R4
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Nintendo resisting urge to smash 'R4' device
"We are keeping a close eye on the products and studying them. But we cannot smash all of them," a Nintendo spokesperson tells Times Online. The R4 chip, found in a Chinese-made device being sold in Japan, essentially plugs into the Nintendo DS and allows illegally downloaded games to be played from a removable flash memory cart. Though homebrew and other applications are made possible through its use, Nintendo is primarily concerned by its facilitation of easily pirated games -- and we know Nintendo doesn't like those in the slightest.Smashing all the devices would likely be a tempting prospect, was it not for the fact that it's entirely legal for stores to sell them. Times Online notes that they're available throughout Tokyo's chief electronics district, Akihabara, with retailers shouting its availability from the rooftops, if not its exact function. "New R4 shipment has finally arrived! You know what it does! Absolutely no questions will be answered concerning this product . . ." is how one sign skirts around the issue. As it's suggested that the R4 (hardly the first or last of its kind) might take a noticeable byte bite out of Nintendo's profits, perhaps the manufacturer should simply purchase all the chips in the district and then smash them back at the office. Perhaps not the most effective method of attack, but it's sure to bring some release to those frustrated Smash Bros. Brawl programmers.
R4 hits the mainstream media
While pirates and homebrewers alike have known about the R4 since last December, the popular flashcart received its first taste of mainstream media attention today with an article in The Times. The piece focuses on characterizing the R4 as a major threat to Nintendo's pockets, citing the slot-1 cart's cheapness (about $40) and ease of use for its popularity among pirates, dismissing its ability to run homebrew "unofficial software" as an aside.Despite its cautionary tone, the article provides an interesting look at how shops in Tokyo's Akihabara district advertise the product without actually acknowledging its features. One shop was seen putting up a sign that read, "New R4 shipment has finally arrived! You know what it does! Absolutely no questions will be answered concerning this product ..." Some salesman even refer customers to YouTube tutorials instead of explaining the R4's features themselves.We understand that the R4 and other similar flashcarts make it easy for people to download and play unauthorized ROMs willy-nilly, but we don't think it's nearly as popular with gamers as The Times suggests. Also, we take offense to the article's ignorance of the DS homebrew community and achievements that tools like the R4 have fostered. We're not all pirates!
Plundr: Dangerous Shores' location-based gaming weighs anchor on the Nintendo DS
The main idea behind location-based gaming is to transform the city around you into a new setting that can be interacted with and explored. In Plundr's case, you're the captain of a pirate ship looking to pillage and swashbuckle your way to the top of the buccaneer chain. Using WiFi positioning to track your movements and superimpose landmarks over your neighborhood map, Plundr builds islands that you can set sail for and investigate. Taking a walk to that coffee shop two blocks away will bring up a trading post where you can buy spices and deliver goods. If you head over to the nearby park, there's a few unsuspecting merchant ships to test your cannons on.Developer area/code originally designed the title with laptops in mind, but working with the R4DS homebrew platform, the Manhattan-based company was able to port the game to our scurvy handheld and show off the fruits of its efforts at O'Reilly's Where 2.0 Conference late last May. Though we're still waiting to hear more about the clever game, these first shots of Plundr: Dangerous Shores that we scoured up will tide us over for now. Yarr!%Gallery-3607%[Via slavin fpo]
Ricoh's R4 returns blue-clad
Yeah, we know, we know, we're not into covering colorized model re-releases. And we're by no means letting Ricoh off the hook for simply re-releasing their R4 in another color -- ahem, Mystic Blue -- a few months down the line, presumably to drum up sales and attract attention. But we do have to admit that it's especially uncharacteristic for this particular camera maker; besides, are you really able to resist such a tiny camera with a 7.1x optical zoom, even in that kinda ug pseudo Yves Klein blue? Didn't think so. And no, you won't find it on their US site, which happens to be so grossly out of date the figure we're using to estimate the last time it was updated is years.
