I see that Wave 4 games are emerging, my question is will backups of these games work on iXtreme 1.6 firmware, or do you need a new firmware? - If no, is a new firmware out that will let you play backups of these games?

Thanks

No, you cannot play Wave 4 games on iX 1.6 without using a one shot boot disc. Nor is there a firmware (yet) which supports Wave 4 games.

Yup, the boot loader is the only way to play wave 4 games as of right now. It's not really a big hassle though, takes an extra 20 seconds and your good to go. As long as it's patched correctly and verified on abgx your safe to play.

I tried out the 'One Shot Bootdisk' , and it works like a charm, so thanks for letting me know about this!