  About a week ago, a new version of PlasticNES (a port of a NES emulator called NextFCE) for DOS was released. We managed to overlook it, so here's what's new:

Misc. News: "Smart Joypad" review
08:30:  I've recently been able to get my hands on a peripheral device from Eclectic Video Games known as the "Smart Joypad". This little device attaches to a free USB port on your computer. It comes with a drivers disk and an instructions sheet that explains how it works.

So what exactly is the Smart Joypad?

Many of you may have heard of other joypad devices like the para. port SNES converter that allows you to hook up SNES controllers to your PC (useful for emulators like ZSNES which may support them). Well, Smart Joypad allows you to hook up any Sony Playstation controller (even the analog ones) to your PC! It not only works with bleem!, but it also works with almost any DirectX Windows PC game on the market.

Many other emulators for Windows should also work with the Smart Joypad. This isn't hype - I've had the oppurtunity to try it out myself and much to my amazement, it worked! (Although I couldn't get Dual Shock to work, everything else was fine). I highly recommend this adapter to all gamers that like the PSX joypad layout and want to use it for other games, including the PSX emulator, bleem! It retails for about $25.00 US.

Site News: ...it's moving... IT'S ALIVE! (or "The Return of Z")
08:20:  Yo!

I'm back after my long vacation from emulation, and let me tell you it was quite a month! I (incredibly) survived my skiing trip to Shawnee Mountain and came away with only a few cuts, scrapes and bruises. Not bad for a first time (I was sure I'd break something)! Although I'll admit that on the final day when I went up 3,000 feet I rather chickened out, one tends to not want to plunge to their doom when one has not mastered the art of "snow-plowing" and stopping. :)

I'd like to take this oppurtunity to thank the entire staff of Zophar's Domain for running ZD while I was away on vacation. From what I've been told since returning, everything went rather smoothly for the most part (with the exception of a couple minor mishaps). For everyone who sent in an e-mail to me and did not get a reply, sit tight because I've been going through the thousands of e-mails in my inbox since I returned. I promise that I'll get to everyone's in the shortest amount of time that I can manage. I'd like to thank everyone for sticking around even though I haven't been here.

Over the next couple weeks, we here at ZD will be completing the awarding of all contest money from contests won within the last couple months. Since I've been on vacation, 2 contest winnings slid by me and I'd like to apologize to those 2 winners for taking so long. We'll be back on track soon, and you'll be receiving e-mails very shortly. Speaking of contests, our next contest will be the very first NESten movie contest, and that will begin sometime in the near future. Stay tuned for more contest information in the upcoming weeks.

Zophar's Underworld Volume 4 (which included special guest "Marp" from YMAmp fame) was a success from the e-mails that I did get to read about it. This real-video show (real-audio for those on dial-up bandwidth) has really been taking off since episode 3 (which had guests uzplayer and DarkMazda) so I'll be continuing this series as long as there is a continued interest in them... which reminds me, I don't have a guest in mind for episode 5! If you're a prominent figure in emulation and you'd be willing to make the drive up here to Northeast Philly, home of the cheesesteaks and soft-pretzels, then drop me a line!

Lots of hosting requests seem to have filled my mailbox since I left! While we'd love to be able to host each and every single website that e-mails us, we are unfortunately not able to do so. You'll want to make sure that you read the Hosting page at the bottom to get all the rules & regulations. We can't host a site that's vastly incomplete, has nothing to do with gaming/emulation or one that's been up for 3 weeks. We also are unable to host websites that cater to only one browser (such as websites that only look right in IE). Please read over the rules before e-mailing in. Speaking of hosting, the ZD staff did add a site or two while I was gone, and they haven't been added to the drop-down bar so I'll be taking care of that after I read through the few thousand e-mails that everyone has sent.

I'd like to take an oppurtunity to thank everyone for visiting our website. As many of you may be aware of, most of us are teenage college students with very little money, and because of your support we're able to keep our focus on the website and not on a pizza-busboy job that pays $3.00/hour when we could be updating about a new NESten! While I'm far from financially secure, at least I know that I'll be able to get through another month of bills because of everyone's support.

Thanks for visiting ZD, and get ready for a nice updating spree, courtesy of me! :)

Misc. News: Happy Birthday to Emulation HQ
03:57:  EmuHQ turns one year old today. Congratulations. =)

3/7/2000
Emulator Release: MacMAME 0.36 RC1
14:21:  MacMAME, MAME for Mac computers, has been brought up to date with the official version of MAME. You can get it at the multi arcade emulator page for Macs.

Misc. News: The Final Fantasy Movie Website is Open
14:11:  FinalFantasy.com is now open. There are trailers and movie information available.

Misc. News: GeoShock to Return?
14:01:  There's a new message at the GeoShock homepage that goes something like this:

WE WILL BE BACK WITH A VENGENCE ...
... JUST KEEP YOUR EYES ON THIS PLACE !!!

Looks like they're back.

Emulator Release: GBFAN 1.17 beta 2
04:35:  A new version of GBFAN, a Japanese Gameboy emulator for Windows, has been released. I don't know what's new, but you can get it at the Gameboy page.

Emulator Release: Pasofami 1.3t
04:26:  A new version of Pasofami, a Japanese NES emulator for Windows, has been released. I don't know what's new, but you can get it at the NES page.

Emulator Release: DarcNES 9a0305 Source
04:21:  A new version of the DarcNES source was released, and here's what's new:

Emulator Release: Unofficial Nemu64 INI 0.5
04:17:  A new version of the unofficial Nemu64.ini file has been released, and here are the latest stats:

Emulator Release: DarcNES 1.06 for Windows
04:04:  DarcNES, a popular NES emulator for Linux, has been ported to Windows. Here's what's new in this version:

Emulator Release: CCS64 2.0 beta
03:52:  Another beta of version 2.0 of CCS64, a Commodore 64 emulator for DOS and Windows, has been released. Here's what's new:

Emulator Release: VICE 1.3
03:45:  A new version of VICE, a Commodore 64 emulator for DOS and Windows, has been released. There's lots of new features, so check them out at the VICE homepage. You can get VICE at the Commodore 64 page.

Emulator Release: DreamNES 1.5
03:41:  A new NES emulator called DreamNES has been released. Here's some of the features:

Emulator Release: VGS for Windows Ships
02:42:  The Windows version of Connectix's Virtual Game Station, a PSX emulator, started shipping today. It was formerly only availible for Macs. You can read about it at the Adrenaline Vault. Thanks to Sonikku_a for the news.

3/6/2000
Misc. News: Silencer - Think strategically, act instantly
23:34:  I've been addicted to an online game that is currently in beta. It's called Silencer. It's a side scroller, with some strategy elements. The objective is to get three government secrets, before the enemy agency(or agencies) get three. While you could run around and shoot things, the best way to win is to work as a team with teammates, and outsmart the competition.

You can check out this game(it's for Windows 9X) at the WON.net Silencer webpage.

Note: While their 'minimum requirements' states Pentium 200, I'm able to run it with few problems on a Pentium 133. Your mileage may vary.

Emulator Release: VisualBoy 1.4
16:43:  A new version of VisualBoy, a Gameboy Color emulator for Win9X, has been released, and here's what's new:

Interview News: PSXEmu interviews Randy Linden from Bleem!
16:35:  Like the subject says, PSXEmu has interviewed Randy Linden, the programmer who wrote Bleem!. Go read it if you're interested. Thanks to EmuCamp for the news.

Emulator Release: RockNES 1.03
16:31:  A new version of RockNES, a NES emulator for DOS, has been released, and here's what's new:

Site News: Destiny
14:11:  Destiny Translations has updated their webpage every day for the past 3 days, stating that Alpha Testing is complete, and now beta testers will be going through the game. 3 of the 4 Translations news pages have been updated, stating the current progress, and how DOAE has affected their progress.

Destiny Translations

Translation News: Thingy32
14:03:  A new version of Thingy32 has been released, which fixes many of the bugs found in the previous release. The authour has stated that relative search is coming soon, but not in this release.

Download it from the Translation Utility page.

3/5/2000
Utility Release: SNES Palette Editor, v0.2
21:45:  Yousei has released his SNES Palette Editor for Windows. Here's whats new:

Translation News: FH at it Again.
18:23:  FH has updated his webpage with new screenshots and info on his Papuwa Translation.

F.H.'s Homepage

Translation News: Stories Relocated
18:20:  The Front Mission translation homepage has been relocated.

Thanks to RPGD for the URL

Stories' Front Mission Translation Webpage

Emulator Release: Beccy Emulator DPR released.
15:05:  Beccy Emulator is a Sinclair ZX Spectrum emulator for BeOS, x86. There is currrently no PPC binary, or source. It is buggy, among other things:

"Development Preview release of Beccy is really resource consuming program. It contain a lot of code which needs optimization. Both Z80 virtual processor code and ZX Spectrum virtual machine may contain some bugs. I would appreciate any informative bug reports."

You may find Beccy on our sporadicly growing list of BeOS Computer Emulators.

Emulator Release: Hu-Go 1.11
13:25:  A new version of Hu-Go has been released, and here's what's new:

Site News: Save & game music archives updated
05:19:  Save archives updated: FC0, GS0, STA, ZMV, ZST archives.
Game music archives updated: GYM, NSF, SPC archives.
Just an announcement, two more save archives will be added to ZD: Playstation/Dexdrive saves and Gameboy saverams. Once the archives are ready you will be able to submit your saves to me.

3/4/2000
Emulator Release: ZD-spc 2.60
21:07:  A new version of ZD-spc has been released! This version isn't a really big release, cause I haven't had much time. Take a look at what's new:

Emulator Release: X-MAME 0.36b16.1
18:15:  X-MAME, the UNIX port of MAME, has been updated. Here's what's new specific to this version:

Misc. News: WinAMP 2.61
18:06:  The folks over at Nullsoft have released WinAMP 2.61 Basic and Full. Here's what's new:

Misc. News: Playstation 2 is here... well, not here, but you get the point.
09:46:  Saturday, March 4, 2000. The PlayStation 2 has been released in Japan, for all the hungry gamers to enjoy. On IGNPS2, you can read all about the pre-launch mania in Japan, including stories of people who have been waiting in line since Thursday, camping out in sleeping bags. This could very well be the biggest system launch in video game history. Too bad we all have to wait until September.

You want more? You got more. IGNPS2 will be covering the launch and trying out the new PS2 all weekend.

Misc. News: Actress for Lara Croft for new Tomb Raider movie finally casted?
07:20:  At the time of this posting, The Daily Radar has the following info:

"Lara Croft Revealed -- Movie Casting Almost Confirmed
Angelina Jolie, Hollywood's current darling of the silver screen, is reportedly in final talks to fill the boots of our favorite digital diva. See the story and pictures on the site."

Check her out at The Daily Radar site.

Special thanks to The Shadowvision Network and white_rioter for the news.

Utility Release: Unofficial Nemu64.ini v0.4 released
07:12:  An unofficial Nemu64.ini file has been released for use with Nemu64 v0.7. This version adds support for 30 games I believe. The homepage isn't very clear about it.

You can try it on our N64 emulators page.

Thanks again to The_Great_D2 for this news.

Utility Release: OpenGlide v0.05 released
06:58:  OpenGlide, a Glide Wrapper for use with UltraHLE, has been updated to v0.05. Here's what's new:

Emulator Release: NLMSX v0.22 released
06:47:  NLMSX, an MSX emulator for Win9x/NT/2k, has been updated to version 0.22. Here's what's new:

3/3/2000
Emulator News: RockNES progress report
23:59:  A small blurb on the RockNES website has the following info:

3/2/2000
Misc. News: More info on PSX2 exportation issues
23:43:  Note: I was a bit hasty and wasn't specific enough on a couple issues, as well, I wasn't aware of the relaxation of US restrictions. For these reasons, I have modified this post.

One of the possible reasons for the Playstation 2 ban would be that the Playstation 2 memory card uses a form of encryption called Magic Gate.

Note: This ban is a Japan based ban, not a US one.

Some of you might be aware that certain US-based encryption programs(PGP, 128 bit encryption browser versions, etc.) are only allowed to be downloaded by people in US and Canada, and nations that the US is friendly with. This is, however, the first time that such a ban has been placed on a console.

Needless to say, this could be a hot topic, and you can discuss it on our Talk of the Town message board.

Emulator Release: SADnes32 0.12 Criptonyta
19:01:  A new version of SADnes32 has been released, and here's what's new:

Misc. News: Importing PS2 is Prohibited?
15:45:  According to GameSpot News, the PS2 cannot be taken out of Japan without consent from the Department of Trade and Commerce. Here's what the official Japanese Playsation website had to say:

"As of June 18, 1999, the International Foreign Exchange and Trade Law prohibits transporting of Sony PlayStation2 and the Sony PlayStation2 Memory Cards outside of Japan without a consent from the Department of Trade and Commerce."

You can read the full article at GameSpot. Thanks to Bytoro for the news.

Emulator News: Corn is not dead!
15:35:  The website for the N64 emulator Corn was recently updated. The site says that the emulator itself is not dead, with a new release coming soon, and it also has quite a few awe-inspiring screenshots of the emu in action. (The screenshots look quite nice, I might add.)

You can read more at the Corn homepage.

Mucho thanks to Saboya of JC Emulation News.

Misc. News: DarkMazda's barrage of Neo Geo CD covers continues
15:30:  DarkMazda's Domain has released the CD cover for Neo Geo game "Neo Driftout" today. That gives them a total of 63 Neo Geo CD covers. Go visit and view them. =)

Misc. News: The Scribe's D2 List 1.40
15:21:  The Scribe has released a new version of his Dreamcast Database; a catalog of all DC titles released in all markets around the world. You can go download it, or view it off the net.

Utility Release: PSmplay 0.3
14:12:  A new version of PSmplay, a great str and xa player for PSX games, has been released, and here's what's new:

3/1/2000
Emulator Release: RockNES 1.02
14:16:  A new verison of RockNES, a NES emulator for DOS, has been released, and here's what's new: