A new update of MPlayer CE has been released by Scip, Rodries, and the rest of the dev team. If you remember, MPlayer CE is a port of MPlayer by Team Twiizers which combines the features of MPlayerWii and GeeXboX. The new update of the Wiibrew media player has a ton of changes and improvements.

Download: MPlayer CE v0.5

If you've been having trouble with Wii-linux installations, then you might want to try this one out. It's similar to grub or lilo, but the final goal would be to be able to boot Wii-linux from any compatible device, and to boot different Linux kernel versions. More features and info in the full article.


Download: Boot it!

Though Team Twiizers said they won't be releasing a new version in a while, v1.0.1 of the Homebrew Channel has been released on account of several bugs that were reported on version 1.0. Here ya go!

Thanks to Robman62 and PSPMAN90 for the heads up!

Download: The Homebrew Channel v1.0.1

The Neuros OSD is the successor to the popular Neuros MPEG4 Recorder 2 we reviewed a while ago. With a  higher recording resolution, Ethernet support and a USB host, the Neuros OSD allows you to digitize you favorite video content (DVD, VHS tapes, TV shows, …) in the MP4 format for playback on your TV or your portable devices.

What do you have to do to win? Just comment on this post, yeah that is it, no work required on your part. Hit the jump for more details!

With video game consoles becoming more and more commonly found in households the world over, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now drafting plans to include game consoles in its Energy Star program. A quick look through the Energy Star 5.0 draft has revealed a few of the requirements needed for consoles to pass the Energy Star specs. Hit the jump for details.

Wiibrew developer farter has released a major update to GeeXboX, a media player for the Wii that supports all audio and video formats that MPlayer does (even rmvb!). This new version has several new features, including on-the-fly changing of aspect ratios, and extended subtitle support. More after the link!

Download: GeeXboX v0.1alpha3

Homebrew dev Reppa has released a new update to Homebrew Manager, a program you may find extremely useful if your Wiibrew library is getting a bit too much for you to handle. Major update in this build as the program now has FTP support, thanks to FTPii. More details in the full article.

Download: Homebrew Manager v1.3 Beta

Now at version 0.0.11, FTPii's stability has been improved to an extent, especially when it comes to initializing the server while USB devices are attached and also initialized. Homebrew developer joedj also threw in a sweet little addition to security as well. Details at the full story.

Download: FTPii v0.0.11

It's been a while since we heard from GeeXboX, but it seems the wait was well worth it. In case you missed the previous release, GeeXboX is a media center prototype for the Wii. This build is based on the recently released Whiite-Linux system, which adds a significant number of features to the program, including networking and USB support. Details in the full article.

Download: GeeXboX v0.1alpha0

It's common knowledge that the Christmas holidays are very important for boosting market sales. This also applies to the gaming industry, as Paul Hochman of Today notes. He writes that the big three console makers will be having some problems this holiday season, facing their "biggest shakeup in years," due to some deficiencies on each console maker's part.

For the Xbox 360, Hochman cites its persistent problem of product malfunctions - the now-infamous Red Ring of Death - something that Microsoft is scrambling to fix with an allocated US$ 1 billion budget and an extended 3-year-warranty. Microsoft also advised customers to wait at least one week while their console is being repaired.

In Nintendo Wii's case, all seems peachy for the console. However, there's one spot that Nintendo hasn't managed to fully fix, and that's undersupply.

With an almost chronic case of undersupply, the quest for a Nintendo Wii usually involves the following inconveniences: queuing up in long lines in Best Buy once a fresh stock becomes available, getting overpriced Wiis on eBay, and limiting the allowance of sales to one console per buying group. This problem has prompted an apology from Nintendo's CEO Satoru Iwata, who promised to use Nintendo's Mario video game factory for Wii production.

Finally, Hochman cited the PS3's current underperformance, saying that Sony's PS3 trailed behind and sold only about 90,000 units in June, compared to Xbox 360's 198,000 and the Wii's strong 435,000. He also mentioned that Sony loses about US$ 300 every time a PS3 console is sold, with the total estimated loss of US$ 2 billion for the fiscal year that ended in March.

For those wondering why Sony is willing to take such losses, there is a reason behind that: According to Hochman, when Sony's Blu-ray wins the format wars and becomes the sought-after format for home viewing - partly with the help of the PS3 - then the PS3 losses will be more than worth it.

Check out Hochman's take on each of the console's good points in the Full Article!