Topic: Counter the Cubic Ninja

Today it has been brought to our attention that people owning cubic ninja can play homebrew thanks to an exploit related to a QR code. So I've been thinking how nintendo can counter this, it is clear that a certain data structure is required for it to work properly, needing some data on the SD card in specific locations. What could nintendo do against it in order to counter the piracy movement on the 3DS.
I think a patch for cubic ninja is unlikely, however not running the 3DS if the SD card has certain file types and files on it sounds like a more realisitc thing. What are your opinions, should nintendo do something, (Cubic ninja sold only 50 k units (VGchartz) opposed to millions of 3DS systems)

Probably to just let it go.

And this is very my attention starts to dwindle. Using VGChartz for any kind of argumentation is about as good as simply making up numbers of your own.

The game got pulled from the Japanese eShop and EB Games in Aus, so there's some effort to minimise this. I can see a system update being issued, but doubt a patch for the game, because it would waste resources. Plus, Cubic Ninja doesn't seem like a good game and a patch for it probably wouldn't add anything good, so people using the exploit wouldn't be interested in it like they might for a system update. It's also more difficult to accidentally update a game than your console. The amount of NINJHAX users that would actually update Cubic Ninja is next-to-none, so I don't think Nintendo will use resources on it, not over a system update. I think it's more likely Ubisoft would update the game, if anything.

Piracy has existed on the 3DS for a while, so I don't think that this makes it more worrying, though NINJHAX is getting more coverage than the piracy devices and probably getting more people interested in 3DS exploits...

why do anything?

consoles with homebrew and piracy sell really good.

Because in exchange, games sell worse.

seriously that's not really true. it just adds pirates to the consoles community. not many people who already own that console will start pirating once the consoles allows it. there are still enough people who buy the games.

People who didn't buy the console before homebrew weren't going to buy games anyway, and people who already owned the console and bought games for it are unlikely to start pirating.

The impact on sales will be very insignificant.

You don't sell 154 million systems without piracy so, for companies like Nintendo who make their own consoles, piracy is a blessing. Yes you may sell LESS games (although it's debatable: if a console has 150+ million users you're always going to sell well, even if most of them are pirates - see PS2) but what you lose in actual software sales, you make up for it in hardware sales x50.

Yeah, I don't think any of us are really in the position to ultimately determine how bad this kind of piracy is. A lot of people's intuition is that it's quite bad for the business. That could well be true. Or we could just think that because that's the narrative we're constantly fed by companies who have an interest in just retaining control. Maybe it's only a tiny negative effect that isn't worth talking about or maybe it somehow doesn't end up causing any harm, because as spizzamarozzi says, it can increase hardware sales. In my own case, I did buy a PSP purely because I wanted a portable emulator.

I have a copy of cubic ninja, but haven't used it to homebrew with and wont until something worth playing gets released. Like Dezzy I also purchased a PSP Go which is perfect for playing your snes and other emulated games (that you own). If someone wants to emulate, don't do it one your 3DS I guess is what I'm saying.

If The 3DS ever got to DS style piracy then software sales will be hugely effected.

Everyone and there mum were using R4 cards to pirate games on the DS.

No joke but on my daily commute to work every day I saw people with DS machines and majority of people were using flashcards.

I remember being in a game shop looking at DS games and a member of staff even told me to that I shouldn't waste my money and instead I should just get a Flashcard.

1. affected

2. Hardware sales will go through the roof

How close did you get to them to be able to see what cart was in their system?

But it's the software that makes the most profit.
Seriously, this whole 'but the hardware sells better' excuse is BS.

Did they manage to get rid of all the new unsold copies of Cubic Ninja?

Sitting opposite someone, not hard to see that they have a flashcart in the DS.

My aunt who is not tech savvy at all downloaded all DS games for her two sons.

Piracy on the DS was huge, yes it creates hardware sales but that's no good if software sales are greatly reduced.

Nintendo doesn't get a lot of money for console sales, it's the Gillette way of sales :"Give away the razors to make money on the blades."
I really want Nintendo to succeed, and the company is slowly getting back on its feet. I hope people will realize this and pay for what they play.
I know some people don't share my opinion and yes I pirated games when I was 14 and did not have the cash to buy them. But these days I buy all games I play.
Even though I don't finish them all

Piracy is bad for Nintendo and requires them to counter it with system updates etc. Which is great because if you don't have knowledge of how to adjust and patch things you basically are left in the dark. I was in a Mediamarkt three weeks ago and I love to suggest what games people should buy for their kids, and I caught wind of an employee of mediamarkt promoting flash cards that can be acquired online. I thought to myself, I hope this kid wants 3DS games instead of DS games, cause then the parent would still have to pay.

if software generates way more money than the hardware (which it does), it means that the games we are buying are hugely overpriced (which they are).

I don't pirate because I have zero knowledge of computers, so even installing an emulator on a PSP is quantum physics to me, but all this moralism about piracy and how it's screwing up the industry disgusts me. The videogame industry has never been so wealthy, and now that they have invented pre-orders, premium editions, GOTY editions, DLCs, season passes and online services based on a fee, they have so many ways to give you a fiver with one hand and get a 50 out of your pocket with the other.

so yeah let's go on youtube and steal some music, so we can save the money to buy games.

No, it means that profit margin on consoles are very low to even negative. The games NEED to be this price to sell, otherwise the developers have to go in the microtransactions territiry (which is why the industry's as big as it is right now). Whether the are overpriced is up for debate, but all games I've bought for my 3DS were worth every penny one of those 4000 pennies.

Whether or not you think it's worth it's a useless information - many people believe cocaine is worth the price, some people don't.

I remind you that nowdays advertising costs probably as much (sometimes more, see COD) than the actual production costs of the game - so when you spend 4000 pennies, sometimes you're paying more for the advertisement than the actual content of the game you have purchased. .

Most of the times, games get sold for half their original price or less a mere 6 months after their release - are these games sold at a loss or at a not-so-profitable-price?!

Also, an average AAA videogame costs as much as an average AAA film. Who decided that the game has to cost £50 and the film only £15 per BlueRay or £6 per ticket?!