UK bans R4 cards, makes Nintendo DS pirating 'double illegal'
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted July 28th 2010 2:47PM
posted July 28th 2010 2:47PM
While us Yankees are celebrating the one small victory for all that's right and good represented by the recent DMCA jailbreak exception, things are looking a little bleaker for UK gadget-heads this afternoon. London's High Court has ruled that R4 cards, which are used by homebrewers and the occasional no-goodnik game pirate to circumvent security on the Nintendo DS, cannot be sold, advertised, or imported into the UK. According to Joystiq, Nintendo claims they've seized over 100,000 R4 devices in the country since 2009. When asked for a comment, the Queen was all like, "What?"
Double illegal all the way! What does it mean?
It's starting to look like it's triple illegal!
So now you will have to buy over the web from china.....like you do already.
I'm a DS homebrewer. I like DS' hardware architecture and the incredible job done by those who gave DevkitARM, libnds, libfat (for free!) and for all of those I failed to name. Really awesome stuff, thanks guys.
I've been browsing the comments about the R4 ban and noticed that no one advocate software piracy. Programmable carts were created for homebrewing and carrying many several game images in a single cart.In short, to have control over the hardware we own. Too bad they had to throw a whole basket of fruits for a few rotten ones. The good ones get punished more that the bad ones.
Hmm... are there any way that consumers can express their feelings about this in any ways other than boycotting? Civil disobedience? Flooding Ninty with protest letters? Suggestions? Dunno.
I'm not planning to buy the 3DS anyway... ;)