21/21. Dang I didn’t know we were scored on time too. I was talking to my kids as I read through and answered this. Could have definitely come in under a minute.
@russell-marlow I don’t think most people have a problem with the game looking more modern. I think it’s more that the game looks really low budget, like a mobile game. To me it doesn’t look to have much soul. The AI sounding narrator in the trailer isn’t very confidence inspiring either.
@sleepinglion I watched some videos on “A Final Unity” a few years ago, and ever since I have been hoping it gets a Steam or GOG release. It looks exactly like what a Star Trek game should look and play like. Seems like most of the Trek games of the last 20 years or so are action games or fleet command games, which seem contrary to the shows which were philosophical and explored ideas about fantastic possibilities, stuff that made your brain work, stuff that made you ask questions or think in new ways… filled with epic dialogue and even the routines and themes of every day life for normal people with real personalities.
@GrailUK To be fair I have that problem with a lot of modern games too that aren’t even QTE games. I tried playing this MMORPG the other day and you didn’t even have to walk to your quests, it just auto walked you around the play area to go to the next person in the story. I tried modern “action” games and just gave up in boredom as every place I went had me do random stuff on the controller for no reason, like “climb up this rope by alternating pressing R1 and L1 back and forth” or “to open the valve spin the right thumbstick in a circular motion”. Its like everywhere you go there is a new thing you have to learn a controller input for, you can’t just play the game. That combined with a 1 hour opening tutorial and then repeated tutorials throughout the game… then combine that with hours of dialogue and cinematic scenes that are not intriguing or memorable… just feels like watching a badly made movie that interrupts any attention you might have had with the story by making you do random chores.
Imagine paying $60 for a DVD of a Power Rangers level production and every 30 seconds they paused the video and you had to waggle your hands in the air for 30 seconds…
Just a heads up, despite the presentation of the article, this isn’t a Switch focused controller. It is marketed as a PC controller and the controller has modes that support Windows, Android, iOS, MacOS, Switch, and Switch 2. Given 4 of the supported systems games generally default to ABXY and the Amazon listing calls it a PC controller, the layout makes sense.Also worth noting the listing says they will be selling a Nintendo layout version of the buttons separately if swapping to that system is something players want to do.
Not sure why the article is painting this controller as Switch controller that got the button placement wrong. It is a multisystem controller that prioritized button placement based on the the default most of the supported systems use.
@B3RTAY I have visited Japan a few times. And while I can see saying that it does happen with Japanese people too as true… it is also far less common and not characteristic of life in Japan. Where as we in the west and other regions of the globe outside of Japan are more used to people being disruptive. If I called the cops here in the states, because someone bought a lot of Happy Meals, the cops would come arrest me for wasting their time. So I think you have to admit there is a stark cultural difference in acceptable public behavior.
Not to say Japanese people aren’t rude, but they are rude in their own way, that typically isn't loud and boisterous.
@Coalescence The thing is.. this wasn't a Japanese thing. It was a Chinese visiting or temporarily living in Japan thing. That is why this story blew up. Culturally Japanese were very upset this was happening to them, because this isn't common or accepted at all there. People were literally calling the police because McDonalds sold too many Happy Meals to single individuals. The police were actually responding to these calls with concern, because that is how deep something like this is not accepted in Japan. You do not liter in Japan, you do not cut the line in Japan, and apparently you do not buy up all the Pokemon Happy Meals in Japan.
If you go to Twitter and translate the Japanese comments all of them are asking why Chinese people are being so rude, why they don't have any shame, why can't they follow the rules, why are they always being disruptive. All of the pictures and videos that made this story a thing that reached Nintendolife, are about Chinese people in Japan, not Japanese people. This isn't something you will see normally in Japan.. other than the example you gave of westerners.. however this cultural difference, it isn't just westerners, it also includes people from other countries in Asia such as China and the Philippines or any other country that generally has more disruptive people.
@HeadPirate Its 2025 and no one thinks house flippers or landlords are heroes.
As to your second point, these are not poor people struggling to get by. These are people that had enough money to travel from China to Japan and take lengthy vacations there or even live there.
@GrailUK Why would anyone feel compelled to ask permission in this scenario? There has never been cultural precedent for seeking permission for this outside of Nintendo’s bizarre behavior the last several years. It is clearly bad optics and bad morals on Nintendo’s part. First off all they go after the small guys only, that can’t defend themselves so they have to bow down. And the fact that it is a charity event puts the real nail in the coffin. Large corporate media organizations cover Nintendo in events, shows, and programming all the time, and have never asked permission nor was it ever seen as relevant or courteous to ask permission. Nintendo doesn’t dare go after them, because they know darn well they are covered under fair use and they have the funds to defend themselves properly and set legal history that future judges will rely on. In the cases where corporate media does have a deal in place to cover specific video games, it is generally the video game’s IP holder requesting that their product be covered, usually with the IP holder paying to have their game shown.
@SalvorHardin There are no AK47s, everything is a made up in universe or in licensed universe weapon, and no one dies as the characters you play as are just holographic projections like a Holodeck in Star Trek. People are having fun, I know most of us here are old, but we don't need to constantly yell at clouds .
@Fiergala Yeah I noticed this when I was reading some comments about the Apple lawsuit a few months ago. There were dozens of people in the comments complaining that Fortnite teaches gambling to kids and that ws their justification for the game being evil. I am guessing they never played the game and thought Fortnite is like some of those other mega popular games with loot crates.. which it isn't, it has no gambling mechanics at all. Just people raging because something is popular and it isn't for them.
@roy130390 This is definitely true. My kids got me to play Fortnite with them about 1 year ago. Since then they have gotten into so many cool franchises from my childhood because Fortnite introduced them. Now those franchises have a lot more new fans, and younger fans, so they can live on, and my kids and I have a lot more to bond over.
@Mocznik I agree with most of what you have said especially about Nintendo fans. I don’t necessarily agree about Steam. Steam actually has taken down games and denied access to redownloads to people who purchased the game full price. This was done in several cases at the request of the game’s developer. Perhaps they don’t have the appropriate contracts in place, but anyway you cut it that is bad for consumers. As far as I am aware that has never happened with Nintendo and fully purchased games.
Historically “zero problems with returns” is not the case, it was only recently they had a solid return policy. And even that policy people are upset with, if memory serves me correctly you have a 2 hour play limit. Some games take almost that just to get to the actual game play part. I have other people say they go grab lunch while the game loads up and by the time they get back and try out the game, they have passed the limit, because Steam counts idle time as game play (that is a pet peeve of mine for a completely separate reason, I have games on my profile that say I have 30 hours logged, because I booted up the menu just to see what the game was about and forgot my PC was running for a couple days lol.)
User friendly I can’t agree with either.
Their Steam client on Windows PC is still 32bit running in a wrapper, which causes endless bugs and slow downs.
Valve is notorious for running their company understaffed, and due to this also notorious for taking years to, or just never fixing bugs.
Steam Deck, their own hardware along with Steam OS launched in a state that should have never been introduced to consumers. To this day years after launch it is still more buggy than any day one console release. And I am not talking about game compatibility, I am talking about the OS and hardware. It still has problems connecting to displays. It still has problems with boot loops. I have owned 4 Steam Decks and 2 of them had missing drivers new out of the box that I had to troubleshoot myself and jump into the terminal. In one of those cases, for some reason, Firefox wasn’t even on the desktop OS, so I had to troubleshoot how to even get on the internet before I could troubleshoot before I could troubleshoot the driver issues. Going by the posts I got my answers from, my situation was not unique. The UI for SteamOS gaming mode is still not complete. There are many things/software buttons you can’t access without a keyboard and mouse or touch screen.. meaning if you are playing on a TV with a controller, you are out of luck, those features are not available. Basically the hardware has been for sale for years but it is still in what competitors would consider an alpha state.
This is coming from someone who primarily games on Steam and has over 600 games in their Steam Library, so I am a fan, I just don’t think it is the golden child like many seem to think. Actually most of what you said about Nintendo fans can be applied to Steam fans, they are very zealous.
@Daniel36 This is actually very culturally appropriate if you are familiar with 80s Japanese corporate culture. Direct and aggressive are the two best words to describe it. Perhaps they are circling back? It worked very well for them then.
(My comment is directly relating to your observation, not related to the story about the knife incident. That is not common culturally in Japan unless it was gang related.)
@AllBLK To be fair Nintendo was the last console company to do the game key card thing. Xbox and PlayStation were the first and no one seemed to care, despite disks being much cheaper to produce than chip based ROM cartridges. Used to be we had multi disk games, now we have “Game Key Disks” lol. Xbox and PlayStation were also the first to do an all digital console, while Nintendo still hasn’t even mentioned the idea of making an all digital system. Nintendo also made it fairly easy to let people borrow your digital games. Nintendo also still lets you redownload your digital games going all the way back to its first digital marketplace on the Wii in 2005.
Steam seems to always get praised as some kind if consumer champion… despite the fact that it only offers digital games, and despite the fact that it has pulled customer purchased games from its store, disabling them from being redownloaded.
So it seems weird that on some of these topics, Nintendo is the punching bag. I guess it is the Apple effect, when people hate you just because you are popular and liked by the mainstream.
To be clear though I am against what Nintendo is doing here and irritated with both Nintendo and world governments for not protecting consumers. Just not understanding why only Nintendo gets the pitch fork mobs while all the other platforms are left alone. We should be upset with all these companies.
@BenAV Not really, especially these days people get caught up in the hype of what everyone else is buying and then they end up with buyer’s remorse and want to sell.
@TrogdorTheBurninator I don’t play the game myself, but I was blown away by how smooth it was watching my kids play it on Switch 2 compared to Switch 1.
@Paddle1 All depends. The Android and iPhone build is different than the console builds. I have an M series iPad and it can run Fortnite at high frame rates, but the details and graphics are lower quality than what you see on the console or PC versions and there is no way to toggle them to a higher quality (there is a selection, but the highest setting is no where close visually to even medium settings on PC) even though an M series iPad could certainly handle it. However that is simply how they made the mobile build, low detail with high FPS options if your mobile device is powerful enough. Regardless of how overkill your iGPU is you won't be able to get good graphics. So far the Switch 2 build seems to go in the opposite direction. High detail low frames.
From what I remember the Switch 1 Fortnite was a custom build based on the mobile version but with settings tweaked specifically for Switch and the interface designed to resemble the other console versions. We could see another custom build, this time likely based on the console versions. It is yet to be seen if this build will allow a lot of customization in future updates, or if the developers will try to lock in on a specific look and settings. Right now it seems they are focused on high detail 60fps game play.
@SuperRetroArt It’s hilarious that you said “your device”.. as if you are going along with Nintendo saying you don’t own the physical hardware you bought. Can’t get anymore self defeating than that. People put alternative operating systems on their hardware for other things besides piracy. Many do it to get more use out of the device they bought, like a more open and flexible OS such as Android or Linux. People use them for servers for hosting their photos or movies.Tablets for their kids, etc. Its crazy in 2025 corporations have gotten so many people on the “you will own nothing and like it” bandwagon, so they can enrich themselves via the loss of consumer rights.
@DennisLofgren I don’t know about all their products, but when their first main product debuted, their capture card, there were a lot of complaints that they just re-shelled a USB 2.0 digital camera capture device that was to slow for gamers to use.
@MrDocena I don’t know about going head to head with 8bitdo or quality. Their main claim to fame is their capture cards which are always critically panned for bad performance and buggy software, and their controller… which is made by 8bitdo.
@Jemae Do we know how many Switch 2s are available? They said they can’t fulfill 2 million orders, so it is a number less than 2 million that will be sold week 1 in Japan.
Was Switch 1 sold out in Japan week 1? I don’t recall, but I would imagine it was, since it was sold out in the States and the system didn’t have region locking.
If these assumptions are true, then we really have no idea how well the Switch 2 is selling compared to the Switch 1, all we know is they both sold out of available stock.
-Edit I just checked some old news stories and Switch 1 broke records selling out in 3 minutes in Japan. So 300k units was the available stock for week 1, we have no idea what potential sales were or what available stock is for Switch 2 in Japan. So we don’t know what system is more in demand. President said 2 million requests far out numbers the available units, so could be somewhere around 300k units for Switch 2 as well.
Have they stated what technology they are using for the sticks? If not, there is still hope for TMR sticks. However I would take even a more durable ALPs stick. Hall Effect are said to last longer before getting drift (yes it is still possible to get drift on hall effect), but the exchange price is less accuracy and a noticeable amount of lag. I have tried a few hall effect controllers, but they are not dependable enough for me in some games, rather just use ALPs.
I paid more for my Steam Deck and my Legion Go. Neither of them can play any 3D games at 4K. Neither of them can play any 3D game at 120hz unless you render them down to Atari 2600 quality. The Steam Deck gets me 1-2 hours on battery. The Legion Go gets me 30 mins-1 hour on battery. Neither of them included a dock. My Steam Decks fan is noticeably audible. My Legion Go is absurdly loud. Neither one of them give me the option for physical games. The upside is they can double as a PC, but as just a handheld game system they are behind.
It’s plain to see the Switch 2 can play games better than the competition and at a lower price.
I play 50% Switch and 50% Steam Deck, and I have to say, the estimated hours on the Deck are not realistic.
2 hours on the Deck is what the average player will see as a maximum as apposed to the suggested starting point. The real starting point is about 1 hour with demanding games. In 2D games you can squeeze 3 hours out if you lower the watts in the settings. I have never heard of anyone actually getting 8 hours, or even 5 hours. Maybe if you were sitting in a static menu at lowest screen brightness with the watts set to the lowest setting. The lowest you can set the APU is 5 watts (even light 2D indie games struggle to run at that setting) and the rest of the system will draw 8 watts. So you are looking at a minimum of 13 watts being drawn. The OLED model has the highest capacity battery at 50 watt hours. Meaning the absolute technical maximum battery life you could get is 4 hours.
Contrast that with real world Switch OLED use, and 2-3 hours seems to be the bottom end while playing the most demanding games. The average player is going to see 4-5 hours. If you are being conservative with lite 2D games 5-6 hours. And if you are just sitting in a static menu at lowest screen brightness 8 hours.
So yeah the two companies are putting out suggested gameplay hours that are off, but Valve is wildly off. The OLED Deck should be 1-2 hours suggested gameplay and the OLED Switch 2-5 hours.
It has to be a chat button. That sound effect is a cross of a walkie talkie chirp and a Mii gibberish voice. Now that we know the new Pro Controller will have a headphone jack, it all makes sense.
@HeadPirate I think you are jumping the gun. They don’t say anywhere that you can’t keep doing things the old way. So far it seems this is a different new optional feature. They haven’t said it replaces the old family sharing.
Also as the other commenter said, in my experience and what is posted in Nintendo’s guide, if you only own one copy of the game, only one copy can be played. When you connect to the internet it checks to see if someone is already using a copy of the game. I have a family with 4 Switches and this has always been the case with every game for us. If you were getting around this somehow, that doesn’t mean Nintendo is now suddenly taking something away if they fix an exploit. Nintendo doesn’t have the right to let you play 2 copies of a third party game if you only bought 1 copy. They would get sued by the rights holders of the game for distributing free copies and not paying licensing fees.
So in the end, all that was shared in the Direct is that something new is coming. Grabbing your so called pitch fork before you know you if you are losing anything or because a bug was fixed is a bit silly.
Many of these companies play into it, they know the more people that can't get the items the more lust it will create and more demand, guaranteeing restocks to sell out as well. Some companies intentionally short their launch stock. I don't think that is the case here as the Pokemon company was doing this in an attempt to stop scalpers. In this case I think it was just a case of incompetence. Anyway, the only solution is to flood the market and put scalpers out of business. Most companies will never do this though as it will mean less sales and even worse their precious image may be ruined if product doesn't sell out, it will be seen that their product is no longer in demand. However it is only so long until consumers get fed up and turn to reproductions or other products or just leave.. and when that happens, the scalper market also drops out, leaving the product vendor with a total and abrupt market shrink. It will be their own fault too for being greedy.
Tired of division and politics ruining everything. Just give us the roster we had back in the day. Anyone is free to dislike anyone they want and it may even be warranted, but it doesn't mean we have to remove playable characters from games, especially when those games are supposed to be remasters, not rereleases with less content. Heck these companies are already cutting enough stuff on their own because they are too cheap to pay developers to complete the game.
This game is one of the most fun beat em up games I have ever played, and it is one of the few that I can play from beginning to end over and over again without getting bored. If you read the reviews, most of the ones that seem to dislike this game are really weird hardline DD fans that don’t like any mechnical changes from the classic games (which is really bizarre because the classic games never really stuck to any mechanics and constantly changed things up).
I am near end game on my first ever play. I feel like it’s okay. I am not super thrilled or excited, but I am getting through it so that means it is compelling enough. I think if I had played the game as a kid I would have found it fantastical and amazing. Even more so if it was my first time travel game as a kid. I am sure for the many who did play as a kid, it pulls hard on their heart strings, bringing them back to another era, an era of wonder and imagination. I assume for many it was one of their first RPGs which gives it even more power. Had I played it back when it came out though, I had already been through many RPGs and many games with the time travel element (an element I do enjoy very much), so it wouldn’t have hit me that hard, but I would surely have very fond memories. Next, I am looking forward to what Chrono Cross holds and to see what carries over from Trigger on how they are related. That one had me more interested (despite me mainly being an 8 and 16 bit guy), but I told myself I had to play Trigger first. Probably the music intriguing me there, as I haven’t heard as much praise for Cross as Trigger, I assume Trigger is the better of the two?
@LadyCharlie “art isn’t important”. That is a super heavy opinion to have, ironically despite being “data is all that matters” the argument presented is illogical and non factual. I think you would find more support if you made it clear that your argument comes from a political viewpoint, rather than trying to pass it off as hard facts. We are all humans and can understand people have different perspectives and feelings. However making a statement that “changing art doesn’t matter” is outright incorrect. Perhaps it does not matter to you, but obviously it matters to many. Change is change, period. Change can be good and change can be bad. It is up to the individual to decide their feelings on the changes, if they are good or bad, but no matter what they are indeed changes and they do affect the game. Video games are not just controller inputs. Gaming is not programming. Gaming is interacting with media.
@The21zonz You made a statement as if it was factual. Your statement was absolutely false though. So please if you are just guessing based on what you read from other people just guessing, don’t post it as if it was fact.
What generation or how current an emulator is, has nothing whatsoever to do with whether it is legal or illegal. It is legally acceptable to release an emulator for Switch 2 the same day the Switch 2 launches, if the dev could work that fast. Emulation is legal. What is not legal is things that go against copyright (like stealing copyrighted blocks of code) or things that go against DMCA rules (like cracking copy protection). Previous Switch emulators were accused of breaking DMCA rules. However even that was not proven, as they settled with Nintendo (a legal ruling was not made). Also since that settlement was made, Switch emulators based on the same code have continued to be distributed as the code was open source. Nintendo has not shut these emulators down as the author states in the title. Nintendo only stopped the original developer by making an agreement with that developer. Nintendo actually created the opposite effect to what they were seeking… by cutting off the head of the emulator, several more grew in its place and now Nintendo has a hydra to face. Most of these hydra heads have doubled down, making sure to follow emulation laws to the letter. It is very unlikely Nintendo will be able to stop emulation of the current on shelf Switch 1 unless somehow they convinced governments to write up new laws supporting Nintendo’s viewpoint. They could stop or slow down Switch 2 emulation, by having better system security.. but every console manufacturer has worked towards that goal and history so far has shown even the best measures only buy a temporary wall, as that wall will fall with time.
So to reiterate… how current a video game system is has nothing to do with any laws surrounding emulation. That is something completely made up by random people on the internet, who misunderstood the argument others were making… The argument that emulating a currently sold system is immoral. As we know, morals are personal and differ from person to person. Morals are not laws, and they have no power in courts.
@LadyCharlie When did Nintendo ever make that statement? Seems like you are just implanting your personal preferences as the gospel truth. The fact is there are several games you can play online without a Nintendo Online subscription. However if you want access to all the classic library of Nintendo games with their special Nintendo Online features, you have to have a subscription. So it seems the real world implications lean the other way around.
@ryan_nil Good call. I have the first map book he ever produced and bizarrely he chose to publish in a 5x7 size which is absolutely tiny and you can’t see anything on any of the maps. I hadn’t realized this when ordering and my intent was to use the book to actually play games with it by my side, so it turned out being useless to me. At least the new book is 8x11, but yeah digital may be the way to go.
@timp29 "employ lots of people" Valve is actually known for having an extremely minimal staff compared to other companies its size. Sometimes that is not ideal as they have been known to take forever to fix bugs or roll out new promised features. So I could actually see this as being an honest mistake. Generally I don't think PC gamers hold them to as high a standard as console gamers hold their companies to. The Steam Deck as much as I love it was not fit for release when it went on sale. Though they have released constant patches and things are much improved, it is still full of bugs across the system software (and I am not talking about running the games themselves). In its current highly patched and mended state, if it were to launch today as a "console", I think it would be highly panned by gamers and reviewers alike for how unstable it is. However it is a "PC" and those are held to different standards.
@AmyZiegfeld It will be a new localization. The guy that owns the rights to the original localization has reached out to the Lunar Remastered publisher in hopes of getting the original added as an option. However I wouldn't count on it, despite Victor (the owner of the original localization) throwing out kind words and promises of a low price deal right now, in the past he has been notoriously difficult to work with and has had some controversies, so I think companies are avoiding him. Which is a shame because the original certainly has its charm.
I am just about finished Playing Lunar Silver for the first time on Mac and iPad (there is somewhat of an already remastered port on Mac/iOS/Android). I was hoping to play Lunar 2 with the old voice cast when it launches this year as a remaster, but I am not too optimistic that will happen.
Half the comments here forgetting our history. “And then they came for me”. You can’t give an inch, even if it is ridiculous stuff, because we will all slide down the slope, as it surely gets slipperier.
@GamingFan4Lyf Yeah I think they will probably much smaller collections too that focus on individual franchises, much like the recent Sonic collection. This is pretty crumby of them to do, but at the same time, I hope we get enhanced versions of SEGA games. If they did a Phantasy Star collection, and all the games had the features of Phantasy Star 1 from the recent SEGA Ages release, that would be pretty cool. If it was just a basic ROM collection however, that would be really irritating.
If we consider the lifetime sales for Wii U over several years was 14 million... 2 million sales in a few months for a system that is 7 years old is pretty incredible, especially considering consumers these days are well informed and they know a next generation release is imminent.
@chardir Depends on condition and print edition. The first edition commonly sells in the thousands. $30,000 is way too high though unless it has some other value bumping features, such as previous celebrity owners or hard to get signatures.
Ya'll should put the release date somewhere in the story. Perhaps it is in whatever YouTube video you have embedded, but your sites embedded YouTube videos never work for me.
@HeadPirate "Daly admits he broke." Where was that in the story? I must have missed it in the NL article or the TorrentFreak source if you could kindly direct me.
"17 U.S. Code § 1201 - Circumvention of copyright protection systems (a) Violations Regarding Circumvention of Technological Measures. (1) No person shall circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title. The prohibition contained in the preceding sentence shall take effect at the end of the 2-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this chapter."
Not defending this guy, but I am clarifying mod chips are legal. Nothing in the law you posted contradicts this. A mod chip does not circumvent access to a protected work. A mod chip enables access to the hardware of the Nintendo Switch. A nefarious person could then later choose to install software that circumvents Nintendo's protected works. They could also potentially do that without a mod chip. The protected works are protected by software. That is what the law would be referring to in this instance. SO if he was installing the software to crack Nintendo's protected works, then yes you would be correct. He probably did just that and will be held accountable. But the chip itself is not in violation.
You can't just arbitrarily make that leap that any hardware that can eventually lead to protected works being copied is illegal. Many times exploits that crack copy protection are started from a simple USB cable. Does that mean that Anker is in the piracy business, because someone loaded software through their cable that cracks copy protection? No that is again... ridiculous. The actual tool in that scenario is exactly the same as a mod chip. It is a piece of physical hardware that does nothing illegal on its own. The cracking is done via software and that is what is illegal. Consumers have the right to modify their systems and it is protected under law. They do not have the right to crack copy protection. IE I can install a mod chip on my Switch and use that to install Linux on my Switch. Nintendo has no legal path to stop me. I cannot however use that chip to install software that cracks their copy protection.
"If I put out a device with a button that gives you root access, but in the EULA say "You're not allowed to push that button", then pushing it is a crime punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. In fact it's probably illegal to push it even without an EULA, as long as it's clear that pushing it gives you access to protected features."
This part must be a joke right? No corporation writes or enforces laws. License agreements are contracts and though you can be taken to court for breaking the agreement, it is rare and hard for the prosecution to win. Especially in these shrink wrap style EULAs that can only be read after purchase and software first boot. If the modder chooses to not boot the software in the first place and just go straight to the mod, the EULA was never in place to begin with.
@Ralizah Exactly. This guy is not the brightest. From the source it seems likely that he was actually selling pirated games, so if there is any truth at all to that he would definitely want a lawyer just to get the lightest punishment possible. Even if he wasn't, you will still want a lawyer who knows all the entrapments the prosecution could use and all the loopholes to get out of otherwise incriminating evidence. Not to mention normal people just say things they think will help them but actually just ends up hurting them.
@HeadPirate I didn't defend anyone. I asked for the story to contain the actual details. It did not, so I had to head over to the sources to actually read anything meaningful. I hope the author can do a bit of an update to remedy this.
That being said, pleading "no contest" doesn't mean you have no defense, it certainly doesn't mean you admit guilt.. it means the exact opposite. "No contest" means you refuse to admit guilt, but you will accept punishment.
This plea is usually used to gain a plea bargain as it was here. Basically he walked into court claiming he did no wrong and he walked out of court with the prosecution agreeing that he did no wrong, so long as he keeps his end of the deal. Nothing on either side has yet proved he did anything wrong in the original case and court of law. He apparently didn't keep the agreement so that is the law he has broken and will likely be rightfully charged on those grounds.
"I would strongly advice you to read Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Reimerdes), 273 F.3d 429 (2nd Cir., 2001), RealNetworks, Inc. v. DVD Copy Control Association, Inc., 641 F. Supp. 2d 913 (2009), and MDY Industries, LLC v. Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., 629 F.3d 928 (9th Cir. 2010), as well as the 27 cases cited in these decisions for the relevant precedent around article 1201 before making any more definitive statements."
Non of that is contrary to anything I have said. As I clearly wrote in my first comment "You cannot bypass copy protection.". All of these cases you listed are about companies deliberately circumventing copy protection, which is strictly illegal.
I think some people, perhaps yourself and @sanderev are confusing software and hardware security with copy protection. Mod chips are legal. Mod chips themselves do not circumvent copy protection methods. Illegal software you can optionally install afterwards is what is circumventing copy protection. Mod chips circumvent system security that prevents installation of unlicensed software. Defeating barriers to install unlicensed software is not illegal and has nothing to with copy protection.
That would be like saying "Your honor this man sells a tool that allows users to short the security chip on their MacBook and install Linux! This is a clear violation of DMCA! For with Linux he could then go on to install software that would allow him to download Apple TV shows. You see your honor, methods to install Linux are piracy, piracy I tell you!".
No that is ridiculous. Cracking hardware and software security is no piracy. It is not cracking copy protection. Cracking copy protection is cracking copy protection.
@sanderev Installing mod chips is not illegal. Installing software that breaks copy protection would be illegal, but I don't see mention of that in the story. Mod chips allow you to install any number of completely legal software just like a PC. And just like a PC you could potentially install software that does illegal things and that would be a no no. If he was installing that software and breaking copy protection that would be illegal, but the story didn't say anything about that.
Installing things is not copying things. Installing things is legal. I can use a modchip to put Android on my Switch as nothing has been illegally copied. I can even mod my Switch, boot Android, boot an emulator, and play my copy of Super Mario Bros. 1 that I dumped myself from an NES cartridge that had no copy protection, and that I still have possession of.
@CammyUnofficial Thank you, I will check it out. I thought that might be the case.
@HeadPirate Does anybody actually know what the crimes are? The news story here doesn't list any crimes.
Modding consoles is completely legal. FTC sent Nintendo and some other console manufacturers a warning a couple years ago about stickers on their systems telling people their warranty would be void if they opened them up. They aren't allowed to tell customers that, because for decades consumers have had the right to modify their purchased products. That right is so undeniable that companies are legally required to honor warranties on products that consumers have modified so long as the fault in the product isn't a direct result of the mod.
Back-up devices like the MIG aren't illegal either. Consumers have legal protections to use devices to backup their purchased software. You can still buy CD-RWs at Best Buy to this day.
I'd like to know what the actual things Nintendo is claiming are. Possibly he could have been selling the systems with preinstalled pirated games? Or perhaps he hasn't broken any laws, but his failure to keep his end of a contract he signed is the sole basis of the suit?
Either way it is ignorant to fight Nintendo without legal help.
@sanderev This is inaccurate. You cannot bypass copy protection. You can bypass security protections (long established software laws about data backup, dating back decades that has held up in court several times). So if the mod is installed to allow you to install a different operating system, no copy protection was violated. You are simply installing an OS Nintendo doesn't own or have copy protections on, and then playing your own backed up games or homebrew there. Even if you were using Nintendo's OS to play your backed up games you wouldn't be violating copy protection because the chip is not ripping the game through Nintendo's OS. Where you get your backups from is another story. If you used a PC or you used software on the Switch to rip a game, that is where potential violation of copy protection software occurs. The mod chip simply allows you to install any number of different programs, much like a PC, but PC hardware isn't illegal, just because someone could potentially install illegal software on it. So if he was caught installing software that rips games then yes he would be breaking the law. But if he just installed a chip that allows you to install various software yourself, then he is not in violation.
@LadyCharlie I think you may have mis-read something in the story. They are still upset that their work was censored (in relation to the clothing of the character). They are now expressing their dismay that part of the story was mistranslated in a way that makes it seem like they are angry at Western people. They are not upset with Western culture or people. They are upset that they have to alter their work due to business with these parts of the world and ultimately it alters their work at home in Japan. They want to convey that that wasn't the whole scope of the video, and the way it was edited made it seem like it was as it was sensationalized by gaming media and social media, even though it was small portions of the video chopped up and sewn together. They want to convey that they don't have disrespect for Western culture, but they don't like being controlled by it either. Basically they aren't happy that the translation came off so harsh, when their actual wording wasn't harsh and attacking as it seemed by the bozos who tried to use it for political agendas. They still don't like the fact that they have to change the game to appease people though.
@PikminMarioKirby Yes, I think you are correct. Makes sense to get all the smaller 3rd party stuff announced now, and even some of the bigger 3rd party stuff that will be launched for Switch 1. Then they can dedicate more time on the next full direct to showing off and explaining the Switch 2, new Nintendo games, and the big AAA publisher Switch 2 games.
@ChakraStomps That is a convenient option. Unfortunately YouTube is still harvesting and selling your data with this method. If I am paying for a service, I don't want stuff like that going on.
I went the AdGuard route, and I just donate to my favorite content creators. They make more money this way. I don't use the app, just a locked down browser, so everything I do isn't sucked up and fed to an algorithm that's only goal is to keep me locked into the platform for as many hours a day as possible.
I can't wait! The first movie is one we have watched a few times over at home, as we do with the 90s first installment as well. I take everything as it is with Mortal Kombat, fun cheese. The games themselves reset the timelines and plots so frequently that I don't mind that the movies don't follow them exactly, because that is kind of impossible. The new movie is like its own universe, which you could probably say about some of the games in the series too. The modern games are more silly than even the old games, even just considering the core games (not including all the fun extras and licensed characters) plot and dialog and characters, it's over the top.
That is what makes the series amazing. You just sit down and have fun with monsters, magic, and martial arts. It all feels like an 80s movie for kids, like Goonies or Gremlins or Big Trouble in Little China.
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Re: Can You Name These NES Games From The Mangled Box Art?
21/21. Dang I didn’t know we were scored on time too. I was talking to my kids as I read through and answered this. Could have definitely come in under a minute.
Re: Beat 'Em Up Classic Double Dragon Gets A Modern Revival On Switch This October
@russell-marlow I don’t think most people have a problem with the game looking more modern. I think it’s more that the game looks really low budget, like a mobile game. To me it doesn’t look to have much soul. The AI sounding narrator in the trailer isn’t very confidence inspiring either.
Re: Review: Star Trek: Resurgence (Switch) - '90s Trek Fan? This'll Transport You
@sleepinglion I watched some videos on “A Final Unity” a few years ago, and ever since I have been hoping it gets a Steam or GOG release. It looks exactly like what a Star Trek game should look and play like. Seems like most of the Trek games of the last 20 years or so are action games or fleet command games, which seem contrary to the shows which were philosophical and explored ideas about fantastic possibilities, stuff that made your brain work, stuff that made you ask questions or think in new ways… filled with epic dialogue and even the routines and themes of every day life for normal people with real personalities.
@GrailUK To be fair I have that problem with a lot of modern games too that aren’t even QTE games. I tried playing this MMORPG the other day and you didn’t even have to walk to your quests, it just auto walked you around the play area to go to the next person in the story. I tried modern “action” games and just gave up in boredom as every place I went had me do random stuff on the controller for no reason, like “climb up this rope by alternating pressing R1 and L1 back and forth” or “to open the valve spin the right thumbstick in a circular motion”. Its like everywhere you go there is a new thing you have to learn a controller input for, you can’t just play the game. That combined with a 1 hour opening tutorial and then repeated tutorials throughout the game… then combine that with hours of dialogue and cinematic scenes that are not intriguing or memorable… just feels like watching a badly made movie that interrupts any attention you might have had with the story by making you do random chores.
Imagine paying $60 for a DVD of a Power Rangers level production and every 30 seconds they paused the video and you had to waggle your hands in the air for 30 seconds…
Where was I? I think I’m rambling again…
Re: Gulikit Launches New Budget Controllers With Switch 2 Wake-Up Support
@Lord @Jeronan @Markatron84 @SirLin
Just a heads up, despite the presentation of the article, this isn’t a Switch focused controller. It is marketed as a PC controller and the controller has modes that support Windows, Android, iOS, MacOS, Switch, and Switch 2. Given 4 of the supported systems games generally default to ABXY and the Amazon listing calls it a PC controller, the layout makes sense.Also worth noting the listing says they will be selling a Nintendo layout version of the buttons separately if swapping to that system is something players want to do.
Not sure why the article is painting this controller as Switch controller that got the button placement wrong. It is a multisystem controller that prioritized button placement based on the the default most of the supported systems use.
Re: McDonald's Japan Pulls Happy Meal Pokémon Cards Early, And Fans Blame Scalpers
@B3RTAY I have visited Japan a few times. And while I can see saying that it does happen with Japanese people too as true… it is also far less common and not characteristic of life in Japan. Where as we in the west and other regions of the globe outside of Japan are more used to people being disruptive. If I called the cops here in the states, because someone bought a lot of Happy Meals, the cops would come arrest me for wasting their time. So I think you have to admit there is a stark cultural difference in acceptable public behavior.
Not to say Japanese people aren’t rude, but they are rude in their own way, that typically isn't loud and boisterous.
Re: McDonald's Japan Pulls Happy Meal Pokémon Cards Early, And Fans Blame Scalpers
@Coalescence The thing is.. this wasn't a Japanese thing. It was a Chinese visiting or temporarily living in Japan thing. That is why this story blew up. Culturally Japanese were very upset this was happening to them, because this isn't common or accepted at all there. People were literally calling the police because McDonalds sold too many Happy Meals to single individuals. The police were actually responding to these calls with concern, because that is how deep something like this is not accepted in Japan. You do not liter in Japan, you do not cut the line in Japan, and apparently you do not buy up all the Pokemon Happy Meals in Japan.
If you go to Twitter and translate the Japanese comments all of them are asking why Chinese people are being so rude, why they don't have any shame, why can't they follow the rules, why are they always being disruptive. All of the pictures and videos that made this story a thing that reached Nintendolife, are about Chinese people in Japan, not Japanese people. This isn't something you will see normally in Japan.. other than the example you gave of westerners.. however this cultural difference, it isn't just westerners, it also includes people from other countries in Asia such as China and the Philippines or any other country that generally has more disruptive people.
Re: McDonald's Japan Pulls Happy Meal Pokémon Cards Early, And Fans Blame Scalpers
@HeadPirate Its 2025 and no one thinks house flippers or landlords are heroes.
As to your second point, these are not poor people struggling to get by. These are people that had enough money to travel from China to Japan and take lengthy vacations there or even live there.
Re: Nintendo Won't Let Charity Speedrunning Event Use Its Games Without Permission, Because Of Course
@GrailUK Why would anyone feel compelled to ask permission in this scenario? There has never been cultural precedent for seeking permission for this outside of Nintendo’s bizarre behavior the last several years. It is clearly bad optics and bad morals on Nintendo’s part. First off all they go after the small guys only, that can’t defend themselves so they have to bow down. And the fact that it is a charity event puts the real nail in the coffin. Large corporate media organizations cover Nintendo in events, shows, and programming all the time, and have never asked permission nor was it ever seen as relevant or courteous to ask permission. Nintendo doesn’t dare go after them, because they know darn well they are covered under fair use and they have the funds to defend themselves properly and set legal history that future judges will rely on. In the cases where corporate media does have a deal in place to cover specific video games, it is generally the video game’s IP holder requesting that their product be covered, usually with the IP holder paying to have their game shown.
Re: This Fortnite 'Power Rangers' Trailer Is Absolutely Awesome
@SalvorHardin There are no AK47s, everything is a made up in universe or in licensed universe weapon, and no one dies as the characters you play as are just holographic projections like a Holodeck in Star Trek. People are having fun, I know most of us here are old, but we don't need to constantly yell at clouds .
@Fiergala Yeah I noticed this when I was reading some comments about the Apple lawsuit a few months ago. There were dozens of people in the comments complaining that Fortnite teaches gambling to kids and that ws their justification for the game being evil. I am guessing they never played the game and thought Fortnite is like some of those other mega popular games with loot crates.. which it isn't, it has no gambling mechanics at all. Just people raging because something is popular and it isn't for them.
@roy130390 This is definitely true. My kids got me to play Fortnite with them about 1 year ago. Since then they have gotten into so many cool franchises from my childhood because Fortnite introduced them. Now those franchises have a lot more new fans, and younger fans, so they can live on, and my kids and I have a lot more to bond over.
Re: PSA: You Might Want To Be Careful Buying Pre-Owned Switch 1 Games For Your Switch 2
@Mocznik I agree with most of what you have said especially about Nintendo fans. I don’t necessarily agree about Steam. Steam actually has taken down games and denied access to redownloads to people who purchased the game full price. This was done in several cases at the request of the game’s developer. Perhaps they don’t have the appropriate contracts in place, but anyway you cut it that is bad for consumers. As far as I am aware that has never happened with Nintendo and fully purchased games.
Historically “zero problems with returns” is not the case, it was only recently they had a solid return policy. And even that policy people are upset with, if memory serves me correctly you have a 2 hour play limit. Some games take almost that just to get to the actual game play part. I have other people say they go grab lunch while the game loads up and by the time they get back and try out the game, they have passed the limit, because Steam counts idle time as game play (that is a pet peeve of mine for a completely separate reason, I have games on my profile that say I have 30 hours logged, because I booted up the menu just to see what the game was about and forgot my PC was running for a couple days lol.)
User friendly I can’t agree with either.
Their Steam client on Windows PC is still 32bit running in a wrapper, which causes endless bugs and slow downs.
Valve is notorious for running their company understaffed, and due to this also notorious for taking years to, or just never fixing bugs.
Steam Deck, their own hardware along with Steam OS launched in a state that should have never been introduced to consumers. To this day years after launch it is still more buggy than any day one console release. And I am not talking about game compatibility, I am talking about the OS and hardware. It still has problems connecting to displays. It still has problems with boot loops. I have owned 4 Steam Decks and 2 of them had missing drivers new out of the box that I had to troubleshoot myself and jump into the terminal. In one of those cases, for some reason, Firefox wasn’t even on the desktop OS, so I had to troubleshoot how to even get on the internet before I could troubleshoot before I could troubleshoot the driver issues. Going by the posts I got my answers from, my situation was not unique. The UI for SteamOS gaming mode is still not complete. There are many things/software buttons you can’t access without a keyboard and mouse or touch screen.. meaning if you are playing on a TV with a controller, you are out of luck, those features are not available. Basically the hardware has been for sale for years but it is still in what competitors would consider an alpha state.
This is coming from someone who primarily games on Steam and has over 600 games in their Steam Library, so I am a fan, I just don’t think it is the golden child like many seem to think. Actually most of what you said about Nintendo fans can be applied to Steam fans, they are very zealous.
Re: Random: It's Civil War As One Pokémon Trading Card Store Robs Another
@Daniel36 This is actually very culturally appropriate if you are familiar with 80s Japanese corporate culture. Direct and aggressive are the two best words to describe it. Perhaps they are circling back? It worked very well for them then.
(My comment is directly relating to your observation, not related to the story about the knife incident. That is not common culturally in Japan unless it was gang related.)
Re: PSA: You Might Want To Be Careful Buying Pre-Owned Switch 1 Games For Your Switch 2
@AllBLK To be fair Nintendo was the last console company to do the game key card thing. Xbox and PlayStation were the first and no one seemed to care, despite disks being much cheaper to produce than chip based ROM cartridges. Used to be we had multi disk games, now we have “Game Key Disks” lol. Xbox and PlayStation were also the first to do an all digital console, while Nintendo still hasn’t even mentioned the idea of making an all digital system. Nintendo also made it fairly easy to let people borrow your digital games. Nintendo also still lets you redownload your digital games going all the way back to its first digital marketplace on the Wii in 2005.
Steam seems to always get praised as some kind if consumer champion… despite the fact that it only offers digital games, and despite the fact that it has pulled customer purchased games from its store, disabling them from being redownloaded.
So it seems weird that on some of these topics, Nintendo is the punching bag. I guess it is the Apple effect, when people hate you just because you are popular and liked by the mainstream.
To be clear though I am against what Nintendo is doing here and irritated with both Nintendo and world governments for not protecting consumers. Just not understanding why only Nintendo gets the pitch fork mobs while all the other platforms are left alone. We should be upset with all these companies.
Re: Nintendo's Strict Policy On MiG Carts Is Creating A Problem For Secondhand Switch 2 Buyers
@BenAV Not really, especially these days people get caught up in the hype of what everyone else is buying and then they end up with buyer’s remorse and want to sell.
Re: Feature: 11 Games With 'Secret' Performance Bumps You Should Revisit On Switch 2
@TrogdorTheBurninator I don’t play the game myself, but I was blown away by how smooth it was watching my kids play it on Switch 2 compared to Switch 1.
Re: 60FPS, Higher Resolution, Mouse Controls - Fortnite On Switch 2 Sounds Like A Big Step Up
@Paddle1 All depends. The Android and iPhone build is different than the console builds. I have an M series iPad and it can run Fortnite at high frame rates, but the details and graphics are lower quality than what you see on the console or PC versions and there is no way to toggle them to a higher quality (there is a selection, but the highest setting is no where close visually to even medium settings on PC) even though an M series iPad could certainly handle it. However that is simply how they made the mobile build, low detail with high FPS options if your mobile device is powerful enough. Regardless of how overkill your iGPU is you won't be able to get good graphics. So far the Switch 2 build seems to go in the opposite direction. High detail low frames.
From what I remember the Switch 1 Fortnite was a custom build based on the mobile version but with settings tweaked specifically for Switch and the interface designed to resemble the other console versions. We could see another custom build, this time likely based on the console versions. It is yet to be seen if this build will allow a lot of customization in future updates, or if the developers will try to lock in on a specific look and settings. Right now it seems they are focused on high detail 60fps game play.
Re: Nintendo Updates Its User Agreement To Crack Down On Emulation
@SuperRetroArt It’s hilarious that you said “your device”.. as if you are going along with Nintendo saying you don’t own the physical hardware you bought. Can’t get anymore self defeating than that. People put alternative operating systems on their hardware for other things besides piracy. Many do it to get more use out of the device they bought, like a more open and flexible OS such as Android or Linux. People use them for servers for hosting their photos or movies.Tablets for their kids, etc. Its crazy in 2025 corporations have gotten so many people on the “you will own nothing and like it” bandwagon, so they can enrich themselves via the loss of consumer rights.
Re: Accessory Manufacturer Genki Responds To Nintendo's Switch 2 Lawsuit
@DennisLofgren I don’t know about all their products, but when their first main product debuted, their capture card, there were a lot of complaints that they just re-shelled a USB 2.0 digital camera capture device that was to slow for gamers to use.
@MrDocena I don’t know about going head to head with 8bitdo or quality. Their main claim to fame is their capture cards which are always critically panned for bad performance and buggy software, and their controller… which is made by 8bitdo.
Re: Nintendo Won't Have Enough Switch 2 Consoles To Satisfy Demand In Japan
@Jemae Do we know how many Switch 2s are available? They said they can’t fulfill 2 million orders, so it is a number less than 2 million that will be sold week 1 in Japan.
Was Switch 1 sold out in Japan week 1? I don’t recall, but I would imagine it was, since it was sold out in the States and the system didn’t have region locking.
If these assumptions are true, then we really have no idea how well the Switch 2 is selling compared to the Switch 1, all we know is they both sold out of available stock.
-Edit I just checked some old news stories and Switch 1 broke records selling out in 3 minutes in Japan. So 300k units was the available stock for week 1, we have no idea what potential sales were or what available stock is for Switch 2 in Japan. So we don’t know what system is more in demand. President said 2 million requests far out numbers the available units, so could be somewhere around 300k units for Switch 2 as well.
Re: Feature: The Switch 2 Sticks Might Not Be Hall Effect, But They Feel Fantastic
Have they stated what technology they are using for the sticks? If not, there is still hope for TMR sticks. However I would take even a more durable ALPs stick. Hall Effect are said to last longer before getting drift (yes it is still possible to get drift on hall effect), but the exchange price is less accuracy and a noticeable amount of lag. I have tried a few hall effect controllers, but they are not dependable enough for me in some games, rather just use ALPs.
Re: Opinion: The Switch 2 Is A Powerhouse For The Price
I paid more for my Steam Deck and my Legion Go. Neither of them can play any 3D games at 4K. Neither of them can play any 3D game at 120hz unless you render them down to Atari 2600 quality. The Steam Deck gets me 1-2 hours on battery. The Legion Go gets me 30 mins-1 hour on battery. Neither of them included a dock. My Steam Decks fan is noticeably audible. My Legion Go is absurdly loud. Neither one of them give me the option for physical games. The upside is they can double as a PC, but as just a handheld game system they are behind.
It’s plain to see the Switch 2 can play games better than the competition and at a lower price.
Re: Yes, You Can Adjust The Sensitivity Of The Switch 2's Mouse Controls
@axelhander This is what I am wondering, because I have a gaming mouse I love and I’d love to use it on Switch 2.
Re: The Switch 2's Battery Is Almost A Match For The Steam Deck's
I play 50% Switch and 50% Steam Deck, and I have to say, the estimated hours on the Deck are not realistic.
2 hours on the Deck is what the average player will see as a maximum as apposed to the suggested starting point. The real starting point is about 1 hour with demanding games. In 2D games you can squeeze 3 hours out if you lower the watts in the settings. I have never heard of anyone actually getting 8 hours, or even 5 hours. Maybe if you were sitting in a static menu at lowest screen brightness with the watts set to the lowest setting. The lowest you can set the APU is 5 watts (even light 2D indie games struggle to run at that setting) and the rest of the system will draw 8 watts. So you are looking at a minimum of 13 watts being drawn. The OLED model has the highest capacity battery at 50 watt hours. Meaning the absolute technical maximum battery life you could get is 4 hours.
Contrast that with real world Switch OLED use, and 2-3 hours seems to be the bottom end while playing the most demanding games. The average player is going to see 4-5 hours. If you are being conservative with lite 2D games 5-6 hours. And if you are just sitting in a static menu at lowest screen brightness 8 hours.
So yeah the two companies are putting out suggested gameplay hours that are off, but Valve is wildly off. The OLED Deck should be 1-2 hours suggested gameplay and the OLED Switch 2-5 hours.
Re: Nintendo Drops Teaser Video For The Switch 2's 'C' Button
It has to be a chat button. That sound effect is a cross of a walkie talkie chirp and a Mii gibberish voice. Now that we know the new Pro Controller will have a headphone jack, it all makes sense.
Re: Nintendo Announces 'Virtual Game Cards' For Switch, Unlocking Digital Lending
@HeadPirate I think you are jumping the gun. They don’t say anywhere that you can’t keep doing things the old way. So far it seems this is a different new optional feature. They haven’t said it replaces the old family sharing.
Also as the other commenter said, in my experience and what is posted in Nintendo’s guide, if you only own one copy of the game, only one copy can be played. When you connect to the internet it checks to see if someone is already using a copy of the game. I have a family with 4 Switches and this has always been the case with every game for us. If you were getting around this somehow, that doesn’t mean Nintendo is now suddenly taking something away if they fix an exploit. Nintendo doesn’t have the right to let you play 2 copies of a third party game if you only bought 1 copy. They would get sued by the rights holders of the game for distributing free copies and not paying licensing fees.
So in the end, all that was shared in the Direct is that something new is coming. Grabbing your so called pitch fork before you know you if you are losing anything or because a bug was fixed is a bit silly.
Re: Select Pokémon Card Pre-Orders Cancelled After New Expansion's Disastrous Launch
Many of these companies play into it, they know the more people that can't get the items the more lust it will create and more demand, guaranteeing restocks to sell out as well. Some companies intentionally short their launch stock. I don't think that is the case here as the Pokemon company was doing this in an attempt to stop scalpers. In this case I think it was just a case of incompetence. Anyway, the only solution is to flood the market and put scalpers out of business. Most companies will never do this though as it will mean less sales and even worse their precious image may be ruined if product doesn't sell out, it will be seen that their product is no longer in demand. However it is only so long until consumers get fed up and turn to reproductions or other products or just leave.. and when that happens, the scalper market also drops out, leaving the product vendor with a total and abrupt market shrink. It will be their own fault too for being greedy.
Re: Tony Hawk Has Reportedly Demanded Bam Margera Be Included In New Game
Tired of division and politics ruining everything. Just give us the roster we had back in the day. Anyone is free to dislike anyone they want and it may even be warranted, but it doesn't mean we have to remove playable characters from games, especially when those games are supposed to be remasters, not rereleases with less content. Heck these companies are already cutting enough stuff on their own because they are too cheap to pay developers to complete the game.
Re: Double Dragon Gaiden Doubles The Fun With A "Free DLC" Update Next Month
This game is one of the most fun beat em up games I have ever played, and it is one of the few that I can play from beginning to end over and over again without getting bored. If you read the reviews, most of the ones that seem to dislike this game are really weird hardline DD fans that don’t like any mechnical changes from the classic games (which is really bizarre because the classic games never really stuck to any mechanics and constantly changed things up).
Re: Feature: But The Future Can Change - Chrono Trigger And Learning To Love The World
I am near end game on my first ever play. I feel like it’s okay. I am not super thrilled or excited, but I am getting through it so that means it is compelling enough. I think if I had played the game as a kid I would have found it fantastical and amazing. Even more so if it was my first time travel game as a kid. I am sure for the many who did play as a kid, it pulls hard on their heart strings, bringing them back to another era, an era of wonder and imagination. I assume for many it was one of their first RPGs which gives it even more power. Had I played it back when it came out though, I had already been through many RPGs and many games with the time travel element (an element I do enjoy very much), so it wouldn’t have hit me that hard, but I would surely have very fond memories. Next, I am looking forward to what Chrono Cross holds and to see what carries over from Trigger on how they are related. That one had me more interested (despite me mainly being an 8 and 16 bit guy), but I told myself I had to play Trigger first. Probably the music intriguing me there, as I haven’t heard as much praise for Cross as Trigger, I assume Trigger is the better of the two?
Re: Capcom Provides Update On Game Changes In 'Fighting Collection 2'
@LadyCharlie “art isn’t important”. That is a super heavy opinion to have, ironically despite being “data is all that matters” the argument presented is illogical and non factual. I think you would find more support if you made it clear that your argument comes from a political viewpoint, rather than trying to pass it off as hard facts. We are all humans and can understand people have different perspectives and feelings. However making a statement that “changing art doesn’t matter” is outright incorrect. Perhaps it does not matter to you, but obviously it matters to many. Change is change, period. Change can be good and change can be bad. It is up to the individual to decide their feelings on the changes, if they are good or bad, but no matter what they are indeed changes and they do affect the game. Video games are not just controller inputs. Gaming is not programming. Gaming is interacting with media.
Re: Switch Emulator 'NxEmu' Is Back And Hopes To Avoid Nintendo's Wrath
@The21zonz You made a statement as if it was factual. Your statement was absolutely false though. So please if you are just guessing based on what you read from other people just guessing, don’t post it as if it was fact.
What generation or how current an emulator is, has nothing whatsoever to do with whether it is legal or illegal. It is legally acceptable to release an emulator for Switch 2 the same day the Switch 2 launches, if the dev could work that fast. Emulation is legal. What is not legal is things that go against copyright (like stealing copyrighted blocks of code) or things that go against DMCA rules (like cracking copy protection). Previous Switch emulators were accused of breaking DMCA rules. However even that was not proven, as they settled with Nintendo (a legal ruling was not made). Also since that settlement was made, Switch emulators based on the same code have continued to be distributed as the code was open source. Nintendo has not shut these emulators down as the author states in the title. Nintendo only stopped the original developer by making an agreement with that developer. Nintendo actually created the opposite effect to what they were seeking… by cutting off the head of the emulator, several more grew in its place and now Nintendo has a hydra to face. Most of these hydra heads have doubled down, making sure to follow emulation laws to the letter. It is very unlikely Nintendo will be able to stop emulation of the current on shelf Switch 1 unless somehow they convinced governments to write up new laws supporting Nintendo’s viewpoint. They could stop or slow down Switch 2 emulation, by having better system security.. but every console manufacturer has worked towards that goal and history so far has shown even the best measures only buy a temporary wall, as that wall will fall with time.
So to reiterate… how current a video game system is has nothing to do with any laws surrounding emulation. That is something completely made up by random people on the internet, who misunderstood the argument others were making… The argument that emulating a currently sold system is immoral. As we know, morals are personal and differ from person to person. Morals are not laws, and they have no power in courts.
Re: Nintendo Confirms Removal Of Switch Online SNES Game
@LadyCharlie When did Nintendo ever make that statement? Seems like you are just implanting your personal preferences as the gospel truth. The fact is there are several games you can play online without a Nintendo Online subscription. However if you want access to all the classic library of Nintendo games with their special Nintendo Online features, you have to have a subscription. So it seems the real world implications lean the other way around.
Re: Latest 'Video Game Maps: SNES' Book Dives Into Zelda, Kirby, Mega Man And More
@ryan_nil Good call. I have the first map book he ever produced and bizarrely he chose to publish in a 5x7 size which is absolutely tiny and you can’t see anything on any of the maps. I hadn’t realized this when ordering and my intent was to use the book to actually play games with it by my side, so it turned out being useless to me. At least the new book is 8x11, but yeah digital may be the way to go.
Re: Steam Deck Sales Business As Usual For Valve During Week Of Switch 2 Reveal
@timp29 "employ lots of people" Valve is actually known for having an extremely minimal staff compared to other companies its size. Sometimes that is not ideal as they have been known to take forever to fix bugs or roll out new promised features. So I could actually see this as being an honest mistake. Generally I don't think PC gamers hold them to as high a standard as console gamers hold their companies to. The Steam Deck as much as I love it was not fit for release when it went on sale. Though they have released constant patches and things are much improved, it is still full of bugs across the system software (and I am not talking about running the games themselves). In its current highly patched and mended state, if it were to launch today as a "console", I think it would be highly panned by gamers and reviewers alike for how unstable it is. However it is a "PC" and those are held to different standards.
Re: Pokémon Cards Return To U.S. McDonald's Happy Meals Today
Went today at noon. Got two Happy Meals for my kids. Came in Pokemon boxes, knew they would be excited… got home… had Just Dance toys inside
Re: Review: CRKD NEO S Purple Wave Edition Switch Controller - Fine For Fortnite Festival, But Not So Rockin' Elsewhere
@Serpenterror He actually did on his podcast he said his sources confirmed January 16th.
Re: Lunar Remastered Collection Brings Classic JRPG Series To Switch This April
@AmyZiegfeld It will be a new localization. The guy that owns the rights to the original localization has reached out to the Lunar Remastered publisher in hopes of getting the original added as an option. However I wouldn't count on it, despite Victor (the owner of the original localization) throwing out kind words and promises of a low price deal right now, in the past he has been notoriously difficult to work with and has had some controversies, so I think companies are avoiding him. Which is a shame because the original certainly has its charm.
I am just about finished Playing Lunar Silver for the first time on Mac and iPad (there is somewhat of an already remastered port on Mac/iOS/Android). I was hoping to play Lunar 2 with the old voice cast when it launches this year as a remaster, but I am not too optimistic that will happen.
Re: Random: Guilty Gear Strive's Latest Update Apparently Censors "Inappropriate Angles"
Half the comments here forgetting our history. “And then they came for me”. You can’t give an inch, even if it is ridiculous stuff, because we will all slide down the slope, as it surely gets slipperier.
Re: Sega Delisting 'Mega Drive Classics' On Switch eShop This December
@GamingFan4Lyf Yeah I think they will probably much smaller collections too that focus on individual franchises, much like the recent Sonic collection. This is pretty crumby of them to do, but at the same time, I hope we get enhanced versions of SEGA games. If they did a Phantasy Star collection, and all the games had the features of Phantasy Star 1 from the recent SEGA Ages release, that would be pretty cool. If it was just a basic ROM collection however, that would be really irritating.
Re: Nintendo Lowers Its Hardware Forecast As Switch Sales Slow To A Crawl
If we consider the lifetime sales for Wii U over several years was 14 million... 2 million sales in a few months for a system that is 7 years old is pretty incredible, especially considering consumers these days are well informed and they know a next generation release is imminent.
Re: Random: Stolen Pokémon Card Worth £30,000 Is Returned To Its Trainer
@chardir Depends on condition and print edition. The first edition commonly sells in the thousands. $30,000 is way too high though unless it has some other value bumping features, such as previous celebrity owners or hard to get signatures.
Re: Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket Surpasses Six Million Pre-Registrations
Ya'll should put the release date somewhere in the story. Perhaps it is in whatever YouTube video you have embedded, but your sites embedded YouTube videos never work for me.
Re: Pour One Out For The Modchip Seller Facing Nintendo In Court Alone
@HeadPirate "Daly admits he broke." Where was that in the story? I must have missed it in the NL article or the TorrentFreak source if you could kindly direct me.
"17 U.S. Code § 1201 - Circumvention of copyright protection systems
(a) Violations Regarding Circumvention of Technological Measures.
(1) No person shall circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title. The prohibition contained in the preceding sentence shall take effect at the end of the 2-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this chapter."
Not defending this guy, but I am clarifying mod chips are legal. Nothing in the law you posted contradicts this. A mod chip does not circumvent access to a protected work. A mod chip enables access to the hardware of the Nintendo Switch. A nefarious person could then later choose to install software that circumvents Nintendo's protected works. They could also potentially do that without a mod chip. The protected works are protected by software. That is what the law would be referring to in this instance. SO if he was installing the software to crack Nintendo's protected works, then yes you would be correct. He probably did just that and will be held accountable. But the chip itself is not in violation.
You can't just arbitrarily make that leap that any hardware that can eventually lead to protected works being copied is illegal. Many times exploits that crack copy protection are started from a simple USB cable. Does that mean that Anker is in the piracy business, because someone loaded software through their cable that cracks copy protection? No that is again... ridiculous. The actual tool in that scenario is exactly the same as a mod chip. It is a piece of physical hardware that does nothing illegal on its own. The cracking is done via software and that is what is illegal. Consumers have the right to modify their systems and it is protected under law. They do not have the right to crack copy protection. IE I can install a mod chip on my Switch and use that to install Linux on my Switch. Nintendo has no legal path to stop me. I cannot however use that chip to install software that cracks their copy protection.
"If I put out a device with a button that gives you root access, but in the EULA say "You're not allowed to push that button", then pushing it is a crime punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. In fact it's probably illegal to push it even without an EULA, as long as it's clear that pushing it gives you access to protected features."
This part must be a joke right? No corporation writes or enforces laws. License agreements are contracts and though you can be taken to court for breaking the agreement, it is rare and hard for the prosecution to win. Especially in these shrink wrap style EULAs that can only be read after purchase and software first boot. If the modder chooses to not boot the software in the first place and just go straight to the mod, the EULA was never in place to begin with.
Re: Pour One Out For The Modchip Seller Facing Nintendo In Court Alone
@Ralizah Exactly. This guy is not the brightest. From the source it seems likely that he was actually selling pirated games, so if there is any truth at all to that he would definitely want a lawyer just to get the lightest punishment possible. Even if he wasn't, you will still want a lawyer who knows all the entrapments the prosecution could use and all the loopholes to get out of otherwise incriminating evidence. Not to mention normal people just say things they think will help them but actually just ends up hurting them.
Re: Pour One Out For The Modchip Seller Facing Nintendo In Court Alone
@HeadPirate I didn't defend anyone. I asked for the story to contain the actual details. It did not, so I had to head over to the sources to actually read anything meaningful. I hope the author can do a bit of an update to remedy this.
That being said, pleading "no contest" doesn't mean you have no defense, it certainly doesn't mean you admit guilt.. it means the exact opposite. "No contest" means you refuse to admit guilt, but you will accept punishment.
This plea is usually used to gain a plea bargain as it was here. Basically he walked into court claiming he did no wrong and he walked out of court with the prosecution agreeing that he did no wrong, so long as he keeps his end of the deal. Nothing on either side has yet proved he did anything wrong in the original case and court of law. He apparently didn't keep the agreement so that is the law he has broken and will likely be rightfully charged on those grounds.
"I would strongly advice you to read Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Reimerdes), 273 F.3d 429 (2nd Cir., 2001), RealNetworks, Inc. v. DVD Copy Control Association, Inc., 641 F. Supp. 2d 913 (2009), and MDY Industries, LLC v. Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., 629 F.3d 928 (9th Cir. 2010), as well as the 27 cases cited in these decisions for the relevant precedent around article 1201 before making any more definitive statements."
Non of that is contrary to anything I have said. As I clearly wrote in my first comment "You cannot bypass copy protection.". All of these cases you listed are about companies deliberately circumventing copy protection, which is strictly illegal.
I think some people, perhaps yourself and @sanderev are confusing software and hardware security with copy protection. Mod chips are legal. Mod chips themselves do not circumvent copy protection methods. Illegal software you can optionally install afterwards is what is circumventing copy protection. Mod chips circumvent system security that prevents installation of unlicensed software. Defeating barriers to install unlicensed software is not illegal and has nothing to with copy protection.
That would be like saying "Your honor this man sells a tool that allows users to short the security chip on their MacBook and install Linux! This is a clear violation of DMCA! For with Linux he could then go on to install software that would allow him to download Apple TV shows. You see your honor, methods to install Linux are piracy, piracy I tell you!".
No that is ridiculous. Cracking hardware and software security is no piracy. It is not cracking copy protection. Cracking copy protection is cracking copy protection.
Re: Pour One Out For The Modchip Seller Facing Nintendo In Court Alone
@sanderev Installing mod chips is not illegal. Installing software that breaks copy protection would be illegal, but I don't see mention of that in the story. Mod chips allow you to install any number of completely legal software just like a PC. And just like a PC you could potentially install software that does illegal things and that would be a no no. If he was installing that software and breaking copy protection that would be illegal, but the story didn't say anything about that.
Installing things is not copying things. Installing things is legal. I can use a modchip to put Android on my Switch as nothing has been illegally copied. I can even mod my Switch, boot Android, boot an emulator, and play my copy of Super Mario Bros. 1 that I dumped myself from an NES cartridge that had no copy protection, and that I still have possession of.
@CammyUnofficial Thank you, I will check it out. I thought that might be the case.
Re: Pour One Out For The Modchip Seller Facing Nintendo In Court Alone
@HeadPirate Does anybody actually know what the crimes are? The news story here doesn't list any crimes.
Modding consoles is completely legal. FTC sent Nintendo and some other console manufacturers a warning a couple years ago about stickers on their systems telling people their warranty would be void if they opened them up. They aren't allowed to tell customers that, because for decades consumers have had the right to modify their purchased products. That right is so undeniable that companies are legally required to honor warranties on products that consumers have modified so long as the fault in the product isn't a direct result of the mod.
Back-up devices like the MIG aren't illegal either. Consumers have legal protections to use devices to backup their purchased software. You can still buy CD-RWs at Best Buy to this day.
I'd like to know what the actual things Nintendo is claiming are. Possibly he could have been selling the systems with preinstalled pirated games? Or perhaps he hasn't broken any laws, but his failure to keep his end of a contract he signed is the sole basis of the suit?
Either way it is ignorant to fight Nintendo without legal help.
@sanderev This is inaccurate. You cannot bypass copy protection. You can bypass security protections (long established software laws about data backup, dating back decades that has held up in court several times). So if the mod is installed to allow you to install a different operating system, no copy protection was violated. You are simply installing an OS Nintendo doesn't own or have copy protections on, and then playing your own backed up games or homebrew there. Even if you were using Nintendo's OS to play your backed up games you wouldn't be violating copy protection because the chip is not ripping the game through Nintendo's OS. Where you get your backups from is another story. If you used a PC or you used software on the Switch to rip a game, that is where potential violation of copy protection software occurs. The mod chip simply allows you to install any number of different programs, much like a PC, but PC hardware isn't illegal, just because someone could potentially install illegal software on it. So if he was caught installing software that rips games then yes he would be breaking the law. But if he just installed a chip that allows you to install various software yourself, then he is not in violation.
Re: Dragon Quest's Creator Criticises 'Mistranslation' Of DQ3 Remake Costume Comments
@LadyCharlie I think you may have mis-read something in the story. They are still upset that their work was censored (in relation to the clothing of the character). They are now expressing their dismay that part of the story was mistranslated in a way that makes it seem like they are angry at Western people. They are not upset with Western culture or people. They are upset that they have to alter their work due to business with these parts of the world and ultimately it alters their work at home in Japan. They want to convey that that wasn't the whole scope of the video, and the way it was edited made it seem like it was as it was sensationalized by gaming media and social media, even though it was small portions of the video chopped up and sewn together. They want to convey that they don't have disrespect for Western culture, but they don't like being controlled by it either. Basically they aren't happy that the translation came off so harsh, when their actual wording wasn't harsh and attacking as it seemed by the bozos who tried to use it for political agendas. They still don't like the fact that they have to change the game to appease people though.
Re: Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase & Indie World Announced For Tomorrow, August 27th 2024
@PikminMarioKirby Yes, I think you are correct. Makes sense to get all the smaller 3rd party stuff announced now, and even some of the bigger 3rd party stuff that will be launched for Switch 1. Then they can dedicate more time on the next full direct to showing off and explaining the Switch 2, new Nintendo games, and the big AAA publisher Switch 2 games.
Re: Hands On: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind - A Simple Brawler With Promising Enemy Variety
@ChakraStomps That is a convenient option. Unfortunately YouTube is still harvesting and selling your data with this method. If I am paying for a service, I don't want stuff like that going on.
I went the AdGuard route, and I just donate to my favorite content creators. They make more money this way. I don't use the app, just a locked down browser, so everything I do isn't sucked up and fed to an algorithm that's only goal is to keep me locked into the platform for as many hours a day as possible.
Re: Ed Boon Teases First Look At The Next Mortal Kombat Movie
I can't wait! The first movie is one we have watched a few times over at home, as we do with the 90s first installment as well. I take everything as it is with Mortal Kombat, fun cheese. The games themselves reset the timelines and plots so frequently that I don't mind that the movies don't follow them exactly, because that is kind of impossible. The new movie is like its own universe, which you could probably say about some of the games in the series too. The modern games are more silly than even the old games, even just considering the core games (not including all the fun extras and licensed characters) plot and dialog and characters, it's over the top.
That is what makes the series amazing. You just sit down and have fun with monsters, magic, and martial arts. It all feels like an 80s movie for kids, like Goonies or Gremlins or Big Trouble in Little China.