Is R4 bad for Nintendo?

Is R4 and other FlashCards illegal?

  • Always.

    Votes: 1 7.7%

  • It's bad for Nintendo Games, but is OK for fan games.

    Votes: 7 53.8%

  • Never.

    Votes: 3 23.1%

  • Other (Discuss)

    Votes: 2 15.4%
  • Total voters
    13
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Kavidun

Kavidun

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I'm thinking, it shouldn't be illegal just to play Fan-Made games surely? But then again, some people say it is "bad for Nintendo", even if you only use it for fan games.

Discuss.
 
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Re: Is the R4 itself iIlegal?

To my knowledge the cart itself is not illegal, but playing commercial NDS roms is.

I'm pretty sure this is in the wrong section as well.
 
Re: Is the R4 itself iIlegal?

It's a debate. Thus the Soap Box.
 
Re: Is the R4 itself iIlegal?

But it's also technology... hm...

Anyway, no the device itself isn't illegal to my knowledge. But any sane person knows what everyone does with them, so Nintendo's probably in their right to not like the devices.
 
Re: Is the R4 itself iIlegal?

fate said:
But it's also technology... hm...

Anyway, no the device itself isn't illegal to my knowledge. But any sane person knows what everyone does with them, so Nintendo's probably in their right to not like the devices.
Click to expand...

I own an R4, but for Fan/Me-Made games.
 
Re: Is the R4 itself iIlegal?

How is it a debate? You're asking if it's illegal or not, there's nothing to debate about. If you're asking "should they be illegal", then I would rephrase your original post.
 
*shrugs* If it's in the wrong place someone will move it. For now though, discuss the Topic!
 
LucarioAura said:
I'm thinking, it shouldn't be illegal just to play Fan-Made games surely? But then again, some people say it is "bad for Nintendo", even if you only use it for fan games.

Discuss.
Click to expand...

I think it is, but only for playing Roms. I saw someone show me their r4, and it had A LOT of pirated games on it.
If you run homebrew though, it is not illegal.
 
I know people who never would've purchased devices like the DS or PSP if they hadn't been cracked. Not to say these people still don't buy their games, but a cracked handheld gives you a lot more options than just playing games. There are some great homebrew games and utilities, and the ability to emulate past consoles like the NES, SNES, and GB/GBC (and limited GBA emulation on the PSP, from what I hear). There's also the advantage of not having to carry around dozens of game cards with you, if you're the type who likes to change up the game you're playing relatively often.

While I'm sure there are people who use them to pirate, there are also legitimate uses for R4 and R4-like products as well. In any case, I've read that used game sales à la Gamestop can actually be worse for the revenue of a game company that simple piracy. I have no idea if that's true, but the way Gamestop goes about pushing their used copies on people (when they're really only $5-10 less, and Gamestop probably paid barely anything for it), selling them right alongside the new copies that (for whatever reason) they open to keep the media seperate... etc... etc.

The PSP Go wasn't cracked, and it's failed in the most epic way. Of course, I'm sure part of that was the fact it eliminated physical media, as well... personally I like getting packaging and a manual with my game on a cartridge/disc. The idea of paying full price for an intangible download of a game that's locked to the device it was downloaded to, and only available for re-download as long as the developer feels like making it available? That doesn't appeal to me.
 
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TM2-Megatron, I salute you for saying what everyone else was thinking!

In theory, should ROMs be allowed if you have a legal copy of the game? To save carrying it around?
 
Well, that doesn't make sense with the "own a legal copy of the game". It'd be like having twice the amount of save files, and if you break one you'd still have the other.
 
LucarioAura said:
TM2-Megatron, I salute you for saying what everyone else was thinking!

In theory, should ROMs be allowed if you have a legal copy of the game? To save carrying it around?
Click to expand...

In theory, I don't see a significant difference between having a ROM of a game (if, and only if you have the tech to dump it yourself), and making MP3s or AACs out of your CDs to put on your iPod. In a way, the right to make a backup of your videogames is even more essential... digital copies of songs already exist to be purchased (although I think buying it again would be a bit silly if you already own the CD), but there's no such equivalent offered by videogame companies.

Of course the DMCA in the US prohibits this... technically it even prohibits ripping an audio CD to your computer if it has any protection whatsoever. IMO, that's a ridiculous aspect of the law and one of the reasons why digital copyright law needs to be reformed to balance creator rights with provisions for fair use by the consumer.
 
Gligar13 said:
I think it is, but only for playing Roms. I saw someone show me their r4, and it had A LOT of pirated games on it.
If you run homebrew though, it is not illegal.
Click to expand...

I own working versions of all my pokemon games. I use my R4 type card to play hacked versions of the games on my DS (Things like Pokemon Brown at the moment) which is otherwise impossible. Is this wrong? They already have my money. I have the working games. I'd say no, I don't harm them in any way, nor is my use bad for them.
 
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