Thing is, the last OFFICIAL CycloDS firmware was from September of 2009.....and March 2009 before that. I consider that quite a long time to go between firmwares in the flashcart market. Their beta releases are the only thing that really keeps the CycloDS going. How many games still wouldn't work if EVERYONE had to wait for an official release as they release beta-after-beta to only a select few who are lucky enough to be able to sign up on their forums and look there all the time? And TC is saying they are going to release yet another beta within the next week or so, so there's even MORE waiting for an official release. If you ask me, I think they should have made 1.56b4 an official release, right before they started all the "stealth mode" stuff and 1.57 should have focused on stealth mode with a couple betas and THIS release should have been 1.57 Final, but you know, they will do what they want, how they want, when they want. What I think means squat.
Now, I don't bother announcing beta releases, other than maybe mentioning it in the shoutbox offhand, but I think it's sort of unrealistic for TC to expect people to wait many months beyond other flashcart manufacturers for fixes, especially when their sign-up process is so prohibitive on their forums. I keep thinking that if places like GBAtemp and other sites didn't mention their betas, CycloDS would have fallen by the wayside long ago because people would never have known that the games they wanted to play were made to work in an unannounced beta release. I agree and comply with TC that beta releases shouldn't be announced, especially as frontpage news, simply because some betas are quite poor (like 1.56b5 was) and should never be used by the general public, but a simple post buried in the forums I consider fine, as well as a mirror download link for all those who can't register at TC's forums without jumping through hoops to have what TC considers an acceptable email address. My thoughts would be quite different if signing up at their forums wasn't such a hassle for so many people who paid a premium price for the CycloDS.
I am NOT speaking for any of GBAtemp's staff, this is just my personal opinion on the matter. And you know what they say about opinions.....