[game_edu] R4 the Win!

[Casey O'Donnell]

On Feb 7, 2008 3:34 AM, Mike Reddy <Mike.Reddy at newport.ac.uk> wrote:

> YOu may have seen recent stories, then retractions re ELSPA quoting 90%

> piracy in the US for the DS with R4 cards. I'd like to do some quick and

> dirty research into this. Therefore, could you in your next set of

> classes ask the following questions and get a tote of hands up:


So, in all fairness to ELSPA, they may have been misquoted (Comment #5
on Blog below). Regardless, the article got out like that and might be
used to mobilize forces against companies that create these devices.
Nintendo has been shutting down these companies throughout China.
(You'll notice that http://www.r4ds.com/world-en.htm no longer lists
any locations where to buy it, when several months ago it listed
several.)

I blogged similarly about all of this:
http://www.ishotthecyborg.com/?p=77


> 1) Do you own a DS Original (Phat) or Lite?

Yes... Both.


> 2) Have you heard of the R4 cartridge?

Yes. As well as several others.


> 3) Do you know that it is used for home brew DS software?

Yes. This is why I think they are important devices. I tend to think
that the DS is precisely the kind of device that students should be
developing games for (and John Carmack seems to agree:
http://www.ishotthecyborg.com/?p=49) because of its interesting
capabilities and its limitations.

Unfortunately these devices are illegal to sell because they
circumvent the DMCA (Yes, I know country X thinks it's stupid (and so
do most Americans), but Nintendo is arresting people based on our
laws, so it still matters).


> 4) Do you know that it can be used to give access to all your games in

> one cartridge?

I've heard this, but never tried it.


> 5) Do you know that it can be used to pirate games that you don't own?

I've heard this, but never tried it.


> 6) Do you own one?

I own several R4s and other similar devices, hoping to lend them to
students interested in learning with/through them.

Casey

-- 
Casey O'Donnell
RPI STS Department - PhD Candidate

http://homepage.mac.com/codonnell/