Nintendo Creates Piracy-Proof Console For China

Thanks to Bloomberg for their story discussing Nintendo's announcement of a new console for China, apparently based on N64 technology. According to the article, "Nintendo will sell the console, called the 'iQue player' for 498 yuan ($60)... To prevent copying... users will download software onto a 64-megabyte flash-memory card at a local [retail] store, paying 48 yuan for each title" - a little like the Lawson partnership Nintendo had in Japan? The piece goes on to explain: "Nintendo will sell Chinese-language versions of software originally designed for the company's older-generation game players such as Nintendo 64."

Comments

Piracy-Proof

[Selfbain]

I love it when they claim something is piracy-proof.

I give it a week.

Re:Piracy-Proof

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, kind of like how it's currently not possible to burn GameCube disc images, which are only now surfacing because of an exploit in a third-party developed game (from Sega, no less).

A week my ass. The GameCube is more than halfway down its lifespan, with Nintendo already prepping its console successor, and no pirates have been able to crack the Cube. Nintendo knows what they are doing.

And no, nothing is piracy-proof, but the Cube has proven that you only have to be piracy-proof long enough for it to matter.

Re:Dumb Idea?

[Smidge204]

Because they won't sell anything else. If you want to play a Nintendo title, then you're going to BUY it.

I agree that there are other consoles to switch to, but that doesn't realy mean it'll effect Nintendo's sales.

You see, Nintendo is to Sony as kumquats are to watermelons. Just because watermelons are larger doesn't mean everyone is going to stop buying kumquats...

...unfortunately I've lost track of the point I was trying to make, but I hope you'll agree that both kumquats and watermelons have their seasons, and that either or both make a fine addition to any table. </DrScience>
=Smidge=

Umm, names been taken

[redune45]

Gamin has had a line of iQue GPS enabled PDAs for a little while now, check out the link

stop piracy how?

[evilWurst]

I'm not seeing how writing to flash cards would stop piracy. If they're already mass producing copied hardware and software, what's to stop them from reverse engineering the custom flash card writer? What's to stop the pirates from running a business selling the service of writing games to your card for 50 cents each?

Hell, this might make it *easier* to pirate by making it all digital. Customer supplies all the equipment, pirate vendor downloads all the games, and the flash writer is probably cheaper than a cd burner and stockpile of CDs, too. They wouldn't need to haul a cart full of CDs around, just a laptop.

Actually...

[Sits]

The custom DVD format the Gamecube uses has been broken and in a manner Nintendo is unlikely to be able to block. Take a look at the fledling GC home brew scene on Dexrose.

Re:Dumb Idea?

[Sits]

why not buy a PS2 and burn games for a couple cents each?

Because they won't be translated into Chinese. I'm sure Sony doesn't like ignoring such a large market but since they make a loss on the console it is very unattractive market to spend money on given that profits come from selling games (which you pointed out will only be pirated).

It looks like Nintendo is willing to go to the effort of translation since they are confident that they have eliminated the piracy problem (whether the whole unpiratable part turns out to be true is anyone's guess though).

read between the lines...

[AzraelKans]

The reason why ordinary people (not devoted hackers that can crack it, download it, burn it themselves mind you) buy pirated instead of original software is because is substantially cheaper. However they know this comes with a degrade in quality (no manual, no internet key, no license, etc) what if a company was able to sell their original software at almost the same price than pirated somehow? per example what about if Nintendos next console (or handheld) came with dvd-rws (or other kind of recording device) that could be recorded at your favorite store? additionally you could get a licence, guarantee and a printed manual? for lets say $10?
Maybe Nintendo is using this as a testbed for such a system before launching it at a bigger scale.
Piracy wouldnt be stopped (thats practically impossible) but it would be seriously hampered though

Reading between the lines this idea is not so bad, I hope though they are considering the testbed they've choosen is bound not to succesful since the software they are "protecting" has already been pirated "ad-nauseum" before. This has a much better chance to succeed with new software that users can freshly obtain at a much better price with a marginal difference to pirated.