AfterDawn: News

DS 'piracy tool' blocked from sale in Japan

Last July, Nintendo and 54 other companies launched an extensive lawsuit against the makers and distributors of the R4 Revolution device that allows for playback of ROMS on the Nintendo DS.

The popular R4 device is a flash cart and MicroSD adapter that allows user to install the custom Moonshell software on their DS and then load ROMS onto the MicroSD card and play them back on the handheld. The R4 bypasses all Nintendo firmwares and loads the Moonshell allowing the game playback as well as music, movies and even classic system emulators.



Although the R4 can run all sorts of homebrew, most use it exclusively to play pirated games, and Nintendo had noticed.

Today the Tokyo District Court has granted an injunction banning sales of the device is Japan.

Most outlets, including online retailers, have already stopped selling the R4, citing pressure from the lawsuit, but the ruling now makes sales of the device illegal in the region.

The 55 companies added that they will now try to halt sales of similar devices, such as the M3.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 Feb 2009 21:54

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• 10 comments

• spiesfan

  boo not unexpected but still bad news

  27.2.2009 22:21 #1

• pcrazy99

  Most of these devices are pretty similar just with different names. A company will change the packaging and continue to sell. Nintendo and the government will spend more money combating this. It's just like the war on drugs. If there is a demand for a product someone will sell it and there is nothing any government can do about it.

  28.2.2009 00:14 #2

• DTN107

  GOOD RIDDANCE!
  
  The DS forum has been nothing but "whats wrong with my R4"... or "Why can't my R4 do this?".
  
  The R4 and its clones are old tech that can't do half the things a cheap $9 DS cart (such as the dstt) can do.

  28.2.2009 01:22 #3

• RndmJestr

  Originally posted by pcrazy99: Most of these devices are pretty similar just with different names. A company will change the packaging and continue to sell. Nintendo and the government will spend more money combating this. It's just like the war on drugs. If there is a demand for a product someone will sell it and there is nothing any government can do about it.I believe its entirely different then the war on drugs; the distribution methods, etc are an entirely different model. That is also comparing a simple single purchase to an addiction, something that requires a constant traffic. I think Nintendo is more worried about the saturation of these products having hit the point they have, thus damaging their game sales?
  
  I'm not sure how the deal works out with Nintendo and the companies that produce games for their systems, but I'm pretty sure unless Nintendo just makes them pay a flat rate (like my understanding of what they did for SNES games) for each game they produce, they are actually getting money from each individual sale like most companies.
  
  I believe the only reason we are seeing this now, compared to systems -like- the SNES, was because Nintendo got X amount of cash when the game was made, then the company made profit off the game sales, vs now they make money based off of each game sold.
  
  As I said I feel saturation is the problem, not the product itself.

  28.2.2009 01:30 #4

• ZippyDSM

  Quote:Originally posted by pcrazy99: Most of these devices are pretty similar just with different names. A company will change the packaging and continue to sell. Nintendo and the government will spend more money combating this. It's just like the war on drugs. If there is a demand for a product someone will sell it and there is nothing any government can do about it.I believe its entirely different then the war on drugs; the distribution methods, etc are an entirely different model. That is also comparing a simple single purchase to an addiction, something that requires a constant traffic. I think Nintendo is more worried about the saturation of these products having hit the point they have, thus damaging their game sales?
  
  I'm not sure how the deal works out with Nintendo and the companies that produce games for their systems, but I'm pretty sure unless Nintendo just makes them pay a flat rate (like my understanding of what they did for SNES games) for each game they produce, they are actually getting money from each individual sale like most companies.
  
  I believe the only reason we are seeing this now, compared to systems -like- the SNES, was because Nintendo got X amount of cash when the game was made, then the company made profit off the game sales, vs now they make money based off of each game sold.
  
  As I said I feel saturation is the problem, not the product itself.I disagree the problem with drugs is the side effects that some people can not handle thus are lost to the nroms of society thus why its banded because people are unwilling to deal with adults maturely.
  
  Its the same with Mod devices they are not the problem as they can be used without violating software copy right but the trouble is its seen as of "infringement" frowned upon and the only response is ban it because those with power and influence can not see maturely.
  
  By banning it you drive it underground and make far worse than it could ever be.

  28.2.2009 23:21 #5

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by DTN107: GOOD RIDDANCE!
  
  The DS forum has been nothing but "whats wrong with my R4"... or "Why can't my R4 do this?".
  
  The R4 and its clones are old tech that can't do half the things a cheap $9 DS cart (such as the dstt) can do.Well thats the price of buying a cheap mod, it happens get over it.
  I hope the R4 pro is made a bit better...

  28.2.2009 23:22 #6

• DTN107

  You seem to have mis-read what I wrote. A DSTT cart cost half the price of any R4 and can do twice as much than any of the R4.
  
  If anything the R4 is not a cheap mod but a rip-off mod.
  
  Quote:Originally posted by DTN107: GOOD RIDDANCE!
  
  The DS forum has been nothing but "whats wrong with my R4"... or "Why can't my R4 do this?".
  
  The R4 and its clones are old tech that can't do half the things a cheap $9 DS cart (such as the dstt) can do.Well thats the price of buying a cheap mod, it happens get over it.
  I hope the R4 pro is made a bit better...

  1.3.2009 02:53 #7

• ZippyDSM

  Quote:You seem to have mis-read what I wrote. A DSTT cart cost half the price of any R4 and can do twice as much than any of the R4.
  
  If anything the R4 is not a cheap mod but a rip-off mod.
  
  Quote:Originally posted by DTN107: GOOD RIDDANCE!
  
  The DS forum has been nothing but "whats wrong with my R4"... or "Why can't my R4 do this?".
  
  The R4 and its clones are old tech that can't do half the things a cheap $9 DS cart (such as the dstt) can do.Well thats the price of buying a cheap mod, it happens get over it.
  I hope the R4 pro is made a bit better...*rubs eyes*
  
  Its all zippy speak to me. =0-o=

  1.3.2009 03:02 #8

• inagasake

  R4 doesn't have anymore firmware updates no? So halting distribution of R4 isn't that big of a problem for current R4 users. However, as an M3 user I'm pretty screwed if Nintendo, Capcom, Square Enix, etc. goes after M3. The M3 team puts out the Sakura and G6 firmware updates no? I paid really good money for the M3 DS Perfect set (incl. GBA, RAM expansion and Rumble support) to buy it locally instead of importing from Hong Kong, where I was afraid of risking having my stuff confiscated and/or being criminally charged due to some bogus law that bypassing copy protection (which is what a flash cart does) is illegal. Perhaps I was being paranoid at the time but it looks like they are going to start doing just that with them now. It's absolutely ludicrous that these publishers think they have a right to demand that the customer not have the right to make backup copies of a game they own. And on top of that to shut out some awesome homebrew altogether just because Nintendo doesn't get any precious licensing fees from it.
  
  Flash carts are even more of a necessity now when many DS games go out of publication very quickly. A USED Phoenix Wright game costs a lot more now than it did when it first came out fresh in retail. The demand for that series is still pretty high (not a super popular IP but has a significant following among westerners who like Japanese-styled games) but yet Capcom cut the shelf life of that series quite short. Even Apollo Justice has been out of print for some time and that was out a year ago. A perfect example of how the Old Media barons are behind the times and out of touch with their customer base. With digital distribution (DRM-free though, which would never happen under the watch of Nintendo, Sony or M$), there would be no need to stop selling games.

  1.3.2009 11:39 #9

• akoli

  I dont see them banning the r4 being that big a deal since they no longer support and the majority of those available are copies.
  
  if they are happy enough to sell clones on their site then Im sure they will continure even after the ban ... any car boot sale I go to have the clones in force so highly unlikely this will have much of an impact.
  
  If they got after the new acekard which supports DSI then this may cause a bit of trouble but again ... they will always find a way !!

  5.3.2009 17:54 #10