It's a funny twist that the R4DS, a product used mostly for pirating games, has found itself now battling it out with counterfeits carts that have infiltrated the market, but we assume that's just how Chinese flashcart companies roll.
Seeking to eliminate its knock-off competition, Team R4 has announced that as of September 15, it will release firmware that will only work on genuine R4 flashcarts, according to a statement translated by GBAtemp. As an added deterrent, users attempting to load the firmware on illegitimate carts could potentially damage their DS permanently, leaving their system unusable.
What if you've unknowingly bought a fake R4 (for running homebrew software, of course) and brick your DS after trying to install the updated firmware? Team R4 has stated that it will not accept responsibility, advising that you contact your "unscrupulous" shop to complain. Thanks, Team R4!
We understand that it's annoying to have all these companies drinking their milkshake, but is this really necessary? Won't this drive away potential R4 customers, not to mention people curious about experimenting with DS homebrew? Make sure to look through our (semi) ultimate homebrew guide if you're interested in finding flashcart alternatives that won't leave your system bricked.
See also: Homebrew Glossary
[Via GBAtemp]
_cg_oct22_kjgfdhd_thumbnail.jpg "Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars")
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
7-03-2008 @ 11:30PM
Sam said...
looks like its time for me to get an evolution, they have a better UI and stuff anyway, good luck in the pirate war, R4!
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7-03-2008 @ 11:51PM
BlackDS said...
Nintendo is laughing all the way to the bank. LOL.
This can only help Nintendo sell it newly released DS Vision.
While Nintendo was quietly contemplating how to eliminate the competition (other flash cards), the competition decided to destroy themselves. :)
Peace.
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7-04-2008 @ 2:34AM
LocalToast said...
I'm importing a DSvision card... looks like a fun addition to my DS collection. :)
7-04-2008 @ 1:36AM
Geoff said...
Why would anyone buy an R4 these days? Real or clone? The CycloDS is *much* better. Sure, it was talk of the R4 that got my curiosity piqued but once I started googling away for R4 and flashcart information it was obvious that while the R4 *was* the top in technology and price that is no longer the case. Is the R4 bad? No. But there are now better options. The CycloDS is the option I went with. http://gbatemp.net has reviews of all of the flashcarts.
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7-04-2008 @ 8:56AM
kronik said...
Kind of frustrating because I doubt anyone bought their R4 in Wallmart. I bought mine in MBK in Bangkok whilst on holiday there. How on earth do you know it's legit or not? Though I very much doubt they could actually brick your DS with a firmware update (cause youre just copying new files to your SD card), it's still pretty ridiculous that they're wasting their time with petty threats...
Nice going R4...
7-04-2008 @ 2:45PM
A Brik said...
They can brick it... as soon as you turn it on with the fake updated R4 inside, the only thing it needs to do is load a bricker, and boom.
If the DS has FlashMe installed, it can be recovered, otherwise you now have a paperweight / spare parts for another DS.
What I'd like to know is how the firmware detects whether or not the R4 is a fake.
7-04-2008 @ 11:22AM
Jamar said...
TTDS is good too.
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7-04-2008 @ 5:38PM
Smootling said...
Psh, r4 is so passe. EDGE-ds all in yo' face.
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7-04-2008 @ 8:01PM
kittykatlaura123 said...
I just hope mine doesn't brick my DS. >.
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7-05-2008 @ 9:45AM
Lord Bowser said...
You pirates make me sick.
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7-05-2008 @ 11:21AM
Christopher said...
Your casual use of the word "pirate" makes me sick. Although there is plenty of that going on, there is legitimate home brew stuff going on as well.
Also, frankly I don't want to have to carry around and keep track of a bunch of cartridges that I OWN. Having them on one cartridge is convenient.
I plan on hacking my PSP because I HAD a copy of Valkyrie Profile. I still have all the stuff, but my daughter somehow lost the UMD. It likely got into the garbage since she sometimes has a messy room. I bought it once and had I had the ability to back-up my OWNED game, I wouldn't have lost it. Now companies like Sony want you to go out and buy it again. I say this is BS. Common wisdom and fair use dictates that I have the right to make back-up copies, yet Sony, Nintendo, and other companies do all they can to prevent it, not ONLY for stopping the pirates because they KNOW they'll never stop pirates because Pirates would never buy in the first place. It's to maximize profit off of the casual user. That's why the DMCA is badly broken. It provides no consumer protections and benefits large corporations.
If a $50 flash cartridge will allow me to exercise my fair use right or backing up my OWNED games, then SO BE IT.
/rant
7-05-2008 @ 11:10AM
Christopher said...
Glad I bought an M3 DS Real. It makes me wonder though because I've read forum posts where people were claiming that the M3 and R4 teams were sharing information between their teams, hence the reason why other than skin they are mostly identical. I wonder how this will affect the homebrew scene on the DS as a whole?
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7-18-2008 @ 7:38PM
Noremakk said...
They should make it brick the fake R4 itself instead of the DS; many, many people have bought (unknowingly) a bad R4 and will have a nasty shock to find that the new update has bricked their DSes.
On the other hand, maybe it's Team R4's way of covering their asses for the next update: "Your update bricked my DS!"
"You must have been using a bad R4."
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8-26-2008 @ 8:11PM
Ondoher Prime said...
i'm still a relatively new DS owner and am planning on getting an "authentic" R4. i've heard of this news a few weeks back, but just how do i know that i am getting an "authentic" R4?
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