Nintendo's Fight Against Piracy

With the DSi Nintendo has been known to occasionally release firmware updates to block and prevent the usage of flash carts and other sorts of piracy-related devices. Sadly these attempts to fight back against piracy were only viable for a short amount of time because of either two reason: makers of the devices worked their way around the update or people never even updated their system to begin with.

With the 3DS Nintendo expressed plenty of intent to change that in coming up with some new methods to make sure players' systems were updated whether they wanted it or not, and with the upcoming release of Super Mario 3D Land we're starting to see those methods put into action. As soon as you place the card into your 3DS and turn it on, it automatically updates the system's firmware. This automatic update  could mean one of two things: a ROM will not work without that update and that a ROM will not work after the update as well. This means that if you want to play the latest and greatest Nintendo title without paying for it and the with the aid of an eye patch, you will be out of luck. Not only are they employing automatic updates associated with game cards, but those who refuse to update the system firmware manually could find some of the game that they love non-functional, a method that honestly should have been utilized with the DSi.

I absolutely love seeing Nintendo taking the initiative to fight back against piracy, which has been a thorn in the side of any producer of media within the last several years. What's even more satisfying than that is to read the whining and complaints of those who supposedly use the piracy devices in legal ways. I'm sure there those out there who do use those devices legally, but at the same time almost 99% of those who do use the devices use them for piracy.