Get A Grip With PS4 Thumb Sticks

The standard Dreamcast controller comes in for a lot of flack whenever people struggle to find something more worthwhile to moan about. In days gone by, the youth of the day would complain about torrid working conditions down the local coal mine; or losing an arm running between looms in the textile mill where three generations of the same family lived, worked and died. These days though, it's all about the lack of dual analog sticks, where the wire protrudes, or - woe betide - that the sides of the controller are too sharp and cut into ones hands with extended use.

However, it has been brought to my attention that another complaint about the humble Dreamcast controller can henceforth be struck from the record books like the aforementioned orphan's rights to a scrap of stale bread after a 30 hour shift on the coal face: slippery analog sticks. Thanks to a gentleman by the name of James, you too can now bask in the knowledge that your convex, weathered analog stick can be replaced with the grippy, concave nubbin designed to be used in the PlayStation 4's Dual Shock 4 controller:

Fanboy Alert!

Clickbait titles are awesome aren't they? And you my friend, have fallen for that one up there. That said, this is quite interesting/dumfounding so stick around. I was looking at Etsy t'other day and I came across a Dreamcast-related peripheral that literally nobody asked for: an extra mains-powered fan that connects to the rear of the console and acts as a type of beefed up heat extractor:

I'd never seen this before, and I didn't think the Dreamcast generated enough heat to warrant an extra turbine being added to keep it running at a safe temperature...but apparently this thing exists.

A Quick Look At Propeller Arena

Alongside Half-Life, Propeller Arena is perhaps the most infamous of the Dreamcast's cancelled titles. Although both games were eventually leaked online and are freely available to download and play, the fact that these two titles never saw official releases is a bitter pill to swallow for many Dreamcast fans. And this is simply because they were both pretty much finished when they were slung into the bin with all the grace of a soiled wad of toilet paper being unceremoniously dropped into the gaping, pungent maw of a porcelain throne.

Propeller Arena has once again entered the spotlight though, as yet another Dreamcast-related online petition has surfaced - this time calling for Sega to resurrect AM2's aerial shooter and give it the opportunity it arguably deserved. At the time of writing, said petition has a paltry 37 signatures and I really do doubt that the creator of the project appreciates the Herculean effort it would take to get a game such as Propeller Arena updated for modern systems and contemporary online infrastructure. As nice an idea as it is, I think we should just appreciate what we do have - a game that was almost finished, was subsequently leaked...and turned out to be one of the greatest games the Dreamcast never officially got.

SLaVE: Another Update

It seems like only yesterday we reported on the pre-orderer's update on the status of Jay Townsend's SLaVE, the eagerly awaited Dreamcast first person shooter-cum-puzzler from Goat Store. Over the last weekend another update email was sent out to those who have already ordered their copy of this awesome-looking trip into retro-futuristic neon hell, and it details some new features that are being implemented, such as compatibility with rumble packs:

"Hey Dreamcast fans!

Jay Townsend's SLaVE is still moving! The team has been very hard at work eliminating bugs that have been found in the program and tweaking the code to get the best performance. The additional time for testing has also allowed the team to add some things to the code, such as rumble support to make the game even more polished.

At this point though, we sadly still do not have a final date for distribution of the game as we don't yet know when we will be comfortable that the bug test is done. However we intend to start putting final components of the game into production - such as the LLE coin - in the upcoming month!

Thanks so much for hanging with us and being a supporter of independent game development."

- Dan Loosen, Goat Store

This is great news and goes some way toward reassuring us that the game is still coming, however we can't help but be a little disappointed that there is still no release date for SLaVE even after all this time. Here's hoping that the final product is every bit as impressive as the game looks in video form.

Once again, SLaVE can still be pre-ordered from Goat Store here for just $20 + shipping.

Dreamcast Magazine Issue 13

Dreamcast Magazine issue 13 hit the shelves on 7th September 2000 and boasted an exclusive preview of the game every Dreamcast owner was waiting for: Half-Life. Featuring an interview with Gearbox Software president Randy Pitchford (reporduced below) and world-exclusive screens taken from the game, the 7-page spread was reason enough to buy this issue, even without all of the other great content. That said, the first murmurings that developers were starting to desert the Dreamcast were reported in the news section, with information regarding the cancellation of Colin McRae Rally 2.0, Baldurs Gate, Messiah, Independence War 2, El Dorado and UEFA 2001 souring things slightly.

That said, information regarding Sega of Japan's plans for the Net@ entertainment/internet cafes is reported in the international news section, and the previews section is pretty full with news of upcoming titles Tony Hawk 2, Toy Story 2, Looney Tunes Space Race and Vanishing Point. Other news items include part 4 of the Black & White development diary, and a look at the (never released) Picassio comic book series.

Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles Re-Released

Yuan Works' Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles is one of the most highly regarded independent games on every platform it has graced, and the Dreamcast is no different. It's a charming little strategic puzzler in which blocks featuring different elements (earth, wood, fire, metal etc) must be arranged in such a fashion as to remove them from the board. There's much more to it than that though, and it features some outrageously good production values for an indie game. We have covered Puzzle Battles extensively here at the Junkyard in the past and several of our team members are actually in the game and can be accessed by way of a special code - who wouldn't want to play as Aaron, complete with sombrero; or Caleb pointing an accusatory finger?!

Caleb and Aaron - bottom row, green shirt and sombrero respectively

While Wind and Water has been available as a free download for Windows since 2011, the Dreamcast version of the game has been out of stock across the internet for some time (unless you want to pay through the nose on eBay). Recently though, it has been the subject of a much-needed reprint and can be purchased - right now - for the meagre sum of €9.99 plus postage from DragonBox. Due to the recent Brexit, that probably means that UK buyers will end up paying around £75 for it, but it's worth it. Probably. This re-issue comes with the same printed inlays and manual and for the price it's a steal.

Head over to DragonBox now to order your copy of Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles.

Source: Yuan Works Dev Blog

Famicam64 iOS App Adds VMU Filters & Frames

Famicam64 is a retro-inspired camera app for iOS devices that allows you to add all manner of cool retro gaming and computer effects to your photos. Want to give snaps of your dog an 8-bit makeover and add a pseudo NES box art frame? Famicam64 is the perfect app for you! I published a full review of Famicam64 over at RetroCollect recently and consider it to be one of the best camera apps available for the iPhone, but it just got a whole lot better with the release of update 1.3.

Why? Well, now you can turn your phone into a Dreamcast VMU! I have to admit to having a bit of a hand in the creation of this filter after suggesting it on Twitter, and I must give credit to Famicam64's creator PXL:Artificer for going to the trouble of taking me seriously and actually implementing the VMU frame and filter...