ColEm will be the next emulator to be brought up to the latest version of the PSP library. It will also include the ‘time rewind’ feature found in several other emulators.
I have not completely given up on Castaway PSP (I’m still poking it from time to time), but I am rather running out of options and patience.
For those of you wondering if/when the ‘rewind’ feature will make it to other emulators, especially computer emulators such as fMSX and Fuse, the issue is as follows.
This release fixes the “Button mode” (US/JP) bug in 3.5.40 reported by several users. The bug caused the emulator to start in US button mode, even when Japan mode was selected.
If you always use US mode, you do not need to download this version.
I’m currently working on fixing the back-end of Spark. Once this is done, messages can be sent in the background, and ‘compare games’ can be re-enabled.
Today I spent some time getting to know the PlayStation Network website. Intimately. And I was pleasantly surprised – going from zero to fetching the achiev.. pardon, trophy list took a little over two hours. And I remembered why I love dealing with plain web scripting languages that do not wrap cumbersome, complicated functionality inside a deceptive layer of HTML and POSTdata (I’m looking at you, ASP.net).
The gist of this story is that PSN support is no longer a question of if, but when. I don’t know how many people are actually looking forward to PSN support (I’m much more fond of my 360 for games – my PS3 is largely used for BluRay discs, and the occasional PS3-exclusive title), but if you are, I’d like to hear about it. (I still love my PSP, though for reasons that do not include modern games.)
It’s been almost two years since fMSX PSP last saw an update, so today seems as good a day as any to release an updated version. New in this release:
This release also significantly improves the save state format by adding versioning, and automatically switching the emulated machine to the system specs appropriate for the save state (no more cryptic state loading errors). To clarify, say you save a game in MSX1 mode, then switch to MSX2. In earlier versions of the emulator, unless you switched back to MSX1 prior to loading state, state would refuse to load. If you changed other features, such as memory sizes and video mode (NTSC/PAL), you would have to remember the specific setup for the game, or the game would not load. In 3.5.40, save state format includes all the necessary system data, and will automatically switch to the appropriate setup. This is the normal behavior in most other computer emulators, such as Fuse and VICE.
That said, please note that only new states will benefit from this – while fMSX PSP is backwards compatible, previously saved states will only load if you restore system setup prior to loading, as before. Of course, if you never switch from the usual setup (MSX2, 128kB, NTSC), this whole discussion is probably moot 
The very much real Spark is now out. You can find it at its official website, as well as on Android Market (link is Android browser-specific). Here’s the complete feature list:
The application is free.
Just a short note to let you know that Spark is nearing release. A few of the features I mentioned will not make it to the initial release, as they require more fine-tuning, but they will be eventually included in subsequent releases.
I’m still receiving questions about why I ask for login information in gsDroid, and while I discussed the reason at length in the gsDroid FAQ, I should probably reiterate that this is because both gsDroid and Spark get their information from the Xbox Live site, which is password-protected.
As to why certain other applications only require a gamertag, the answer is that they have access to a non-public API that I do not. That doesn’t make my applications illegal per se, though it probably does place them in a grey area (much like some of my other projects).
As it so often happens, the issue in this case is ultimately the matter of trust between the developer and the users, and while I don’t expect anyone to take my word for it, as with any such program, if you have reservations about giving your login information to an unknown application, you should refrain from doing so.
gsDroid 1.05 has been released. This update fixes @msn.com logins, which up to now have not been working. Special thanks to those that helped me troubleshoot the issue (emails to the dev are always more productive than negative reviews on Android Marketplace! )
In PSP news, work on fMSX PSP continues; I am in the process of updating the save state format.
I never really posted the full list of features in Spark, so I thought it proper to do so now. Features that will definitely be in the application:
Some progress to report: on the PSP front, I have updated fMSX PSP to use the new psplib; remaining are the new virtual keyboard layout, and the changes I detailed earlier – especially better compatibility for saved states.
Work is continuing on Spark as before; a lot of new features have already been added; an update detailing them may follow soon. Regarding login error being reported for gsDroid – everything suggests that this is limited to msn.com accounts, and I should be able to look into it soon, so stay tuned.
Some new developments on the Spark (gsDroid replacement) front – see screenshots below. Specifically, the look of the app has changed to a lighter theme, and a message viewer has been added.
I’m getting a small, but considerable number of reports of logins failing for certain users.This issue is difficult to debug, as it involves people’s usernames/passwords, and I’m not quite sure how to deal with it delicately. If you’re currently experiencing an error with gsDroid and want to help troubleshoot, I’m planning on putting together a testing application to investigate the problem. You will need to run the program and provide credentials. It will write some files to the SD card, which you can then review and forward to me via email.
Because Spark will use the same authentication method as gsDroid, if gsDroid is not fixed, Spark will have the same problems. If you can help with testing, please send me an email, or post a comment here (include your email address if you do).
UPDATE: This has been fixed.
I'm also a pretty big fan of classic computing, chiptunes and video games (which are the reason I got into computer programming to begin with).
This blog is mainly dedicated to news and discussions about one of my present interests - porting emulators to the PlayStation Portable.
