Nintendo On the Hunt For More Scalps

rjch writes "After its recent win against mod chip piracy in the Australian Federal courts, Nintendo is now on the prowl for other companies to sue. 'Nintendo will pursue those who attempt to jeopardise the gaming industry by using all means available to it under the law. In particular, Nintendo is currently contemplating bringing further actions against other sellers of game copying devices in Australia.' The game company said since 2008 it had pursued over 800 actions in 16 countries to stop game piracy, confiscating 'well over' half a million game copiers for the Nintendo DS. The company said piracy affected sales, the price of video games, and employment in the video game industry." Reader daria42 sends in a related piece asking whether Nintendo is being too harsh over this and the recent $1.5 million settlement with a man who leaked New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Comments

Right to Tinker.

[headkase]

Conveniently what gets forgotten with "anti-piracy" jackbooting is my right to tinker. I don't give a damn that console makers want to totally lock down "their" systems. It's not "theirs" its mine, I bought it at the store. All this crap preventing me from running Linux on my XBox without screwing up Live (if I wanted it) is bull. Go away, it's mine - you don't like that? In a perfect world it wouldn't be my problem, but hey, we get the best laws money can buy.

Re:Right to Tinker.

[drinkypoo]

By forcing me to share partitions and software and bricking the console on system updates if I make my own Freedom, isn't that tying the issues?

You're not forced to share partitions. You can swap hard disks without even opening the console. Is it arduous to have to do this? Sure. Is there some other way to be sure that you're not using a rootkit to cheat? Nothing that Microsoft is capable of, that's for damned sure. Preventing the user from tampering with the operating system is the only responsible way to control cheating on Xbox Live. It's also the only way to ensure that users aren't taking content which Microsoft has promised will be protected out of the system. And of course it doesn't actually ensure that, but it does raise the bar considerably.

If you want to mess with the system, that is your right, as you say. And if Microsoft wants to ban you from Xbox Live as a result of messing with the system, that is their right. And if you don't want them to restrict you in this way, you have the option to not purchase their product. As I previously stated, purchasing the system is simply voting for the status quo. True, you can buy the system used; but if you want to purchase DLC (or for that matter, download game updates) you're going to have to follow the stated rules. Under capitalism, spending money is the most important type of vote you can cast. You get one vote per dollar. Capitalism is a kind of tyranny of the masses (who have a bunch of money if you count them en masse) and the asses — the robber barons who have all the cash. The masses want a locked-down Xbox Live, to which there are real benefits. But you're not forced to own the system, or use the service, so who's really being hurt here? The only way you can be injured is if you vote for injury. If you wanted a more open system, why didn't you buy one?

And before you ask, yes, I would love to be able to run Linux on my Xbox 360 without tampering with using Live. But since I can't, I guess if I really wanted to run Linux and have limited use of the hardware in the Xbox 360, I'd buy one of the many systems banned from Live for modification, which includes a modchip. These systems can't use Xbox Live, so they won't be getting the system update that blocks Free60... although Free60's root page is 404, fun fun fun.

Homebrew 90% of the reason I bought a DS

[Scoth]

Personally, looking at what homebrew was available and such for a DS was a large portion of the reason I bought it in the first place. I also got good use out of DSLinux for random stuff until I got my ipod touch (jailbroken, of course) which gives me everything dslinux has and more.

It's a shame there's not a better way to separate out the homebrew and piracy. Although I suppose Nintendo probably wouldn't like the homebrew either since it's "competition"

Spectrum of Headlines

[eldavojohn]

Nintendo On the Hunt For More Scalps

Certainly one way to look at it. Here's a spectrum of possible headlines:

• Nintendo Promises Investors That Sales Will Be Protected
• Nintendo Goes on Offensive to Protect Bread and Butter
• Nintendo Values Low Percentage of Sales Over Homebrew
• Nintendo Sets Legal Precedent, Proceeds to Push the Envelope with More Prosecutions
• Nintendo On the Hunt For More Scalps
• After Realizing Its Bloodlust Has Not Yet Been Satiated, Nintendo Creaks Open Its Coffin to Aim Its Legion of Lawyers on More Third Party Companies Just Looking to Make a Buck by Helping Hobbyists Only to Be Raped by Nintendo in Front of Their Own Children By Way of the Twisted "Justice" System the World Has Come to Embrace

So, congratulations, you had one final step to go before I would have considered your headline over the top or 'spin.'

Re:Then vote with your $$$ for tinkerable devices

[headkase]

Where I'm coming from is that it's mine, it's sitting in my living room. I actually can live without Live if it came to that but here's where they get me: someday there will be a system update. This proverbial update will brick my hardware because it assumes that I don't own it. All I'm asking for is a menu option: "Boot other OS" It's simple, and if mandated by government - you know Microsoft won't do it - then there is zero percent chance the proverbial system update will take away my hardware.