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| Sony's
new encryption defeated |
An update concerning the new Playstation CD protection scheme that is encoded in Poporogue
and IQ Final. NCS has now confirmed four methods to boot these two games
on any Playstation model, including the SCPH-7501 and the SCPH-7503. Any future releases
that utilize the exact same encryption found in Poporogue and IQ Final will work with the
following ways and means:
| Standard
chip modification using REI code |
| Old
16c54 and new 12c508 chips work properly |
| Japanese
territory rom swap |
| Exotic
surface mount procedure from NCS |
| Game
Shark or Pro-Action Replay code |
| Poporogue |
IQ
Final |
| D008EF4E-1040 |
D00824CA-1040 |
| 8008EF4E-1000 |
800824CA-1000 |
| Standard
chip with Magic Key combo |
| Direct
load of old & new protection schemes, no swap |
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| Two
new Playstation imports in stock |
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| New
Gameboy Color Imports |
Five new Color Gameboy titles from various publishers have been announced for March and
April. Retail is expected to price at US$43 per cartridge. Pre-orders are
welcome.
| Rox |
Altron |
03/05 |
| Puzzle
game in the style of Tetris with dice |
| Card Captor Sakura |
MTO |
03/19 |
| Anime
schoolgirl adventure and mini-games |
| Burger Burger
Pocket |
Gaps |
03/26 |
| Become
the proprietor of a hamburger joint |
| Pocket Densha 2 |
Coconuts |
03/26 |
| Train
conductor simulation with side view option |
| Puchi Carat |
Taito |
04/23 |
| Arcade
puzzle game with jewel color matching |
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| DC
Sega Rally 2 |
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Originally expected on Tuesday or Wednesday, SR2 is now confirmed to arrive on Thursday.
The Dreamcast racing wheel is also expected to arrive along with the game. Please update
your information to reflect this minor change. Thanks. |
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| Yen
Equilibrium |
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A former adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi has suggested a range of 110-130
yen to the dollar. Toyoo Gyohten also called for international agreements in moderating
the yen rate against other currencies. In essence, forex manipulation and coordination to
maintain stability. |
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| Plastic batteries |
| Companies are on track in producing the first commercially viable plastic
lithium ion battery. Such a battery could very well revolutionize the design flexibility
(and weight) of cellular phones, notebook computers and the multitude of other battery
powered appliances and devices. Plastic batteries may be molded into any number of shapes
and sizes which may than be adapted for small production runs and customized special
orders. |
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| Sega Bond Issue for
Speculators |
| Last
week, Sega Enterprises Ltd announced a large bond sale worth 80 billion yen (~600 million
dollars) in Japan and Europe. Moody's, an American investment rating service, grades
Sega's long-term debt as Ba1 which is essentially junk status and speculative. The
convertible nature of the bonds and Sega's reputation as a gaming powerhouse may draw
investors in for a ride on the bond sale. No coupon rate has been decided yet. The
perception of the Sega Dreamcast figures immensely in the successful sale of the company's
bonds. The DC looks to be the company's major revenue source for at least the next three
years. Convertible bonds have the advantage of capital appreciation if the underlying
stock of the company rises. Convertibles will however lose value if the Japanese ever
decide to raise their interest rates and if the Nikkei takes even more of a beating. A
double whammy. |
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| Legitimate
MP3 |
|
Liquid Audio and a group of music publishers, retailers, etc dubbed the Genuine
Music coalition have devised an encoding scheme that displays a
digital watermark on a legitimate production of an MP3 song. The initiative comes at a
time when many websites and ftp locations across the internet allow free downloads of MP3
music at no charge. NCS likens the coalition's efforts to that of a hapless passenger
trying to halt a runaway freight train with a stop sign. NCS staunchly believes in the
protection of intellectual property rights but the coalition is not going to change the
tide of free MP3 distribution by way of digimarks. |
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| Capital
Markets |
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We're taking profits. On Friday, we stated that we would keep our call contracts for the
duration but our positions appreciated faster and more violently than we expected. Our
medium range targets have been met and we will sell off our calls, sell the puts and buy
back our naked writes for a tidy profit. We will initiate new call positions on weakness
if our downside levels are met today. Staying nimble. |
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Send e-mail to ncs@escape.com
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