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French court reverses DS flash cart ruling, Nintendo smiles
Nearly two years ago, a French court dismissed a lawsuit that Nintendo filed against a group of vendors accused of illegally selling DS flash carts. At the time, the game-maker argued that sales of the cartridges should be halted on the grounds that they could be used to illegally pirate software, but the presiding judge thought differently, countering that the R4-like devices could be used to develop homebrews or other DIY projects. Last week, however, the Paris Court of Appeals overturned the ruling, in a decision that Nintendo has met with understandable delight. In a statement released today, the company confirmed that Divineo SARL and five other flash cart retailers must pay a total of €460,000 in criminal fines, along with €4.8 million in damages to Nintendo, as ordered by the appeals court. Details behind the ruling remain vague, though Nintendo hailed it as a "strong message to French companies... that such activities are illegal and will not be tolerated," and that convicted vendors will "risk prison terms, face substantial fines and obligations to pay damages." Sail past the break to read Nintendo's statement, in full.
Nintendo appealing French flash cart ruling
A Paris criminal court recently ruled in favor of Divineo, a company that sells DS flash carts. In a statement, Nintendo said that it was "extremely disappointed with the decision by Paris Criminal Court to find Max Louarn, his company, Divineo, and other co-defendants not guilty in the criminal case involving the sale and distribution of game copying devices," and that the company "welcomes the prosecutor's decision to appeal the judgment. As a victim Nintendo will join his appeal." In the statement, Nintendo noted that Divineo still owes the company damages from a ruling made in Nintendo's favor in Hong Kong last year. Last month, a Spanish criminal case was dismissed against a company selling DS flash carts, with the judge in that case ruling that the carts are not illegal since they can be used for many non-infringing purposes.
Divineo's new 5-in-1 charger stand for PSP does it all
There aren't usually a lot of devices who can follow through on their claim that they can 'do it all'. Sure, being able to vacuum and cook up a delicious waffle is interesting, but then your carpet smells like a waffle, too. This is why we're pretty interested in the potential of this new PSP charger stand -- it does it all! While your PSP charges on the stand, you can listen to music and even play stuff on your TV. It comes with built-in headphone jacks and multi-card slots. It's essentially got all the functionality of a non-charging PSP, and it's just under $17. If you're looking for a charging solution, this might be your cup of tea.[Via DCEmu]
Slim Guard Skin for PSP keeps grease, dust at bay
You know what really stinks? When you're showing off your PSP to a friend, but they laugh and say "you must be very greasy, as there are fingerprints all thereabouts on your handheld gaming device!" This can be a problem that follows you for the rest of the day. Luckily, Divineo has a solution for you in the Ultra Slim Guard Skin Advance for PSP -- it protects your PSP from dust and scratches, as well as some fingerprinting, assuming you don't try to use the PSP as a touch screen. The skin surprisingly leaves all your connections open, even the UMD drive. For about $7, it seems like a decent deal if you're worried about getting your PSP scratched, or if you've got butterfingers.[via DCEmu]
Designer analog sticks
Do you look at your PSP's analog stick nub thing with disdain? Do you dream up elaborate Road Runneresque schemes to destroy it and eat it for dinner? Well luckily for you, Divineo.com has replacement analog stick nub things for you to put in your PSP if you have some amount of modding skills or friends with modding skills. The pink one looks sorta dirty to me for some reason. If anyone actually has a modded PSP, you should post a link to an image of it in chat so we can all check out your pimped out handheld. [DCEmu]
Divineo offers up LCD-infused Xbox 360, practicality in doubt
No, we don't think this Xbox 360 case mod oddity takes the cake, but it ranks fairly high up there in the long list of mods that are impressive from a technical standpoint, but next to useless from a practicality stance. While we're sure just about anyone could find a plethora of utility in Ben Heck's LCD-equipped Xbox 360, the latest offering from Divineo (the same company which Sony loathes) slaps a 5.8-inch widescreen LCD onto the side of Microsoft's console, which actually enables gameplay right on the side of your machine. Of course, with such a wee screen, all hopes of multi-player battles are next to hopeless, and even single-player action just might put an unhealthy strain on your retinas. Nevertheless, the mod-happy firm is offering it up to anyone interested, and while we doubt these folks are actually selling US units, you can hit the read link for all the foreign details if you're so inclined. For those fairly confident that you won't be taking Divineo up on this questionably useful mod, you should still click on through for a live action video of this thing rocking out, but be very sure that you adore Metallica first, and don't say we didn't warn you.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Divineo 'evolves' PSP face plates
If Divineo's chrome PSP faceplate wasn't your bag, the Talismoon Evolve series might be.According to Divineo, everything needed to create a new-look PSP is included in a single package, consisting of the faceplate color of your choice, an illustrated diagram, hardened steel jeweler's screwdriver, a dazzling set of diamond series buttons as well as a finely made polishing cloth to preserve the appearance of your PSP for years to come. If you want a custom look for your PSP but can't afford one of Sony's Signature PSPs, this may be an excellent way to go. And for only $15, you won't be out too much if you don't end up liking it. However, keep in mind that removing your face plate will void your PSP's warranty.[Via DCEmu]
Sony busts down mod-chip retailer with $9 mil. lawsuit
Everybody's favorite far-reaching, possibly free speech-infringing law, the DMCA, is being put to use again for busting down on Divineo, a seller of mod-chips. Sony has slapped them with a $9 million lawsuit for selling the chips, along with HDLoader, which allows a PS2 to rip games and store them to a HDD for "jukebox" access. Until recently, Divineo was selling a whole bevy of Xbox, Xbox 360, PSOne, PS2, GameCube and other system mod-chips. They've also got other slightly more innocuous devices like that snazzy 4GB DS-Xtreme which gives you homebrew action on the DS without any hacking. Though, we're not sure such attempts of theirs at semi-legibility will do much to appease Sony. There's no official response from Divineo yet, but since they're a France-based company, it seems like the best Sony can do with the DMCA is get them out of the states. The last time we saw the DMCA in action like this, a trio of Xbox modders were facing up to 5 years of prison time, but they ended up with just a few years of probation, and one of 'em got slapped with 6 months of home detention, Martha Stewart-style. They also had to pay $2,600 to the ESA, so it really seems like Sony has decided to up the stakes for Divineo's offenses. Interestingly, while those Xbox modders were loading cracked games galore onto the boxes of customers, Divineo only sells tools that make piracy possible -- interesting indeed.
Get your bling on with a chrome PSP face plate
If you don't have the cash flow for one of the Playstation Signature PSPs but want to look like you do, you might be interested in this far less expensive alternative - the XCM chrome PSP face plate - for about $23.Available from Divineo's UK site, the face plate gets its unique color and smoothness from a "special process" that supposedly enhances your gaming experience. How it does this is beyond me, but it does sure look purdy. The face plate comes with a new D-pad, all face buttons and a screw driver. And if the chrome color isn't your thing, a "Smooth as Silk" color is also available. Yeah, don't ask.(Via DCEmu forums)
