R4 behind massive drop in DS sales

[wraggster]

Nintendo has blamed piracy devices like the R4 for a massive drop in DS game sales.

In June 2009, Nintendo monitored ten overseas websites allowing visitors to illicitly download DS software. 238 million downloads took place, equating to one trillion yen (£7 billion) in lost sales, Asahi reports.

European DS software sales fell 45 per cent between April and December 2009. During the same period, US and Japanese sales declined by eleven per cent and seven per cent respectively.

Game copying devices like the R4 circumvent console anti-piracy systems, allowing users to play software illegally downloaded from the internet.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=243439?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS

[Sonny_Jim]

Nintendo has blamed piracy devices like the R4 for a massive drop in DS game sales.

No surprise there...



In June 2009, Nintendo monitored ten overseas websites allowing visitors to illicitly download DS software

What? If they knew illegal downloading was going on, why did they do nothing to stop it? Just so they could moan about it later?



European DS software sales fell 45 per cent between April and December 2009.

Erm, isn't it more to do with the fact that most DS titles are shovel ware at the moment?

[strigoi]

..or how about the fact that they seem to release a new version of the same handheld every couple months?

DS "phat"
DS lite
DSi
DSi xl
3DS

[LDAsh]

The 3DS won't be "just another DS", it is a new platform. I don't think anyone will need to worry about this issue with the 3DS, because something tells me Nintendo will make sure there's no chance of this extent of piracy with it.

Sadly that also means no homebrew, and no independently developed games.

[Lastron]

Its all true. Use your brains. If you download a game then whoever made it wont get a penny. Im sorry to say that we all know many people over the internet and in real life who download games illegaly. Some of the other posters here might <_< Its realy obvious it would have a big impact. Look at the statistics. There. Can you argue with them? Sure probably 2/3 of the downloaders would never get the games unless they were free but there is still a large impact!

Also getting sites pulled isnt as easy as you think.
If you cant contact the site owners or their hosts then even nintendo is basicly screwed. They still make a mint though :/

[indaman]

The 3DS won't be "just another DS", it is a new platform. I don't think anyone will need to worry about this issue with the 3DS, because something tells me Nintendo will make sure there's no chance of this extent of piracy with it.

Sadly that also means no homebrew, and no independently developed games.

Well... if they plan to have DS retro-compatibility on the 3DS...

I'm pretty sure DS flashcarts will have their place on the 3DS, but only for DS game of course,

Yes, cartridge authenticity checks will certainly be much harder, but flashcarts will improve their accuracy on giving what the 3DS wants to hear... and voila...

This is just my opinion, might or might not happen, wait and see.

[heatheriac]

I am focusing on purely non-Nintendo-esque homebrew apps for my cart, such as portable organizer, art programs, twitter, and irc. Things that if Nintendo wanted to do, they could easily make and market to a certain niche market. The DS is capable of tons more things than any developer has actually made use of. Even the internal Pictochat could have gone to the point of global chatrooms.