Raid yields 2800 'illegal' DS games copying kits
Cops recover buyers' details too
A Cardiff resident was last week found to be in possession of almost 3000 kits that could be used to copy Nintendo DS games.
Some 1800 game copying devices were seized in a raid on a Cardiff shop on 17 December, with 1000 more being found at a private residence, both used by the same man, said to be 21 years old, but who has not yet been named.
The raid was conducted by local police and Trading Standards officials after a tip-off from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (Elspa), who had tracked the seller through online advertisements and bought one of the devices - illegal under the Trademarks and Copyright Act, Elspa claimed - from him.
Elspa claimed the raid also netted details of how the man had acquired the gadgets: imported in four consignments, routed through Heathrow airport. Customs and Excise don't appear to have been overly perturbed at the time.
The organisation also said the raid recovered more than two years of records detailing all the buyers to whom the man sold devices capable of copying console games.
COMMENTS
It's true, you know...
You really can measure the value of something by the amount of space it takes up on disc. That's why 50Gb Blu-ray films cost 70 times as much as a CD of music. Oh, wait, they don't.
hmmmm
I guess it's a good job I had mine flown to me direct from China then! ;)
These things are awesome - I know most people use them to get games for free, but if you fly alot and don't want to have a billion games go missing on the plane/train/hotel then it's great - yes you need to download the rom for it, but it doesn't stop you from owning an original (which I 90% of the time do, since the games are cheap as chips, the other 10% is usually games we can't buy here, and since Sony destroyed liksang, I refuse to import official consoles/games out of principle - my R4 isn't in that list btw! ;) ).
In my mind, it's crazy to have a wifi connectable device but no download service - it cuts down pollution through manufacturing and distribution, so it's green, means you can buy online anywhere in the world with a wifi connection so point of sales convenience arguement is almost dead, memory is cheap so that's not an issue, and they can region lock the devices/games to cope with local law arguements... also cuts out the "parents love this for the kids so don't lose games" arguement.... its a pretty easy solution compared to trying to track the sales of these things throughout the world then sueing them all!
Re: mm R4 chips
AC wrote:
"But the age of the old R4 is on the way out what with the new ds-i region encoding and other drm delights."
Are they entirely insane?
Q: What are the best selling video games in airports
A: DS
Q: Why?
A: Because when you're stuck waiting for a plane that's five hours late, you want something to do *now*, and an XBox/Playstation game will be b*gger all use until you get home (where you'd honestly rather be anyway).
That's a few squillion international dollars down the tube right there, Nintendo.
RE: @ Adam Williamson
Motion control? Are you talking about the DS still or is it the Wii? You seem to be mixing your control systems.
As Adam was attempting to point out -- size does not equal quality; size does not equal fun.
Size does not equal developmental effort, for that matter.
Whilst size might be a *very* rough "finger in the air" approximation of effort, it pretty much means bugger all. If I make a shit game and throw a few GB worth of rendered video and MP3 files at it, does that significantly increase the value or the effort involved?
By your definition, should Duke Nukem Forever should cost more than a Playstation 3 by the time it finally comes out (assuming it ever does)? No, it'll be ~£50 (RRP), because that's the price point for a new release 7th generation console game. Will it be, like, teh bestestest game EVAH(!) for it's decade+ development time and, by your theory, mammoth size? Don't hold your breath.
I'm not particularly interested in how much development time goes in, all I'm interested in is how much FUN a game is.
As an aside, exactly how do you propose fitting that NES and its 40 games in your jacket pocket? Be sure to leave room for the TV too.
If you're going to attempt to back your argument up with "facts", at least make them salient.
Oh, and if you do happen across that "wally badge", save it for yourself.
@ Adam Williamson
Well Fuktard, I wasnt measuring the GAME only the amount of work that went into it.
And with most Nintendo games thats not alot in fact its very little, the work of which can been shown by the amount of new data from the roms on the old nes to current day, they have been selling and reselling their old titles for decades, can you think of a new title because I'm pushed to think of one.
In fact the only new thing they are doing is the hand motion controller and they stole that technology and it really does nothing to improve game play though admittly it is funny when you have a few friend round and make them all jump up and down on the spot like muppets
.
You may as well buy an old 4th hand NES with 40 games for £2.50 because then you will have played every game Nintendo have ever made or ever going to make. And will save you being ripped off time and again.
Thank you for completly missing the point of how the pricing is unfair compared to the amount of development put in and being a complete dick about it.
*\. Hang on I have a wally badge in here some where.
