I use my R4 to run homebrew apps I write, and to a lesser extent to play titles that have been released in Japan but not the US yet (like Phoenix Wright 3 was, which btw I did still buy the US version when it came out).

@P-Flute: Last I checked, there aren't really any SNES emulators that run glitch-free on the DS.

darthmole12

@Digitalguardian V: Now With Roman Numerals!: You must be referring to the US version, because Phoenix Wright is MAD popular here in Japan. It makes the big bucks, it does.

erlik

I own an R4 and I use it to play the games that I would never bother to buy...not that I am encouraging piracy.

Kaishin

I own a M3 (Just like a R4) but I never use it for playing games I don't own.

MichaelR

This ad has apparently generating about a 1000% more views and attention because of the addition of the R4 in the picture. I think the ad designers have done a fantastic job!

francoamerica

That is messed up, why would one need a datel games N music when they have the suppirior in just about every way R4?

hdofu

@The Amazing Exploding-Man: A good point you have. Also, don't forget people, success doesn't always come through legitimate channels.
I, as most of the tech community, don't doubt for a second Microsoft wouldn't be as huge a success as it is now if it weren't for the widespread piracy of Windows. They only brought in protections now (in XP and onwards) because people have finally and truely accepted it as THE only choice. I think something like this could well happen with the DS Lite, and its offspring. Would you rather buy something you've used before, know, trusted, and wouldn't mind putting your money into, or would you rather just hope to god you get something good and take the pot luck? Reviews = Near useless. Everyone has different tastes.

toejam316

Oh perhaps I should note the 99.9 percent thing is a hypothetical, as I don't believe that statistic I pulled out of my ass to be anywhere near true.

The Amazing Exploding-Man

@whitey9: Hardly naive. I know that tech gets used for piracy plenty. And even IF I thought that piracy was a bad thing you can not discount legit uses for legit tech. Lets get rid of flash cards all together. They are only used for piracy via sneakernet. Lets get rid of the internet. It is just a tool for piracy. Lets get rid of the DSes. People only play pirated games on them with their pirate devices. Hey, why not get rid of personal computers? They are piracy devices. CD players - piracy devices. Tape recorders - piracy devices. TV - Piracy device.

Hey I know, lets destroy all of the paper in the world too so nobody can even write down someone else's idea. But then I guess you could carve it into rocks. Hey, perhaps we should get rid of those too, since they would only be used for piracy.

Its all so fucking stupid.

Even if 99.9 percent of the people who use the R4 use it for downloading copyrighted games, you can't get rid of the tech just to block copyright infringement if it has a purpose that betters technology as a whole, and the home brew community are the game developers of tomorrow. How anyone, even champions of IP laws could mark that as insignificant is beyond me.

The Amazing Exploding-Man

@redfoxx: Ohh yea, if there wasnt for yogurt i would be broke on medical bills and medicine with the stomach doctor :D (i dont remember the word in english)...

TOCATL

um... boo hoo?

b0ogie

i wouldn't have bought a DS if flashcarts like R4 didn't exist :P

ponos

I love my R4. I use it to get an idea of what's garbage, and what's worth buying. What I discovered is, a good chunk of what's out there isn't worth buying.

That aside, count me as one of the 'few' that use the R4 for homebrew. Couple it with devkitPro, and you've got yourself a mini development studio.

Fortyseven

Yeah, I'm sure R4 does more than piracy, just like bacteria makes a good yogurt, but guess what it's usually to the human body when ingested...

redfoxx

What bugs me is that people instantly scream piracy when they see R4's. Seriously, has no one ever heard of GBADev.org or the like? I doubt you'd need ROMs to keep you busy (especially with the games being sub-par in general) if you downloaded 10 files off there.
Another thing. Saying that a R4 enables piracy is like blaming Windows for piracy. Seriously, give me a break. I can download a ISO on bit torrent, and install it with Daemon Tools then use a crack to run it. Does that mean I do it? No. It doesn't. Double standards are a bitch.

toejam316

There are other uses for cocaine, not everyone uses it as an illegal drug. You can powder your hands with it, and your feet as well to help fight off athletes foot. So it should be ok to advertise it in a gamestop carrying case.

Ed_209

@chinesedentist: Since I didn't bother to read many of the comments and happen to see this one - that's actually most likely the case. I've noticed soooo many times when new ads come to my store that the pictures or stuff in them are blatantly bad or not correctly placed and all that.

Not only that, since Gamestop is advertising the Nerf product, Nerf more than likely handed over a selection of images related to their items and let Gamestop pick and choose. Coming from a printing background, I've seen a lot of companies let the printer handle images and stuff and it's a common thing.

Alaron

If the R4 isn't primarily for piracy, then why do they release firmware updates to circumvent ROM security so steadily?

whitey9

Well, while you get all high and mighty about DS Roms, some of us can't get the majority of English language DS games without going out of our way to import them and getting gouged in the process. I've become a fan of and come to support more than a few game series by giving them a whirl on R4, games that I would never have taken a chance on importing before.

Hrist

@TOCATL: Yeah I know. Im just showing him that his point is about just as stupid as the others saying the opposite thing.

Witzbold

@Witzbold: Its a complicated subject, in any "home depot" you can buy all the stuff to make a powerfull explosive device, but it depends the person, its all about the human choice...

TOCATL

@Gladman:

Maybe i have 12 R4's to bring around!

Kusa

@zapaterosantosubito: I had to laugh, then I wondered how many stolen games you have on your R4.

Revenge_of_Nekojin

the one game I play the most on my ds is not a nintendo game but the color program. If the R4 was just for piracy than why is there an mp3 player as well as a video player... I know... to play your pirated multimedia. the truth is that the r4 makes the DS machine alot better with new uses and applications than nintendo has given the consumer. If the R4 only ability was to play pirated games I would agree with the haters out there but it totally taps in to new territory that nintendo has chosen for one reason or another to avoid.

kingrottenboy

Could be trying to say that you shouldnt use the R4 card as a game substitue but for homebrew stuff ect.

Worthy

It's official: GameStop has surrendered to piracy.

Frank

Maybe Gamestop is attempting to appeal to a broader audience than 13 year old kids?

bigmil87

Don't rag on the R4. I use it so I can play music on my DS...

pupaboy2

Dang, I thought it was Ridge Racer 4 (AKA best racing game ever) and got excited.

KrsJin

PS - The reason I got my R4 was to use the free homebrew app "Colors!"

[www.collectingsmiles.com]

It turns your DS into a mini Cintiq tablet, and is well worth the cost of the R4 alone. (even the DS and R4 I would say)

wild_world_girl

This would be really easy to photoshop - anyone have access to the full-sized image, without the highlight, so we can judge it's authenticity for ourselves?

wild_world_girl

STFUAJPG

TheToiletDuck

And yeah, it's funny how stuck up people can be about R4's. Do people with PSPs with custom firmware only pirate stuff? It's the same way here.

Seestoff

@Ra on the Moon.: What I'm saying is the change of a graphic designer having a R4 period doesn't make sense.

Seestoff

R4 Ninja strikes again.

Makes mockery of Gamestop.

:3

Onizuka-GTO

GameStop isn't as much against piracy as the article makes them out to be. At one point I bought a "Datel Media Max DS" from them, which advertises "play games" on its box, a somewhat incredulous statement considering it was a DS card+Flash adapter (the adapter goes in the GBA slot).

I just think its strange that GameStop would even sell any "cheat" devices or homebrew-enablers, considering that they drive most people to buy fewer games. I don't play PSP games online anymore because most everyone hacks, same with many other console games that lack a Punkbuster-like service.

@Gladman & Rokujou:
The question of backing up your own games is questionable. Nintendo has a vested interest in you *NOT* backing up but instead purchasing a second copy. For a better source, check out Wikipedia's article on ROMs: [en.wikipedia.org]

LilBlackDemon

Guys, seriously, you're contributing nothing new.

...the R4 is a popular product that will allow its users to download and play DS games illegally through the use of a Micro SD card. Mind you, the cartridge itself is technically not illegal...

And it took 114 comments to say what was said in the article?

Now, if you all want to be e-Phoenix Wright copyright law experts or morality police, knock yourself out, but nothing going to change that 1) people use it for piracy and legal things, 2) the cartridge itself is not illegal.

ninjafetus

@rokujou:
from the internet? it's illegal, since you received that copy from someone else. if you actually extracted the file from the cartidge that you own yourself, i'm sure that will fall within the parameters of making a backup.

willyolio

@The Amazing Exploding-Man: You would be absolutely naive to not realize that 90% of all torrent traffic is piracy related. I understand that you can use all of those things for legitimate, legal things, but hey guess what, most people don't.

whitey9

Someone must has googled for pictures of DS SD cards and didn't realize it wasn't a game.

Codexx

Oh-oh Spaghettios!

gamadaya

@Sunjammer: Just because you dont use it for piracy doesnt meant the rest of the population does not.

Witzbold

@Gladman: If, by making backups, you are circumventing security mechanisms (such as bypassing copy protection) then it is illegal. I imagine that it would be very difficult for Nintendo to take legal action against you for it, if you can prove you own the game :P

rokujou

@whitey9: Do you realise how prevalent the use of torrent technology is for legitamate online distribution of software? If not, use steam.

The Amazing Exploding-Man

I think it's entirely possible that the approval process involved people who have absolutely no idea what games are, how they work, or what contraption they play on, despite the fact that if they make some hokey plastic case, they'll make some money. Moreover, it's likely that whoever saw it simply thought it was either a legitimate game or that it was a made-up one to avoid getting sued.

It's a case of only those who know will notice, but I'm sure it'll blow up.

dunetiger : rock you like a hurricane

Yeah, R4 isn't just used for piracy. Neither are modchips. Or PSP firmware hacks. Torrents can be used to download legitimate stuff too!

whitey9

@Winterbringer (First poster): Marijuana isnt just for getting high, it also has a very pleasing asthetic that looks great in any tomato garden...

Raynre

@Detre: Or download movies and cartoons or anime and manga and comic books and so on.

Hell, most Windows XP mods are illegally downloaded (i doubt that many people bought Stardock or whatever). Hell, I doubt everyoen is even using legal Windows, Photoshop or Office copies. But hell noes if people are going to steal a $20 DS game.

I liked the one guy saying the 3rd (yes, third game) of Phoenix Wright was barely profitable as it is. Heads up guys, but you don't make more than one sequel of a game if the original or subsequent sequels weren't profitable. Piracy isn't hurting that title that much.

I don't promote stealing games, but jesus, get off your high horses and look in the mirror. It sucks when someone pirates everything and gives nothing back, but I'd like to think most buy what they like, thus supporting quality products, and pirate / "demo" everything else.

KirbyMorph

@rokujou: "it is illegal to download and play a Nintendo ROM from the Internet."

So your own coppies are just (otherwise they would say so).

Gladman

@Ajh: Can you really do eBooks with an R4? If so, I have a friend who has been wanting one of those expensive ebook readers that could greatly benefit from one who has a DS? I may get it for him as a gift.

The Amazing Exploding-Man

If Gamestop sells the R4, they're gonna price gouge you. $110 used?! WTF?!

Angryrider

@hansamurai: Great comment. I hear the nerf carrying case for pistols/sudafed is just around the corner...

rokujou

So am I the only person in the world that thinks about getting an R4/etc for the sole purpose of playing the many SNES games I missed for one reason or another on the go? Fan translated Bahamut Lagoon and Front Mission: Gun Hazard FTW.

P-Flute

On another note, after trying both I think the Cyclo DS Evolution is better than the R4 :P

rokujou

This reminds me of when PC World (UK) had a Dell laptop on their delivery lorries. That was a slightly worse case though :)

@Gladman:
"Even if they didn't want to use their R4 for piracy, if you hold an actual copy of the game it's perfectly legal to have a copy on your R4." - no, it's not

rokujou

i wonder how many of the people talking crap about people who own R4s have ipods full of music they didnt pay for.

Detre

I'm so sick of the constant association of the R4 or any other flashcarts with illegal DS ROMs. I've had an M3 since January of 2007, and I've never had a single DS ROM on there. I use it for homebrew projects and IRC.

Now, SNES and NES ROMs? That's a different story.

X-vid

@Gladman:
Amazing point. The R4 makes the case useless - get an R4 instead!

WaterMedia

My question is why on earth would someone with an R4 need a case that holds 12 games?

Even if they didn't want to use their R4 for piracy, if you hold an actual copy of the game it's perfectly legal to have a copy on your R4.

Doesn't really sell the product very well...
"Can hold 12 ds games!..Not that anyone has that many DS games, but it holds your R4 too :)"

Gladman

@hansamurai:

Unless you're trying to compare pirating video games to murdering people, I have no idea what you're trying to prove.

SuperMaxZero

Geez, this summary is total crap.

"the R4 is a popular product that will allow its users to download and play DS games illegally"

How about we replace some words...

"a pistol is a popular product that will allow its users to fire and kill people illegally"

or

"sudafed is a popular product that will allow its users to create create crystal meth illegally"

hansamurai

Or maybe nerf asked the China case OEM for some publicity shots and they put it in as an in-joke guessing that nerf wounldn't be any the wiser.

cactaur

@Seestoff: If your looking to get a job as a graphic designer or advertising person, you dont not get a job at Gamestop just because you dont play games.

Ra on the Moon.

@Phantom_Photon:...that makes it being there sound even stupider. R4's don't just land from the sky.

Seestoff

Come now, it's not like I just use it for pirated games, I use it for pirated video too.

Srsly though, I think I've downloaded like seven games ever. Only one or two I played for more than one sitting without actually going and buying the game. In the meantime I have drained the batteries many many times with Moonshell and ComicBookDS.

Also it's always a kick having people go "what you doing with your DS out in class?" and I go "oh, I'm taking notes in DSOrganize. Cause I can't read my handwriting."

rubiximus

I think the R4 is a GREAT device! Anything that will take the DSs hardware and use it to a new level is ok by me!

Sailorcancer

@NPlace: The fact is Nintendo makes money on HW sales. If Nintendo can't or won't try and utilize the appeal of homebrew with an official product, then the grey market will provide the solution and encourage piracy as a result.
Nintendo could have headed this off at the pass with a homebrew development suite and loader system, but instead they are fighting an impossible war against pirates.

With a Nintendo endorsed Homebrew loading system (limited to prevent EASY piracy) there would be no LEGIT reason for the R4.

Thousandfaces

the mainly objective for the r4 is to play mp3, watch videos, read books, and run homebrew appz, so its a legal product...

TOCATL

The R4 is soooo about homebrew apps, just like fansubs are all about not wanting to support the tyrannical North American anime companies, or how emulators are the only to truly enjoy old games despite the VC, and how it's ok to download music off of Limewire because the music industry is going to hell.

Piracy is piracy, no matter how you justify it.

Thorax

@Grimalkin: XD. I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed. I don't think this was on accident.

Seestoff

Anyone else notice the Datel Games 'n Music right above the R4? It can play pirated games too, why are we not commenting about that?

Grimalkin

It's such a shame to see people saying that the R4 is JUST for piracy... You know the cart is marketed as a way to play your music, videos and homebrew files on the ds, obviously it was intended for piracy but it shouldn't take the blame altogether.

nintendog66

@Winterbringer: Yes we all know that there is a very large homebrew market for the DS and there was even a story earlier this week about homebrew games on the DS in Kotaku. But lets face it the majority of people who buy this are going to use it for playing games they DL off the internet.

Deltakiral

Ridge Racer 4 on DS would be pretty kick ass. Hell, I'll take a PSP download too.

Brackynews

@EvilFiek: Riiiiiiiiidge Race...wait, what?

Brackynews

I think this case would represent someone using the R4 leggally. Original games+R4 for music and stuff..

SsLordMagus

Maybe we will sell them soon.

GamestopPatron

I actually use it for programming, but I'm sure most people use them for other things...

Mii

@olion597:
What is this "Google Earth" clone called?

emuc64

I think saying R4 can't be blamed for piracy is basically retarded. If things like R4 didn't exist, your every day idiots wouldn't be pirating games like crazy. You expect an idiot to invent R4 on their own? Obviously the R4 creators knew it would be a device for pirating. They want to make money and thereby basically steal from the pool of money that would be going towards buying actual retail games. I believe the manufacturers are Chinese and call me racist if you want but most of those companies simply want your money and homebrew isn't the draw the gets most people to buy their product. It's illegally downloaded ROMs which any idiot can find (they don't need instructions).

AleeYun

@Allen750: Until the companies who make good games can't make any money and just say "screw it, let's put a kids' show license on some crap."

RawSteelUT

I've been wanting to buy a DS for a while now, but I didn't want to have to lug around all my games with it. On the PSP, I've got all of my games ripped to the memory stick (yay custom firmware!) and it saves me lugging around UMDs. I'll admit that I /do/ use my PSP, however, to try out games before I buy them. (Illegally.) I'd buy an R4 just for that, because in my experience, if you've got a portable console, you really need to try games before you buy 'em, as there's just so much trash on the market.

NobleArc, The Lazy Canadian

@Phantom_Photon: Just what I was thinking. It is funny that the R4 showed up in the ad, but I doubt that the graphic designers that made the ad arent game fans ;D

Hades

Of course if you have an R4 you most likely wouldnt have all those additional carts, or even need such a large carry case…

Accordion

NEWSFLASH: The people producing ads for Gamestop / EA are not game fans. How would they know what an R4 is?

Phantom_Photon

hah! I was a manager at gamestop, but I was actually fired for having a modded psp and a ds with an R4. and now it's showing up in their marketing kit!

aykay

@jchasse: Sounds like a normal day at my last job. I hid lots of things into the images we produced.

Also, it's the WHITE ONE?! I could see it getting past easier if it were the black one. Camouflage with those other games easier.

z357x is judge, jury, and executioner.

People making these shots will do stuff like that. Slip some things into the add, unnoticed by the armchair developers. Especially when chains do their pictures themselves one can expect crazy stuff to enter the ads. It's also funny to check the car radio ads. Photographers will slip in far crazier stuff than a r4 chip there. Just remind yourself of the Super Mario Galaxy boxcover and its hidden message.

Asbestos_Underwear

Hasn't Nerf already done this once? (And wasn't that news also covered by Kotaku?)

Optionalopinion

@DwarfVader:

Nevermind... I'm dumb.

DwarfVader

Welp. So much for keeping the R4 out of the spotlight.

dynendal

It probably did get looked by a dozen of people before it saw print, but those people probably don't play games.

ssh83

I use my M3 to play all the games I legally own. I've got too many of them to carry around. I never thought there'd come a time when DS games were "too cumbersome" to carry around, but once I had 2 GBA carts and about 8 NDS carts in my DS bag, I started getting concerned about losing them. I went to a wedding, and dropped Minish Cap on the ground 3x throughout the day, although I managed to find it each time. With a ROM loader, that's not an issue any more.

ludwigk

The card NEXT to the R4 is also illegal. It's called the "Games n Music", and it runs homebrew and other nasty stuff.

MTWomg

That's too funny

Glare

@tei: ...what?

@Thousandfaces: I don't think homebrew drives their hardware sales. I think the tons of casuals and people who just buy a DS and some games and don't muck about with the R4 drives their hardware sales. Just because you, and several other people you know, are homebrew junkies, doesn't mean EVERYONE'S doing it.

NPlace

Why is this not on the front page any longer?

DwarfVader

@iamnotdryad:
Yes, it indeed does matter.
Lets say the SWAT team were to invade his house and find his R4, they wouldn't have shit on him for piracy. Thus saving himself from a life of horrible crime.

scotty

@manjikengo: It's definitely true. I was at a Gamestop and noticed the R4 card about a week ago, hahaha. I just think it's funny that they let it slide. Granted, it's to be expected. They're too busy making money to care about anything (or anyone) else, right?

x1337xxninjax

I love my NDS. I Love My NDS more with my flash ROM, homebrew, music, videos, and all my legit games on one cart.

Message to Nintendo: Homebrew drives your hardware sales. Allow it with a sanctioned system or people will do it themselves.

We are going to do it with your blessing or not.

Thousandfaces

@Duoae: How was he beeing misleading? Are you saying it cant play games illegally?

NoBullet

I wonder where I can find that case.. I can't even find it on Nerf's site or in a google search. The only thing that comes up is the Nerf Armor. No cases.

I'll have to ask about it at EBGames.

MrBionic

@Sunjammer:

What you use the R4 doesn't mean a damn thing. The primary use of it is piracy and you know that as well as anyone else here does. When people see the R4 they think piracy.

iamnotdryad

I love the freaking comments here... Piracy = Free and free wins.

Allen750

@BPM VII Crisis Core: Same here. I've used the pirated stuff to figure out my purchases. I've bought several games I wouldn't have looked twice at otherwise and passed on a few that I thought might be good but turned out to be garbage. Once I'm done trying out the game if I liked it I look for a new copy. No sense in giving gamestop my money when the game makers don't profit from it.

Primary R4 use for me though: Reading ebooks.

Ajh

:( it's probably true. sigh. stupid gamestop ad designers.

manjikengo

Uhm, this was an instore advert?

Give me the source image please. I don't believe this at all.

I'll see if this is true when i head into work after i beat lost odyssey.

manjikengo

ROFL. They put it there because, of course, NINETY PER CENT OF AMERICAN DS GAMERS USES R4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[kotaku.com]

Oh the irony. That pic most probably got that far because no one involved could even tell an R4 apart from some random game.

Bokusatsu_Tenshi

Right next to the R4 is Datel's slot-1 flash cart knock-off called Games n' Music. It's basically the same thing (probably lower quality)and comes with a 128 MB microSD card.

I haven't gotten one yet but I want a flash cart mainly for Moonshell to use my DS as a music and video player.

LeChuck

Electricity also able piracy. And light bulbs. I am sure GameStop also have of these.

tei

Given the dimness of the average Gamestop customer, and the total marketing bombardment that starts immediately after entering the store, i'm surprised anyone noticed that cute lil' R4.

yaboonabi

This is bullshit, the R4 does NOT equal piracy. I use mine for homebrew; I'm working on a touchscreen driven midi controller, and i use it for making music on the tram to work with Nitrotracker.

I know Nofrendo don't officially condone homebrew, but it's a huge part of the appeal of the device for me.

Sunjammer

I love the software pirates. They make me wanna ride in my roflcopter.

"IT'S NOT PIRACY. IT REALLY ISN'T."

iamnotdryad

@kidnicky: Honest? You know on the first NDS hombrew page I found using google there were 25 (give or take 1) hombrew games. I'm not saying they were necessarily good, but devices like this DEFINATELY have legal uses that are in use.

The Amazing Exploding-Man

@chinesedentist: lol thats the same thing I was thinking! Anyways, It's the same thing for me, but then again its nice to be able to sort through all the crap games the nds has to offer with your own personal "demos" and only buy the ones that are actually worth it. I haven't touched my ds in since pokemon and even that was kinda lame =/

GcRayden

They just want to advertise to the largest demographic,and we all remember that 90% of DS owners pirate all their software!

On a serious note,to all you "R4 is for homebrew!" people,let's be honest here. The device is made for pirating games. It's possible to share home movies on Limewire,too.

kidnicky

@chinesedentist: Well, that's actually a campaign against pirating music, not against cassette recorders. Same holds for R4. Yes, I know I'm siding on one part in my comment, but the statement in the article is equally inaccurate.

zapaterosantosubito

I was trying to count how many posts till 'R4 isn't a device only for piracy' post. Didn't expect that on the first post, lol.

If I were a R4 supporter, I'd go the other way around and bash the shit out of people that warez with it, rather than say that it's got 'good' uses too. I mean, why make it sound like 'hey I can play MP3s on this thing (other than play the last 1200 ROMs that I've downloaded!!)?'

muu

I would like to note how stupid it is to support the DS homebrew scene in one article (see also, Quake 2 on the DS) and then paint things like the R4 as devices specifically used for copyright infringement.

The Amazing Exploding-Man

@zapaterosantosubito:

You strike me as somebody who probably insists P2P sharing isn't mostly about piracy either.

eponym

@zapaterosantosubito: "Primary purpose is running homebrew software, and programming aid."

Who do you think you are kidding? Programming aid? Worlds programmer population must have skyrocketed since I last checked if even one out of ten who buys those uses it primary for programming. It's plain and simply or playing pirated games, some people certainly use if for homebrew and programming, but they are very little percentage. The whole product is engineered to enable you to play ROMs.

ara

@ArmiMaan:

Maybe the R4 cartridge is the 'pop' the advertising crew was looking for.

Ignatius

Ouch. Its even got a memory card in it...

Think they just asked their staff to fill up a cart holder with some of their own.

cactaur

@chinesedentist:

Indeed!

dead_red_eyes

That looks like a pretty nice case. Compact, decent-looking, holds an AC adaptor and a bunch of games. You won't believe how hard it was for me to find a case with room for an AC adaptor, while also being compact and decent-looking. I did find one eventually, but I'm not 100% happy with it. I would pick this Nerf one up, but it's a lot of money for a case. Ah, well.

And I'm not surprised that something like this got through. During my time in the advertising industry, I found that most of the people who look at these things don't pay attention to what's been put in front of them. They give it a cursory look, say something like "This image needs to be reduced 5%" (a change which no one would notice without a ruler) or "Can you make this 'pop' more" (advertising types love using the word "pop") and sign off on it, without actually looking at the content. Then, when a major error is noticed after the ad has been printed/sent out, they blame someone else.

ArmiMaan

It's not uncommon for manufacturers to provide assets to retailers for their in-store advertising. Any chance this came from Nerf directly?

chinesedentist

Any sort of piracy is just as bad, if not worse, for Gamestop as Nintendo.

Pirated games means fewer new purchases, which leads to fewer trade ins, which leads to fewer used sales.

Gamestop, in a way, gets hit twice by the piracy.

brent_w

whao, that's messed up.

AgainstOne

@Duoae: Lost respect for Flynn? Sigh. What a ridiculous overreaction.

He simply pointed out the irony of the situation. Gamestop makes all their profit on used software sales. The R4 and similar devices are the biggest threat to their business model.

This is the equivalent of a Baptist newsletter including a picture of their congregation and not noticing that one of the members is holding a Satanic Bible.

He was not bashing the R4, simply stating objectively how Gamestop and Nintendo feel about the device.

Get over it.

chinesedentist

Kind of stupid that they mod put a R4 card in the picture. Since you would never need to buy any DS games from them if you have one.

JustJake

@Duoae: I think if an EB/Gamestop advertisement had a picture of an X-Box 360 branded game holder that was full of DVD-Rs it would have been mentioned, yeah.

What I find odd is that this thing made it through the approval process with items that are not sold in the store included.

ElijahDProphet

@zapaterosantosubito: People HAVE blamed cassette players for piracy.

[en.wikipedia.org]

Also, I think you're giving R4 a little too much of a pass. They purposely designed their machine and software to be as friendly to piracy as possible. Both in the slot 1 design and the ability to run unpatched ROMs that are simply dragged and dropped onto a mini-SD card.

Of course the irony is that their own tech has been stolen by other companies, but all's fair, I'd say.

chinesedentist

Ahem...LAWL. I think we can all agree on that. Or perhaps a ROFFEL or two would also suffice.

@jchasse: You're probably right on that one. XD

Furious_Liver

As everyone else has said, it's not just for piracy. I use mine mostly for applications, such as a Google Earth clone, and random emulators. I will admit that I use it to run DS Roms, however I only do it if I own the game. Wait, I take that back, I did use it once to try out Doki Doki Majo Shinpan, but I got stuck 5 minutes in.

olion597

@BPM VII Crisis Core:
Oh, and I do have a flash cart (an M3 Lite), but I use it mostly for homebrew and movie/music playback. Only reason I have commercial ROMs on it is to try out JP games before the NA version is released, or to have a spare copy of a game I have for multiplayer purposes.

[proudly shows off his collection of 50+ DS games]

BPM VII Crisis Core

@phrequency:

You have evidence for that?

@zapaterosantosubito:

I agree completely... in fact i feel that the tone of this article is pretty misleading - it tries to generate outrage by basing its tone on one aspect of this device. It's funny, because i see kotaku usually decrying this sort of action by other publications.

Now, i don't own an R4 - though i would like one for the programme 'Colors' - but surely blaming a piece of hardware for piracy when there have been many earlier enablers of homebrew and piracy on the DS (not to mention those people who rip the ROMs in the first place and share them over the internet) is a pretty poor way of generating page views.

Flynn, i had a lot more respect for you before this... it seems like a step backward for intelligent discussion on these topics. What next? An article on CD/DVD-Rs?

Duoae

@Iceman B.:
Unfotunately, today's society feels there's nothing wrong with software piracy. People feel that even if they can't afford something, it's okay to steal it. Like as if someone OWES it to them.

BPM VII Crisis Core

Maybe they thought it stood for "Rambo 4," coming to the DS soon. :)

Zensation

Whoops.

NPlace

To be accurate, the cartridge itself won't allow the download of ROMs (which are as well technically legal to own). R4, as other similar devices, is a cartridge which allows execution of code on a Nintendo DS device, no more, no less. Primary purpose is running homebrew software, and programming aid. It does *also* allow the execution of commercial software ROMs in case you posses them and in case you put them on your device, which is your responsibility, not R4's. And in no way R4 provides you the ROMs or any mean to get them.
Blaming DS flash cartridges for game piracy would be like blaming cassette players, which can also record, for music piracy.

zapaterosantosubito

Hey Flynn, I am currently a graphic designer in the software industry and I am often suprised by the ignorance of the people who are responsible for giving final graphics sign-off. I would be suprised if the person responsible for giving the ok on this could pick a DS out of a lineup.

Looks to me like once again a highly productive underpaid designer was able to give the finger to the man.

jchasse

@Digitalguardian V: Now With Roman Numerals!: Agreed. I bought all of the games, import or otherwise, heck I even have the LE of GS4.

People should really just buy games -_-;

Iceman B.

I'm still kind of peeved alot of people at the GameFAQs community used it to play Phoenix Wright 3. Is it that hard to support the series? It's barely profitable and capcom knows it. Now you know why there wasn't a fifth case in the sequels....BECAUSE YOU FUCKERS KEEP STEALING GAMES!

Digitalguardian V: Now With Roman Numerals!

Huh? I use the R4 strictly to run homebrew code and read Ebooks.....
*puts new batteries into halo*

Iceman B.

@Winterbringer: it doesn't matter if it does other things. the fact still stands that it is known used mostly for piracy. saying it can do other things will never sit well with nintendo because it can do the one thing that just sits out like a sore thumb.

phrequency

@dead_red_eyes: And you can also watch videos you convert yourself as well.

chinesedentist

@Doomstink:

Yup it can be used for homebrew, listening to mp3s, looking at pictures.

dead_red_eyes

This is actually a pretty accurate picture. Person bought about six actual games, then bought the R4, and now the case is full of never-to-be-filled-except-by-christmas-or-birthday-present-slots.

chinesedentist

they're just advertising that the case can hold your illegal DS games too. that's all.

ruba-dub-dub

It will be funny when people start asking the Gamestop clerks what this "weird R4 game" is.

EvilFiek

R4 can be used for homebrew, can't it?

I've got a friend who likes to make his own DS games/apps and I'm pretty sure he uses an R4 or something similar to run them on his DS.

Doomstink

You missed out on using the headline of "Gamestop Wiis off Nintendo by Promoting Piracy." ;)

GPman

I love R4 too!

mikeluisortega

@anarfox: Knows what the R4 is it should be. Need edit function.

anarfox

@Winterbringer: It can slice! Dice! Chop! Skewer! And clean up is as simple as downloading all of your favorite games illegally!

Redface, The Dark Messiah of Justice

Well it doesn't help if a million persons looks at it if none knows what the R4 and/or how it looks like.

anarfox

The R4 isn't JUST for piracy, it can do other things aswell.

Winterbringer

everyone please get off your soapbox, thx!!!!!

slappyMCslappy

The R4 is not a piracy device, that's sensationalism amongst Nintendo and the press. It is a micro-SD card adapter, used for all manners of homebrew (Moonshell rules!), which so happens to also have commercial rom compatibility.

Contrary to popular belief there are legitimate reasons that a paying DS customer may want commercial compatibility. Besides rendering carry-cases obsolete (=P), there's also peace of mind in the event of loss or damage not covered by warranty, and then there's also hacking a game for personal enjoyment, which is legal under Fair Use. It's the only way you'll hear the cut voicework of MegaMan ZX, or play Bowser's Castle online in Mario Kart DS.

What is illegal is downloading the rom, which the R4 is irrelevant to. You can pirate DS games without the need of any Nintendo hardware at all, thanks to emulation. Nintendo, if they were honestly interested in piracy rather than indiscriminately attacking all unlicensed use (they already lashed about against Games N' Music, which has no commercial compatibility whatsoever), would be wise to instead focus their attention on websites that offer NDS rom downloads. Because there is no real reason for them. If you are hacking/backing up/sprite ripping games you honestly own, there are ways to dump them yourself. They're not as popular as the R4, of course, which will not help you in that department, but they're out there. Nobody needs to be downloading commercial NDS games, and downloads are the critical first step to piracy. Now you can't stop every download any more than you can smash every R4. But a blow to downloads is a blow to piracy, whereas a blow to the R4 merely pisses off your own fanbase and encourages pirates to emulate.

Hypershell