The road to a new major openMSX release is as adventurous as an RPG. During the epic journey to openMSX 0.8.0, the barbarians, mages, archers, necromancers and elfs of the team gradually show new features in their so called dev versions. After a period of less activity, CheatMSX finally managed to put up a recent openMSX dev version, built for Win32 and Mac OSX.

A new feature, demonstrated at the recent Nijmegen fair, is the Reverse Timeline bar, from which you are able to jump to another scene in an instant. You don't have to download the standalone executable for LaserDisc anymore, because LaserDisc has been merged in the Win32 packages as well.

Naturally, if you discover anything spooky in this dev version, you can help the developers by joining their development IRC channel, accessible from CheatMSX.

Relevant link : CheatMSX

A new version of fMSX-PSP has been released. Being a minor update, the only new feature in this version is a fixed button for the US/JP switch, so that it will now correctly initialize at startup. But, alas, for some people such a feature is the difference between night and day, so let's cherish it.

Relevant link: fMSX PSP

After a whopping three years, a new version of msxDS was released a few days ago. This emulator for the Nintendo DS/DS lite is based on fmsxDS v.0.07, and currently emulates MSX, MSX2 and MSX2+. New in this version:

• compiled with devkitARM r27 and libnds 1.4.0
• the libfifo library has been optimised by Cooper
• new sound routine (it's more clean and faster)
• loader window is bigger and more convenient

Relevant link: msxDS

Dutch flavored US resident Vampier updated his popular YouTube collection in the past weeks, let's have a look at all that's new.

• Ashguine 3, by Micro Cabin
  
• Green Beret, by Konami (though outsourced to The United Kingdom, which shows..)
  
• Romancia, from the Dragonslayer series (this is a preview of the translation), by Falcom
  
• Psycho World, by Hertz. Vampier already made a Psycho World video before, this new one is in super high quality!
  
• Gall Force - Defence of Chaos, by Sony
  
• Goemon stage 1 demo play, by Konami. This is the version with the translation patch from Tsunami en Max applied.
  
• Eindeloos, by Radarsoft

As mentioned, all videos are of great quality: clean audio and sharp pixels. Do you have a suggestion for a game video to be provided by Vampier? Let's hear it, and who knows..!

Relevant link: Vampier's YouTube channel

A new version of fMSX-PSP has been released. New in this version:

• Improved saved state format - will automatically switch to appropriate system settings
• PSPLIB updated to latest version
• Images are now saved under PSP/PHOTOS/fMSX PSP
• Virtual keyboard updated, option for "toggle display" mode
  
• Screenshot previews in file browser

Relevant link: fMSX PSP

MRC translator dim-kut compiled and built openMSX for a Linux distribution called PuppyRus. PuppyRus is Russian branch of Puppy Linux that can run from a CD or USB drive-on-a-key, even on very old machines with 128M RAM or less. With PuppyLinux you can boot from your CD or USB drive and play MSX games using openMSX on virtually any PC you encounter on your way. This is extremely convenient for people who don't own their PC or laptop, or have sysadmin's restrictions at their workplace or on public PC machine.

Relevant link: openMSX package for Puppy Linux

When MRC webmaster hap isn't hunting for outlandishly odd references to be used in his newsposts, he spends part of his time on his little emulation toy: meisei. It's not as big an emulator as 'the big two', and it's restricted to MSX1. However, meisei's strength lies in the toy factor: changing palettes, inspecting and changing tiles, changing waveforms for the PSG. If you just want to mess around a bit with the game's artwork in an easy no-frills emulator, then meisei is just the right toy for you.

Today hap released the latest version of this little MSX1 emulator. New in this version:

• MSX mouse support
  
• Trackball support
  
• Added support for 1/2/4KB RAM
  
• CTRL+SHIFT+V now pastes the boot command (e.g. bload"cas:",r) into meisei, for the lazy people

In the package you'll find CBIOS, Universe: Unknown and Montana John and the Templar's Treasure. All this can be downloaded from "tsk tsk", hap's mighty new website!

Relevant link: hap's stuff

With Vampier's Laserdisc preview video still fresh in our memory, we can now watch his latest efforts again. He plans on making weekly openMSX video tutorials, aimed at the more complex corners of openMSX. There're three videos already to start with, two of them being part of a longer series of tutorials:

• Working with TCL scripts - Part 1
• Working with TCL OSD elements - Part 2
• And a bonus: Working with the Cheat Finder

Relevant link: Vampier's YouTube channel

If you visited the MSX fair in Nijmegen, last weekend, you may have seen LaserDisc support being demonstrated at the openMSX booth. Also, if you follow the dev-versions (developer versions between official releases) you may even have tried it yourself already. Vampier, from recent game video fame, has created a video in which he demonstrates this new feature. It gives you a good impression of things to come, most probably in openMSX 0.8.0. In addition, if you have plans to emigrate to the United States, then this video gives you an excellent insight in how a Dutch accent changes during seven years!

Relevant link: openMSX LaserDisc preview

MRC translator cax made a mod of Zx-81's Dingux port of Marat Fayzullin's fMSX. He's felt a few features were missing and added the following:

• added full-screen up-scaling
  
• added MegaROMs type auto-detection by SHA1 (so games like Aleste and Batman work now)
  
• assigned "Exit" from menu to X button
  
• first save state is loaded automatically on ROM opening
  
• path to last opened rom/dsk is remembered after exiting from emulator
  
• fixed "sound persists on state loading" bug
  
• fixed gfx garbage in menu (manifests itself in full-screen mode)
  
• fmpac.rom is not loaded after reset if "Music FM-PAC" is switched off in Settings

Update: fixed loading zipped ROMs (was broken in original mod release)

Relevant link: cax' homepage