Looking for some friends to play with in some intense ad-hoc action? The latest build of XLink Kai global gaming network offers that and more. A new beta version of the app was recently released, bumping itself up to 7.4.18 beta. Find out more about the release in our full article.

Download: XLink Kai 7.4.18 beta OS X Universal
Download: XLink Kai 7.4.18 beta Linux x86
Download: XLink Kai 7.4.18 beta Win32

If you're an avid user of the XLink Kai service, take heed. The team behind XLink Kai has just released version 7.4.15 which, apart from the usual bugfixes found in any update, ups the app's usability for Japanese users. Hit the full article for more info.

Download: kaiEngine-7.4.15-osx-universal.pkg.zip
Download: kaiEngine-7.4.15-linux-x86.tgz
Download: XLinkKai-7.4.15-win32.msi

Great news to those who are currently utilizing the free service from XLink Kai. An update to Evolution VII has been released. You guys are now free to get the the latest version which is 7.3.1.6. This soft update contains some nifty changes. Find out what they are after the jump.

There are a lot of gaming communities out there, but give us one that has their own software as well.

Xlink Kai, a global gaming community which has developed applications for the Microsoft Xbox that enables online gaming for games that support "system link" gameplay. They have also developed variants for the the PS2, the PSP, and the GameCube. It enable users to play online games  for free and more excitingly, connects console users around the world. Come on, you should know this by now.

What we want to tell you really is that Xlink Kai is expanding. This time around, Team Xlink has set their sights on Asia. The move was apparently brought about by the steady influx of Asian PSP users over the past 6 months.

As a response, HappyHardcore.com radio in Japan has generously committed hardware and ultra-fast bandwidth for their premier Asian Orbital. In addition, Team Xlink is now looking for bilingual (English and Chinese) volunteers to help translate Team XLink documentation and UI text for both Kai and XLink::ONE.

Team Blackbolt has just released the new beta version of its much revered MC360 skin for Xbox Media Center.The MC360 Beta 0.98626 features over 100 fixes. As such, the team has packaged a change log and brand new readme file. It's bound to be a great read. It's easy to lose your way with such a long list of features, but here are the main things to look out for: the Extras are back on the guide blade; Xlink Kai has been moved back to the Orange home blade which gains the new title of 'XBMC Live'. That last bit of info is in preparation for the XBMC Live Marketplace (WIP title), which promises loads of features that will cater to Xbox users who are always online.

In addition to the feature-laden beta release, the site now has the Tutorials and FAQs section. New content will be added to it, starting with a Template zip that contains the entire England XPR Theme unpacked. You can create your own custom themes based on the sizing ideas included in the package. A readme.txt explains how to do background images correctly.

Before you download, better read this message from the team: You must use the latest T3CH release (9th July 2006) or newer CVS builds. Do not overwrite your old MC360 folder. Change to Project Mayhem 3 Skin in XBMC then FTP in and deleted the MC360 folder completely, then upload the newer one and restart just to be sure.

Download: [MC360 Beta v0.98626]

Xlink Kai is "tunneling software" that allows you to connect with other console users around the world, and play online games for free. This means that you can play Ad-Hoc games over the internet with others!

How does it work? Xlink tricks your console into thinking that the other users it is connecting to over the Internet, are actually part of a Local Area Network (Ad-Hoc), and therefore allowing you to connect with and play against people from all over the world.

Xlink Kai has been around for a while now, so why am I writing about this? Well, up until now this could only be done with a few select wireless router models with custom firmware. The drivers used in the Datel's WiFi Max accessory previously weren't compatible with Xlink Kail; but a driver update has changed this. The latest 4.13 drivers from ZyDAS, the maker of the chipset used in the WiFi Max, has a special "PSP Xlink Mode" built in, and you've guessed it, WiFi Max users can now use Xlink Kai.

This not only means that the WiFi Max router is compatible with Xlink Kai, but other routers which use ZyDAS are also compatible with Kai. If you have a router with drivers made by ZyDAS (ZD1211), download the latest drivers now! You can read about how to configure the new drivers here, and how to set up Xlink Kai here.
Thanks for the tip Haaru!

Download: [ZyDAS ZD1211 v4.13 drivers for Windows]
Download: [ZyDAS ZD1211 v4.13 drivers for Mac]
Download: [ZyDAS ZD1211 v4.13 drivers for Linux Kernel 2.4/2.6]