3DS' automatic anti piracy measures emerge

[wraggster]

Nintendo president Saturo Iwata has stated that the 3DS will automatically download firmware updates – a method that the exec hopes will help combat Nintendo’s handheld piracy problems.
Andriasang reports that the functionality will be included as part of the SpotPass feature set, which allows 3DS machines to autonomously connect to wi-fi hotspots and download content without requiring user intervention.
The platform holder has confirmed that over 1,000 retailers will house wi-fi capable 3DS hotspots, and the same may occur in the UK.

This will even occur if the device is in sleep mode. Nintendo has taken the decision, it says, because users are not very proactive at manually updating their hardware.
In addition, the larger usable ROM size of DS software will allow for the automatic updating of firmware when users insert new games into the device.

http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/304...easures-emerge

[LDAsh]

This is interesting, considering that lately it only takes a number of days for flashcart folks to get around the DSi updating, as if nothing happened. This sounds like more of absolute prevention, rather than just causing an inconvenience.

So, I wonder what happens if the user won't or can't update their 3DS? New games won't work, old games stop working or are limited? I live in a small fishing town where folks never done heard of no "wifi". If I'm not home or 700KM away in the nearest city, I ain't's got no wifi, so I wonder what will happen to my 3DS when I don't have the latest official updates.

...will allow for the automatic updating of firmware when users insert new games into the device.

Will "allow" or will "force", I wonder.

[JDvorak]

The Sony PSP won't use Media Go or the PSP store unless you are on firmware 6.2 or up so this could kill all you dsware store downloads. But what if they came out with a flash cart that disabled the wifi altogether then it wouldn't update. But yes that could cause games to stop working as well unless that same cart had a boot that fooled the system into thinking it was on a certain version of the firmware so the games that required that version would boot.