View From the Road: Nintendo?s Piracy Plan
- Thread starter John Funk
- Start date
well, you still have people buying the system isntelf, that has to account for soemthing
Anyway, I would probably get a few games from friends but for the most part, I'd buy the games. I dont' game enough to go around stealing the two games I'll play.
Anyway, I would probably get a few games from friends but for the most part, I'd buy the games. I dont' game enough to go around stealing the two games I'll play.
I guessing it's not going to have a huge reservoir of memory so there will be a limited number of games that can be downloaded (most likely 3 or 5, since those numbers come up a lot in games). I'm sure Nintendo has considered piracy when they made this feature but it seems less like an attempt to curb piracy and more like a convenient feature that was developed outside any thoughts of piracy. I'm not sure if any DRM will be present but I honestly think that DRM or not Nintendo is going to get pirated a lot. Remember children, gamers are assholes.
Installing games might help those who would use an R4-like device for legitimate purposes--keeping all their games in one convenient place--but I fear some hacker will just figure out a way to pluck that game right out of the 3DS's memory even more efficiently than he would have through some other means. It may increase, not decrease, piracy.
What might really help matters if the pirates had any morals or ethics whatsoever. It's simple: If you can't afford it, that's not an excuse for stealing it. If the developer or publisher ticked you off, just don't buy the game, because that's still not an excuse for stealing it. If you "just want to try it," rent it. Video games are not a necessity and it is impossible to justify their theft except under extreme cases that are unlikely to the point of being ridiculous (terrorists are holding your son hostage and will only release him if you get them some warez).
But as that's not going to happen, I think what the software industry should try lobbying for harsher laws against piracy. Those torrents, for instance, need to be shut down. As far as I'm concerned, it makes no difference if you're merely hosting the torrent to an illegally downloaded game--you're still an accomplice in the crime, and should be punished as such.
What might really help matters if the pirates had any morals or ethics whatsoever. It's simple: If you can't afford it, that's not an excuse for stealing it. If the developer or publisher ticked you off, just don't buy the game, because that's still not an excuse for stealing it. If you "just want to try it," rent it. Video games are not a necessity and it is impossible to justify their theft except under extreme cases that are unlikely to the point of being ridiculous (terrorists are holding your son hostage and will only release him if you get them some warez).
But as that's not going to happen, I think what the software industry should try lobbying for harsher laws against piracy. Those torrents, for instance, need to be shut down. As far as I'm concerned, it makes no difference if you're merely hosting the torrent to an illegally downloaded game--you're still an accomplice in the crime, and should be punished as such.
Sounds like a keen idea, actually. Take away one of the advantages of the piracy system rather than adding DRMs and other various things that make piracy seem more appealing. Now, if it works or not, that's gonna be a different story. Then again, these days, piracy is so freaking rampant, trying anything has to be better than doing nothing.
...well, unless you're trying it the Ubisoft way.
...well, unless you're trying it the Ubisoft way.
But it's still going to happen. It doesn't matter who's in the right, people will do what they do. The question is how do you adapt? You can't change consumer habits by finger-waving and stick-beating; the RIAA has proven that much. DRM only works for a short time when it does, the exception being Steam. The only recourse is, as others have said, to make piracy extremely risky for your hardware while incentivising the purchase and use of legitimate software.Jiraiya72 said:
Here's hoping Nintendo won't use some draconian anti-piracy system.
I look forward to hearing the details from Nintendo themselves.
I look forward to hearing the details from Nintendo themselves.
I could see them drifting to digital distribution.. Why buy a cart, go online, or even go to the store, when you can download your full-fledged games right on the DS? Pioneer the trend by releasing Kid Icarus (and other popular titles) as download-only through the DS store and you've got a good start.
This is a very good idea. Nintendo still makes plenty of moola from DS(x) titles, even with pirates. so if someone knows someone with a 3ds and a few games they like, they will go out and buy one to play those games. Sure, no money from the games after that, but nintendo still gets their money from the handheld. Which is arguably much more than from the game anyway
They could even put a copy-limiter on the rental versions, will get cracked but how soon? I mean i don't think the pirate will want a late fee on their record, even if they are stealing the game. Those rental companies can get alittle over-the-top with late fees.
They could even put a copy-limiter on the rental versions, will get cracked but how soon? I mean i don't think the pirate will want a late fee on their record, even if they are stealing the game. Those rental companies can get alittle over-the-top with late fees.
A good start to reducing sales and increasing piracy, maybe. Just because you or I have a good internet connection with wi-fi to buy download only games for a handheld system doesn't mean everyone in the world does. If you deny people a physical copy, you leave many people with the choice between not being able to play at all or pirating it.Phyroxis said:
It would be very nice. But, unfortunately, I think you're being too optimistic. It is highly likely that there will be limitations, and probably copy protection as well.
There's gotta be something about the process that they aren't telling us; either that or Nintendo is well learned in the ways of reverse psychology.
My money is on games being only valid on the specific 3DS from which they are installed from. If you try to take the cart and put it in a different 3DS (or if you try to copy it and give it to your friend for his 3DS), then it won't work, giving you a message to insert the cartridge into the system for which it was validated. Or maybe the game just won't appear as a selection, but the cart will still show that it's eating-up some memory.
The question though is how they're going to deal with the trade-in market. Or rather, how Gamestop is going to deal with it. Say, for example, that once a game is installed to a cart, that copy of the game will continue to only work with that specific 3DS. Or maybe you're limited on the number of times that you can install a game from the cart, once you eat-up that limit, that's it, you can only use the cart.
This could have a drastic effect on things for re-traders since a game that has all of its installs available will be of more value than a game that only has a couple left, if any at all. Or in the case of the game only working for that specific 3DS, then re-traders might actually refuse to accept 3DS games.
But yeah, just speculation on my part, take it how you will.
The question though is how they're going to deal with the trade-in market. Or rather, how Gamestop is going to deal with it. Say, for example, that once a game is installed to a cart, that copy of the game will continue to only work with that specific 3DS. Or maybe you're limited on the number of times that you can install a game from the cart, once you eat-up that limit, that's it, you can only use the cart.
This could have a drastic effect on things for re-traders since a game that has all of its installs available will be of more value than a game that only has a couple left, if any at all. Or in the case of the game only working for that specific 3DS, then re-traders might actually refuse to accept 3DS games.
But yeah, just speculation on my part, take it how you will.
I agree completely, Mr. Funk, thank you for the great article.
One can only dream... and while we're dreaming, I think I'll wish for more hot-seat games, too.
The lack of titles that can be played by multiple people on a single DS is actually my main issue with an otherwise awesome handheld.
You've got Worms, but the small screen actually means only one of the players gets to see what happens, you've got Peggle, but on top of the same issue, it's not that competitive, you've got Trackmania, but it's basically multiple guys playing singleplayer. Any other ideas, guys? Anything that works?
One can only dream... and while we're dreaming, I think I'll wish for more hot-seat games, too.
The lack of titles that can be played by multiple people on a single DS is actually my main issue with an otherwise awesome handheld.
You've got Worms, but the small screen actually means only one of the players gets to see what happens, you've got Peggle, but on top of the same issue, it's not that competitive, you've got Trackmania, but it's basically multiple guys playing singleplayer. Any other ideas, guys? Anything that works?
I being no hardened techno geek may be wrong with this.
But couldn't they sell rental carts to stores that can't be installed on the 3DS, and wouldn't it be possible to have a cart only work with the system it's game is installed on, with some kind of techno wizardry going on so it can get reset if the handheld breaks so you're not stuck with a $30 piece of plastic.
But couldn't they sell rental carts to stores that can't be installed on the 3DS, and wouldn't it be possible to have a cart only work with the system it's game is installed on, with some kind of techno wizardry going on so it can get reset if the handheld breaks so you're not stuck with a $30 piece of plastic.
"I don't doubt that there is a percentage (of R4 owners) who bought one purely for convenience", the Funkster says in the article.
I'd just like to raise my hand and point out that I'm one of them. Swapping cards on the go is a *****. Swapping them from the comfort of my own bedroom (where the DS gets 95% of its play as I use it to wind down before going to sleep) is barely any better on account of having to use the DS backlight to hunt through my collection.
So flashcart it is. Damn shame it means I've had to get cracked versions of games I already legitimately own. Normally I'd frown on that.
I'd just like to raise my hand and point out that I'm one of them. Swapping cards on the go is a *****. Swapping them from the comfort of my own bedroom (where the DS gets 95% of its play as I use it to wind down before going to sleep) is barely any better on account of having to use the DS backlight to hunt through my collection.
So flashcart it is. Damn shame it means I've had to get cracked versions of games I already legitimately own. Normally I'd frown on that.