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Posts with tag game boy

Adding some color to Game Boy emulation


Just as Technicolor added color to moving pictures, classic Game Boy gems await their colorized update. On the homebrew front, a new video from PSPHardwareHelp (after the cut) shows Super Mario Land running through an upcoming emulator for use on PSP. The notable difference between this and previous offerings is that this emulator converts black and white Game Boy classics into full color. It's certainly a remarkable achievement, one that Nintendo may want to capitalize on if they ever (wisely) bring Game Boy classics into the Wii Virtual Console.

Continue reading Adding some color to Game Boy emulation

PSP at the top of handheld evolution


We know that the PSP is powerful. But how powerful is it compared to handhelds before it? A lot more, as seen by Pocket Gamer's recent analysis of handheld systems. PSP's 333MHz of processing power knocks makes the rest of the chart seem miniscule in comparison.

Pocket Gamer's feature is certainly an eye-opener. Of particular note is a fascinating diagram of screen sizes, overlaying each other. The PSP's wide screen LCD far exceeds the size of its nearest competitor, the Nomad. Even with such impressive statistics, the system remains one of the lightest handhelds created, and doesn't stand out as disproportionately larger than the others. This is a must-read feature for any PSP fan.

Square Enix surprise: its a PSP port of a GBA port of NES games


It looks like EGM's Rumor Mill is starting to develop into truth. "Square Enix is whipping up a wild lineup for PSP this year ... These guys are serious too! I'm talking new games, remakes of old classics, and an all-new, unexpected Final Fantasy spinoff that will make the fanboys flip."

Well, we can check off "remakes of old classics" off the list: Square Enix just announced their "20th Anniversary Series," which will be heading to PSP. First two games on the table? Final Fantasy Anniversary Edition and Final Fantasy II Anniversary Edition. Both games will feature the enhancements of the Nintendo-published Final Fantasy I & II Advance: Dawn of Souls, and also include new CG movies and "further enhancements."

While these aren't the games we've been clamoring for, I guess it's a step in the right direction. Any support from Square Enix is better than none, right? As it stands now, I'd much rather wait for Crisis Core than these remakes of remakes. Hopefully, we'll see the rest of the "wild lineup" that EGM hinted at.

[Thanks, zaki! Via The Magic Box]

[Update 1: Scans are available at Jeux-France.]

When a PSP and a Game Boy make love


This very-obviously fake design is a loving homage to gaming's past. The Game Boy is the first handheld gaming system I've ever owned, and it's incredible to see how tech has evolved since then. ModSoul, the designer of this clever creation, also enhanced this baby with something PSP owners have been clamoring for a long time: dual analog sticks.

[Via Kotaku]

[E]mulate seven consoles in one homebrew application


Sorry for the lack of updates. Joystiq & engadget hit the scene at NYC's Wii launch party (coverage continues throughout the next few days). At the after-party at my place, we were horrified to see how pathetic the selection of Virtual Console games were (Where the heck is my Gunstar Heroes? When do Mario RPG and Super Metroid come out?). I'm glad to pay my hard-earned dollar on retro games, but damn it--I can't do that if they're not being offered right now!

Interestingly, if I so chose to embrace the Dark Side, I could use [e]mulator, from homebrew developer "e". This application includes emulators for a wide variety of systems: Wonderswan, Lynx, PC Engine, Neo Geo Pocket, Game Gear, Game Boy, and Famicom (NES). If one is so inclined, they can visit the site, download the file, and use a program like WinRAR to extract the files. Don't worry, there's a very Engrish read-me that should theoretically walk you through the process.

[Via PSP-Vault]

The possibilities of PS3-PSP connectivity [Update 1]


The PS3 and PSP are going to be great friends. Sure, they won't be able to play with each other when the PLAYSTATION 3 comes out, but they will in the future, and the possibilities are exciting. chubgians, IGN's ultimate PSP fanboy, recently wrote a massive essay on how PS3-PSP connecitivty can succeed where GCN-GBA has failed. Some of the key points to note:
  • The two systems were made to work with each other: look at the XMB. Also, there's no extra cables to buy: just use the PSP's wi-fi connection, or the USB cable that's connected to the controller.
  • Even without any software, you can access content on the PS3 from your PSP. With the Gamecube, your GBA cables were useless unless you had a game that supported it... and those were quite few in number.
  • Accessing the Friends feature of the PS3 from the PSP will be incredible: imagine, a universal play experience on your PS3 and PSP. It's starting with games like Cash Money Chaos.
You can read the rest of chubigan's lengthy postulations on his IGN blog.

See also:
The "PS3" tag on PSP Fanboy.

[Update 1: IGN has been playing with their retail unit of the system and revealed one tidbit we didn't know about before: when using Remote Play, your PS3 is forced into non-HD 480p mode. Boo!]

Handheld history reveals PSP's slim figure [Update 1]


Joystiq, the attention-craving parent site to PSP Fanboy, recently compared the sizes of history's greatest handhelds. When looking at the handhelds in size order, one can see that the PSP sits smack in the middle.
  • Game Boy micro: 5.6 cubic inches
  • Game Boy Advance SP: 9.81 cubic inches
  • DS Lite: 12.96 cubic inches
  • Wonderswan: 13.33 cubic inches
  • Wonderswan Color: 14.1 cubic inches
  • Wonderswan Crystals: 14.68 cubic inches
  • Neo Geo Pocket Color: 17.35 cubic inches
  • Sony PSP: 17.52 cubic inches
  • Game Boy Advance: 17.64 cubic inches
  • GP2X: 19.61 cubic inches
  • DS Phat: 22.01 cubic inches
  • Game Boy: 26.39 cubic inches
  • Gamepark 32: 26.83 cubic inches
  • Sega Nomad: 49.36 cubic inches
  • Game Gear: 50.86 cubic inches
  • Atari Lynx: 68.53 cubic inches
We should be thankful that the PSP is no monstrosity like the Game Gear... Then again, I did love my Game Gear (pictured).
[Thanks, Zebulunite!]

[Update 1: Whoa, how did that HTML glitch happen? It totally wasn't like that when I typed it. Anyways, fixed.]

Creator of GBA emulator speaks out


Many of you seem very interested in homebrew lately. With the release of a super-easy way to downgrade firmware, it seems like many of you are ready to experiment with homebrew. While I prefer to support original endeavors, it's pretty obvious that the greatest lure for homebrew is piracy emulation. Exophase is a relatively new coder to the PSP homebrew scene, but he's already come out with a full speed Game Boy Advance emulator for the system. In an interview with DCEmu, he reveales some interesting info about his work.

DCEmu: The release of this emulator has been compared to the shock of Ultrahle and Bleem, emulators that werent thought possible until they were released, are you proud that your the first to get a decentplayable GBA Emulator out there ?
Exophase: Heh, well, I'm just glad that at least some people can play some games well. I know it was nice being able to play Castlevania: Circle of the Moon for a while when I had nothing else to do.

You can check out the rest of the interview at DCEmu.

See also:
More interviews with more homebrewers
Commodore64 emulator for PSP
Wonderswan emulator for PSP

Top 50 handheld games of the century

Next Gen has painstakingly gone through NPD sales data to give you the best selling handheld games of all time (in the US). They went through the number of units sold, and two PSP games made their way to this elite list of heavy-hitting games. Sure, the rest of the list is dominated by DS and Game Boy games, but Sony has done what the Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket, n-Gage, etc. have failed to do: make a portable that can survive against the Nintendo goliath. The two games that represented the PSP should come as no surprise:
  • 48. Madden NFL 06
    (est. sales of 590,000)
  • 16. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
    (est. sales of 980,000)
Make sure you read through Next Gen's report to see the entire list.

[Via DS Fanboy]

The next Game Boy should be... a PSP

You won't see too much Nintendo reporting on PSP Fanboy. However, this roundtable editorial on Nintendojo was just too good to pass up. Nintendo has stated that the Nintendo DS was a third pillar, to supplement the Gamecube Wii and the Game Boy Advance. So, what if Nintendo actually made a single-screen follow-up to the Game Boy, to debut at next year's E3? Here's what the some of the editors at Nintendojo wanted from the hypothetical next Game Boy:
  • "The next handheld would be as powerful as the GameCube."
  • "Add some basic multimedia features in the mix."
  • "Optical discs (moreover discs the size of GameCube discs)"
  • "Downloadable retro games."
  • "A single, vivid widescreen display."
  • "A 1 GB memory stick that acts as a 'hard drive'"
  • "An analog 'disc' or 'nub' control."
Does any of this sound familiar? There's lots of other suggestions brought up by the Nintendojo crew, but I think it's pretty obvious that many of them would love the PSP.




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