Multiple sources are posting that many gaming related media outlets as well as game developers have been invited to Apple's January 27th media event.  The overwhelming majority of news sites and analysts expect Apple to be introducing their tablet device and recent reports from Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, and CNN have brought up the possibility of iPhone OS, iLife, and iWork updates.

byuu on the forums pointed out an update to the popular Super Nintendo emulator Snes9X.  This open source emulator sports incredible compatibility and has been the most popular Super Nintendo emulator for Windows and Mac for years.  This update includes a large amount of bug fixes, an updated sound core, and some Leopard and Snow Leopard specific changes.

While Snes9x sports a must faster emulation core, if you are looking for cycle-exact emulation try out Richard Bannister's BSNES.

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Richard Bannister has updated Genesis Plus to v1.3.1.  The sole new feature in this version is support for Game Genie cheat codes.  Genesis Plus is a very accurate emulator for Sega Genesis games.  If you are using an older machine or you are having speed issues with Genesis Plus it is recommended you use Generator.

Richard Bannister is a popular Mac emulator porter and author, currently maintaining a library of over twenty-five emulators.  If you are looking for emulators for the Spectrum ZX to the Virtual Boy, Bannister's site is the place to check first.

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In 1983 the world of console gaming changed with the introduction of the Family Computer from Nintendo.  The Famicom (Family Computer) didn't find its way to North America, Europe, and Australia until 1985 as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES); and singlehandedly ended the video game dark ages.  Today the Nintendo Entertainment System still ranks in the top ten of best-selling video game systems, and is by far the most emulated video game system.

Nintendo standardized the practice of producing the hardware and a small collection of software for their system, while licensing third-party developers to also produce games.  This gave the NES a huge software collection, launching the franchises of Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Mega Man, Castlevania, Final Fantasy, and Dragon Quest.  Individual classics include Duck Hunt, Golf, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Baseball, Tetris, and Excitebike.

Looks like everyone's Christmas gift this year is emulator news on the iPhone.  Hot on the heels of Nescaline's release on the App Store (and prompt removal) comes the first N64 emulator for the iPhone.  Unfortunately it's only for jailbroken phones, but it has been released by the master of emulators on the iPhone; ZodTTD.

Ignoring the catchy Michael Jackson tunes there are a number of things to note from the video.  The control scheme shows the ability to use the Wiimote as a controller using the iPhone's bluetooth connection (Update: I can confirm this works; supremely cool).  Speed is definitely the biggest shortcoming, as well as a need for alphas in texturing.

Criticisms aside this is a truly impressive work of emulation craftsmanship.  Currently the app is available through Cydia for $2.49.

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Update: Nescaline has been pulled from the App Store.  No official word from the developer about the situation, although this was expected.

Emulation is not allowed through Apple's App Store; but today a Nintendo Entertainment System emulator called Nescaline [App Store] has appeared on the App Store.  Released by Jonathan Zdziarski, Nescaline comes with a handful of free games but actually allows you to load up your own NES ROMs (directly violating Apple's strict 'no foreign code' policy).  The download costs $6.99, but more importantly it might be available only temporarily (Apple has been known to remove downloads after further review).

The controls use the multi-touch surface of the iPhone, which makes quick-move games difficult (Battletoads, Mario, and Tetris are a bit more difficult).  Surprisingly, the Legend of Zelda has proven to be quite enjoyable after about five minutes adjusting to the new controls.

Rotating the device will also rotate the allowing for a slightly larger view in portrait mode.  Sound appears to have some problems, and various graphical glitches appear occasionally.  Overall, if you're looking for the first available true emulator on the iPhone (including the ability to load ROMs) this is it.  Discuss this in the forum.

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