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- icode4.coffee Halo 2 in HD: Pushing the Original Xbox to the Limit
Everything I went through to add support for HD resolutions to Halo 2 on the Original Xbox. From patching the game's rendering engine and memory allocator, to hot patching the Xbox OS, to overclocking the GPU and running performance benchmarks. This post covers how I pushed the game and console to t
This blog post goes over all of the work I’ve done to add HD resolution support to the Original Xbox version of Halo 2. From patching the game to modifying the hardware of the Xbox console to writing custom tools for performance benchmarking, my goal with this project was to push the limits of both and see how far I could go. I’ve tried to keep this blog post as short as I could and only include the most technically interesting parts but even then it ended up quite long.
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Ubisoft is stripping people's licenses for The Crew weeks after its shutdown.
www.pcgamer.com Ubisoft is stripping people's licences for The Crew weeks after its shutdown, nearly squandering hopes of fan servers and acting as a stark reminder of how volatile digital ownership isUbisoft has gone one step further to try and stop people getting into The Crew.
- www.theverge.com How Nintendo’s destruction of Yuzu is rocking the emulator world
Nintendo sued Yuzu into the ground. What happened next?
The leading Nintendo Switch emulator is a smoking crater. Others are wary — but hopeful — for the future.
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The Video Game Remake Boom Is Producing Nostalgic Hype and Uncomfortable Questions
www.theringer.com ‘Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’ and the Boom Era of Video Game RemakesVideo game remakes like ‘Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’ are the definitive single-player trend of the past decade. But they also represent a distinct set of challenges for an art form that doesn’t really "age" like other entertainment does.
Video game remakes like ‘Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’ are the definitive single-player trend of the past decade. But they also represent a distinct set of challenges for an art form that doesn’t really “age” like other entertainment does.
- www.denofgeek.com 15 Forgotten Video Game Consoles
Before PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo dominated the market, numerous companies took a shot at making their own video game consoles. Many have rightfully been forgotten.
- getpocket.com An Oral History of ‘GoldenEye 007’ on the N64
Slapping, Klobbs, speedrunning, cheating Oddjobs and more: Everything you ever wanted to know about the creation of the iconic, game-changing FPS.
- www.tomshardware.com Raspberry Pi 5 Emulates Nintendo GameCube and Wii
Leepspvideo shows off Dolphin running several GameCube and Wii ROMs on the Raspberry Pi 5.
In the video, Leepspvideo demonstrates his success at emulating the Nintendo GameCube on the Raspberry Pi 5. This is running on an emulator dedicated to the GameCube known as Dolphin. The performance is playable and as long as you keep the Pi plenty cool, it’s going to handle many GameCube ROMs without too much fuss.
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Sony hides trailer for Star Wars: KoTOR remake and deletes announcement tweet
www.videogameschronicle.com Sony hides trailer for Star Wars: KoTOR remake and deletes announcement tweet | VGCThe game has reportedly been beset by problems over the last couple of years…
References to the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake have been taken offline by some of PlayStation’s primary social media accounts, amid a report of troubled development.
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"Fundraiser: Translation Of Donkey Kong Programmer’s Story" (already funded!)
hitsave.org Fundraiser: Translation Of Donkey Kong Programmer’s Story💵Donate here! Few people are aware that Donkey Kong’s programming was outsourced by Nintendo to a company called Ikegami Tsushinki. In 1997, one of those Ikegami employees wrote his own take on the making of Donkey Kong, based on documentation he’d held onto since 1981. The 11-page article
Short summary: in a Japanese journal from 1997, an employee of Ikegami Tsushinki (the company that programmed Donkey Kong for Nintendo) wrote about the process. He still had documentation from back in 1981, and his account provides brand-new historical details.
Critical Kate happened across the journal and, knowing that its length (11 pages) would be beyond the usual remit of volunteer translations, organized a fundraiser with Hit Save! and Gaming Alexandria to raise $750 to commission a translation from Shmuplations. The goal's already been met, but you can still donate if you'd like!
- blog.bioware.com An Update on the State of BioWare
Hello again, Today, rather than discuss one of our upcoming projects, I’d like to share an update about the studio itself and outline our vision for BioWare’s future. In order to meet the needs of …
As part of this transition, we are eliminating approximately 50 roles at BioWare. That is deeply painful and humbling to write. We are doing everything we can to ensure the process is handled with empathy, respect, and clear communication. With that last point in mind, I want to take a moment to explain how we got here, what we’re doing to support our colleagues, and what this means for BioWare’s current and future games.
- kotaku.com Microsoft Is Finally Done Making Kinect (For Real This Time)
It was never the gaming revolution Microsoft thought it’d be, but Kinect found some utility in the business world
It finally happened. Microsoft has fully ended production of Kinect hardware. And no, you didn’t stumble upon an article from 2014. Yes, it’s 2023 and Microsoft, in case you didn’t know, has been still trying to make Kinect work, just not in the gaming space. Well, today Microsoft has thrown in the towel.
- hitsave.org Artemio Urbina - Pioneering Tools to Keep Retro Gaming Alive
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Artemio Urbina, a software developer and engineer based in Mexico who has created some fascinating tools for the retro gaming community. Artemio started Junker HQ in the late 90s as a way to share information and documentation for classic Kojima games. Sin...
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Artemio Urbina, discussing his amazing projects 240p Test Suite, MDFourier, CPS2 desuicide, and much more. Thank you Artemio for being such an amazing force within the retro gaming and preservation community!
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Free SEGA Bass Fishing for Steam
Explore the exciting sport of Bass fishing! Based on the Dreamcast hit, motor out to eight different fishing locations to catch the biggest and baddest Bass possible! Choose between fourteen different lures, and compete in four tournaments. Start off as an amateur, and work your way up to the pros in the Masters Classic tournament. Get hooked!
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Saudi Arabia is spending billions to become a global gaming hub. Some fans don't want to play
abcnews.go.com /International/wireStory/saudi-arabia-spending-billions-become-global-gaming-hub-101658253Last September, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund earmarked nearly $40 billion for a new conglomerate aimed at transforming the kingdom into the “ultimate global hub” for games and esports by 2030. In February, the Saudi fund became the biggest outside investor in Nintendo, and just this month the kingdom hosted a major gaming tournament with a record $45 million prize pool.
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Inside 84, Tokyo’s secret Nintendo bar that needs your help
www.videogameschronicle.com /features/inside-84-the-tokyo-members-only-nintendo-bar-and-museum-now-welcoming-tourists/In the heart of Tokyo’s Shibuya district lies one of the most interesting collections of rare and unique Nintendo items, but only a select number of people have ever visited it.
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Atari Has Launched Collectible Arcade Circuit Boards Of Retro Classics
Atari has just announced a line of officially licensed and authentic reproduction circuit boards from some of their most beloved arcade classics.
And also are a 1:1 recreation of the original boards. So they would also work as an actual replacement for a damaged board from an original cabinet.
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New video game handhelds may need to have a replaceable battery Starting in 2027
www.videogameschronicle.com New video game handhelds may need to have a replaceable battery from 2027 | VGCA newly passed EU regulation means new devices must give access to the battery…
EU has posted a document explaining new regulations set to begin in 2027 which will require all devices to allow easy access to their battery.
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How to get an Xbox 360 Emulator working on Windows
github.com GitHub - rexdex/recompiler: Xbox360 -> Windows executable converterXbox360 -> Windows executable converter. Contribute to rexdex/recompiler development by creating an account on GitHub.
Credit taspeotis postings this to hacker news. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36705223
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A review of Sonic Origins from Sonic Retro that brings up some interesting points about game compilations and historical context
sonicretro.org I Never Wrote A Review For Sonic Origins, So Let's Talk About It For A Minute - Sonic RetroOn June 23rd, 2022, Sonic the Hedgehog’s legally recognized birthday was celebrated by releasing a game compilation featuring some of his greatest adventures. Called Sonic Origins, it was a collection that many considered a no-brainer to put together. After all, people had been asking for the 2013 m...
In short: referencing other retro game collections released in the past year, the writer notes that Origins could have been a prime opportunity to collect everything about "classic Sonic" from the early to mid-'90s in one package - obscure games, development documents, promotional material, and so on.
Relevant quote: >Digital Eclipse has, over the last few years, stepped up what a video game compilation should be. [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The] Cowabunga Collection has the games, yes. It has multiple versions of some of them! And all sorts of options that alter your playing experience. But it’s the extras that, for me, make it truly shine. You’ve got all sorts of magazine advertisements. You don’t just have a couple pieces of concept art – you have entire game design documents, for multiple games. Anything written in Japanese? A single button gives you an English translation. You have screenshots of every single episode of Ninja Turtles. It takes that extra step to not just give you the games, but let you take a peek into how they were made, and how they were part of the greater Turtles experience. The Ninja Turtles were one of the biggest things in the world back in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and you get a sense of why.
>Then Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection took it another step, turning the video game compilation into a true interactive museum. You’ve got a timeline, you’ve got full documentary style interviews. The Atari 2600 was before my time, but I understand the importance of that company and the games they produced. For someone who has zero idea why? That is the perfect game to tell you. It takes any Atari collection that came before and blows it out of the water. The highs and the lows are there for everyone to see, with commentary from the people who were there, and giving you a selection of games that cover it all. It even has Atari Jaguar games. A system that most people will say had one good game!
>Sonic Origins doesn’t bother to tell you when Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was released.
It's an interesting point - even if companies aren't necessarily required to be stewards of their own history and present it all to the public like this, on some level perhaps they should be.
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A group of archivists have found & dumped 13 review kits for N-Gage games
Specifically, Civilization, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Catan, Glimmerati, System Rush, Pathway to Glory: Ikusa Islands, Rifts: Promise of Power, X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, Mile-High Pinball, Asphalt 2, High Seize, One, and Glory in Death.
I believe this means that all of them have been found now.
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"Happy Birthday, Sonic the Hedgehog?" (an article from Sonic Retro about the US release date of the original Sonic game)
sonicretro.org Happy Birthday, Sonic the Hedgehog? - Sonic RetroDuring the holiday season of 1991, the Sega Genesis was already two years old. Jumpstarting the 16-bit era, its sales still paled in comparison to the Nintendo Entertainment System, and with the Super Nintendo finally coming out in the United States, it might have been a safe bet to think Nintendo w...
The short version: while Sonic 1's official release date was June 23rd, 1991, several Usenet posts around that time make it clear stores in various parts of the US were stocking it up to two weeks beforehand. (There's also some discussion of pre-release coverage of the game, if you're curious.)
It's an interesting look at an era of gaming where synchronized, nationwide release dates in America weren't really a thing. (As the article notes, it took quite a bit of planning to get the sequel out on "Sonic 2-sday" across the country, and even then didn't immediately become the standard.)
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Dr. Lava (a writer for Did You Know Gaming, among other things) is setting up a website dedicated to scanning and transcribing interviews from old game magazines
He currently plans to get the site up in a few months' time (and to focus on interviews from between 1995 and around 2012, since going past that opens up copyright concerns).
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SpriteCell's Shigeru Miyamoto archive (interviews, writings, & more)
spritecell.com The Shigeru Miyamoto Archive, SpriteCellThe Shigeru Miyamoto Archive is an archive of interviews, appearances, writings, and other recordings of Shigeru Miyamoto, all summarized.
This has been around for a few months now, but I think it warrants posting here. This is a hefty collection of statements by Shigeru Miyamoto, building on a number of other resources and amassing them all in one place.
- thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com Arcade Authorship – High Score Table Credits
What hides in the high scores? The people who made the games!
A listing and exploration of game designer credits in high score tables.
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McDonald’s Just Dropped A Brand New Game Boy Game In 2023
retrododo.com McDonald's Just Dropped A Brand New Game Boy Game In 2023McDonald's has just released a brand new Game Boy Color game that plays on actual hardware in 2023. Yes, you read that correctly.
McDonald’s has just released a brand new Game Boy Color game that plays on actual hardware in 2023. Yes, you read that correctly.
The game is playable Here: https://grimacesbirthday.com
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How do you catalog your media collections?
Over last few days been reconsidering going back to cataloging all media I've got (from Games to Books/Magazines, etc) and remembered was using Dark Crow for this purpose. >> Maybe bit outdated, but still useful for cataloging all kinds of physical and digital media.
What other programs or cloud services do you use for cataloging media? Just curious.
- www.gamesradar.com The System Shock remake is a surprisingly massive win for video game preservation
Opinion | The System Shock remake offers a tentative, if elaborate, solution to the video games preservation problem
The two lines that best capture the tone of our System Shock remake review are identical.\\
Pros: "Fastidiously accurate recreation of the original game" Cons: "Fastidiously accurate recreation of the original game"