Pirates Beat DSi Patch One Day After Release

allistairp

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Pirates Beat DSi Patch One Day After Release

DSi's latest update blocks flashcards that allowed pirated games, but card maker R4iDSN have already developed a workaround.

Barely a day after the 1.4.2. update went live, R4iDSN posted a video [http://player.youku.com/player.php/sid/XMjY1OTcyNjgw/v.swf] on its site displaying its solution to Nintendo's firmware patch. This unexpected update for DSi appears to have no immediate purpose beyond invalidating flashcards. There is speculation that the update added the ability to transfer DSi data to the upcoming 3DS eShop, but Nintendo hasn't confirmed at this time.

If Nintendo is Superman, R4 flashcards are its kryptonite. At every corner, flashcards (enabling homebrew software and pirated games) have fought against Nintendo handhelds' anti-piracy measures and, as a result, cut into Nintendo's profits while making money for flashcard manufacturers -- most of which are made in Asia and sold for cheap online. Last April, Nintendo claimed [http://kotaku.com/5520462/nintendo-blames-ds-piracy-for-50-sales-drop-in-europe?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kotaku%2Ffull+%28Kotaku%29&utm_content=Google+Reader] that their 50 percent drop in European software sales was due to piracy.

The DSi was originally thought to be moved on to the 3DS [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/90994-DSi-Features-Enhanced-Anti-Piracy-Measures]. Even Nintendo's recently released handheld faces challenges, with flashcards such as R4i Gold enabling the use of pirated DS games (but not 3Ds games).

However, it remains to be seen whether pirates will be able to go further than that. The 3DS' robust anti-piracy features [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/103938-3DS-Piracy-Targeted-by-Two-Prong-Firmware-Attack] present a challenge to flashcards and their users.

If next week's Nintendo press conference's focus on anti-piracy (among other 3DS related topics) is any indication, it seems the company isn't going to let down its guard any time soon.

Source: Tiny Cartridge [http://tinycartridge.com/post/5392758145/anti-flashcart-dsi-update-released-defeated]


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Arachon

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I just wish there was some way to run homebrew without enabling piracy at the same time.
 

AwesomeFerret

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You have to give Nintendo credit, they seem to try harder than anyone else to keep those damned pirates down. And you know what? They give me hope we can win.
 

Xanthious

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Score another one for the good guys !

Pirates - 9999999999999999999999
Gaming Industry - 0

Keep on keeping on fellas, one day you'll beat em. *snicker* No really you're almost there just need to keep sticking it to your paying customers a little more and you should have those evil pirates beaten.
 

JDKJ

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HankMan said:
Of course they did, Pirates wear patches!
http://wholesale.piratemerch.com/images/pirate_patch-leather.jpg
Yo ho ho!
*shakes head*

C'mon, man. You can put just lil' bit more effort into a job you clearly enjoy doing, can't you? Please?
 

DEAD34345

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You can't beat pirates, and trying only ever harms the legitimate consumers (not to mention the wallets of anyone who pays to have these worthless measures developed).

Arachon said:
I just wish there was some way to run homebrew without enabling piracy at the same time.
There would be if Nintendo decided to allow it, but they don't because it could be used to pirate games. Clearly only the pirates with flashcards deserve home-brew games, not mere paying customers...
 

Snotnarok

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I get these companies want to try to stop the pirates but you just CAN'T beat them. They do this for the fun of it and don't have work hours constraining them. However paid employees do...
 

JDKJ

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Xanthious said:
Score another one for the good guys !

Pirates - 9999999999999999999999
Gaming Industry - 0

Keep on keeping on fellas, one day you'll beat em. *snicker* No really you're almost there just need to keep sticking it to your paying customers a little more and you should have those evil pirates beaten.
Do you even realize that you curse the effect and ignore the cause? Or are you deliberately on the side of the pirates? Which is a strange side to be on, assuming you're a gaming enthusiast and not a pirate yourself. You think piracy somehow helps the growth of gaming and benefits gamers? If you do, please explain to me how that works.
 

ionveau

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Arachon said:
I just wish there was some way to run homebrew without enabling piracy at the same time.
Who cares? i blasting music on my custom DSI music player right now, So what if lets you pirate games my computer lets me pirate games BUT SO WHAT?

Honestly i hope your trolling.
 

mjc0961

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Nov 30, 2009
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I didn't even know they had put out a new DSi update. So that in itself was more news to me than pirates breaking an update (which happens all the time).

But hey Nintendo, enough with the DSi updates. You have a big 3DS update to bring us so the damn thing can finally do all the stuff it should have been able to do at launch.
 

Xanthious

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JDKJ said:
Do you even realize that you curse the effect and ignore the cause? Or are you deliberately on the side of the pirates? Which is a strange side to be on, assuming you're a gaming enthusiast and not a pirate yourself. You think piracy somehow helps the growth of gaming and benefits gamers? If you do, please explain to me how that works.
Helps it? No, it doesn't help it. However, I don't think it hurts it as much as these publishers like to bemoan either. No more than flushing billions of dollars on futile anti-piracy efforts that ultimately only serve to annoy paying customers hurts the industry. Honestly, I'd call it as close to a wash as makes no real difference.
 

ionveau

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Xanthious said:
JDKJ said:
Do you even realize that you curse the effect and ignore the cause? Or are you deliberately on the side of the pirates? Which is a strange side to be on, assuming you're a gaming enthusiast and not a pirate yourself. You think piracy somehow helps the growth of gaming and benefits gamers? If you do, please explain to me how that works.
Helps it? No, it doesn't help it. However, I don't think it hurts it as much as these publishers like to bemoan either. No more than flushing billions of dollars on futile anti-piracy efforts that ultimately only serve to annoy paying customers hurts the industry. Honestly, I'd call it as close to a wash as makes no real difference.
Dont bother explaining to them, they are have been brain washed by the you wouldn't download a car ads, its not his fault.
 

erztez

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ionveau said:
Xanthious said:
JDKJ said:
Do you even realize that you curse the effect and ignore the cause? Or are you deliberately on the side of the pirates? Which is a strange side to be on, assuming you're a gaming enthusiast and not a pirate yourself. You think piracy somehow helps the growth of gaming and benefits gamers? If you do, please explain to me how that works.
Helps it? No, it doesn't help it. However, I don't think it hurts it as much as these publishers like to bemoan either. No more than flushing billions of dollars on futile anti-piracy efforts that ultimately only serve to annoy paying customers hurts the industry. Honestly, I'd call it as close to a wash as makes no real difference.
Dont bother explaining to them, they are have been brain washed by the you wouldn't download a car ads, its not his fault.
Actually, come to think of it, damn right I WOULD download a car if I could.
Tried sticking a BMW down my DSL line once, wouldn't fit.
 

PhunkyPhazon

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I can't help but laugh at this. While piracy is obviously a problem, every tactic used to prevent it ends in miserable failure. Either they don't do anything at all, get instantly bypassed, or end up hurting the paying customers rather then the pirates. The word "unhackable" does not exist, as proven by the little red line under the word as I type this.

What DOES seem to wrok, at least temporarily, is when developers make sure pirates get gimped versions of the game. Rocksteady disabled Batman's glide ability in Arkham Asylum, Michael Jackson DS replaces the music with annoying instruments, and Earthbound completely and utterly fucked around with pirates. (First it gives more enemies, then it deletes your save right before you fight the final boss) These games are perfect examples on how to fight piracy, not firmware updates and DRM.
 

Arachon

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ionveau said:
Who cares? i blasting music on my custom DSI music player right now, So what if lets you pirate games my computer lets me pirate games BUT SO WHAT?

Honestly i hope your trolling.
Trolling? The fact that homebrew games do allow the running of cracked games is great leverage for the manufacturers to prevent users from accessing a system that is rightfully theirs to tinker with. And since we all know corporations don't give two shits about consumer's rights, a "middle ground" is really the only way I can see an end to this cat and mouse game, without locking out homebrew users.