Nintendo DSi blocks R4 carts

by Justin McElroy { Nov 6th 2008 at 3:00PM }

OK, so maybe 90 percent of DS owners aren't using R4 carts to play pirated games on their DS systems, but it's still a problem for Nintendo, especially if it wants to have enough money to have both Shigeru Miyamoto and Howard Lincoln cloned.

But it seems as though the R4's days may be numbered, as it appears from the video below the jump that neither the carts nor Slot-1 cheat devices work in the brand new Nintendo DSi. Sorry, pirates. At least you still have the sea.

Tags: dsi, nintendo-ds, nintendo-dsi, piracy, r4

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

NoHitHair @ Nov 6th 2008 3:03PM

R4 is but one of many cards. Even if Nintendo managed to block every card new ones will be made.

Taco_Hell @ Nov 6th 2008 3:04PM

Not only that, but with the SD slot now, I think many pirates will somehow use SD to homebrew their DSes as opposed to carts.

Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Nov 6th 2008 5:26PM

Homebrew community was mentioning the problem and they actually expected problems sooner.

IIRC, DS Phat/Lite used to look only at checksum on the cartridge. And R4/etc were supplying well looking checksum. Now DSi started also checking crypto signatures on Slot-1 cartridges. And since nobody bothered to crack them before (why - checksums are working) now that is a little problem and probably some delay before we see R4 analogue for DSi.

that guy @ Nov 17th 2008 6:29AM

If what Ihar ' Philips' says is true, I suspect whatever ciphers are keeping those cartrages from working on the DSI will be made short work of by the hundreds (if not thousands) of programmers who want it cracked. In my personal observations at least, people who write programs for such game systems also happen to be quite good at reverse engineering things.

Chin-Poh @ Nov 6th 2008 3:04PM

So far, it looks like the new PSP-3000 models also are hack proof. Come on you hackers, you can do it!!!

Killimus @ Nov 6th 2008 3:05PM

Give it a week and I bet R4 will have updated software for their cards to deal with DSi's.

Besides, theres always CycloDS. Wait, what do I care, I have a DS Lite, I'm not buying a DSi. :(

CaptainProtonX @ Nov 6th 2008 3:09PM

You made the righteous choice.

Blessed be the CycloDS.

BPMOmega [gamertag] @ Nov 6th 2008 3:46PM

Cyclo is blocked, too. In fact, probably EVERY existing flash cart is blocked. You know why? Because they all worked off of the same exploit in the DS/DSLite firmware. Nintendo has fixed this for DSi, so a new exploit must be found.

Which has been, in the TIFF overbuffer exploit. If that can be utilized to boot flash carts, or homebrew from the SDHC slot, then we're golden.

m-p{3} @ Nov 6th 2008 3:53PM

The CycloDS doesn't work either at the moment. Actually, not even a single slot-1 flashcart device works on the DSi at the moment.

infernus @ Nov 6th 2008 3:53PM

I'm kinda worried since his Edge cart didn't work either.

zombiejesus @ Nov 6th 2008 3:07PM

Well the dsi recently got hello world to work on the device so is closer to being hacked than you think. As for the psp 3000 can't you just pandora like the other devices or has that been blocked?

Ayrkain @ Nov 6th 2008 3:18PM

Pandora has been blocked in the new PSP3k's.

Titanium_Orchid @ Nov 6th 2008 3:08PM

Hey Captain Baby Pirate, the real time resistance 2 link at the top of the page is all broken and stuff

Mr Khan @ Nov 6th 2008 3:08PM

It has a straight SD Slot. It might be trouble for R4 and whoever manufactures them, but i would think hacking would be easier (as the quick nature of the DSi being struck through indicates)

super ultra @ Nov 6th 2008 3:08PM

I hope R4 and similar cards die because of this. People should buy games instead of steal them. I know R4 can be used for homebrew but most people use it to steal games.

Chase @ Nov 6th 2008 3:20PM

A for Effort, Nintendo.

ExMcCloud @ Nov 6th 2008 3:23PM

So along comes the R5....U can't stop the Pirates.....Arrrrgggggggghhhhh!!

Chris Wallace @ Nov 6th 2008 3:25PM

All this means is that I won't be getting a DSi for a while, until a new firmware update comes out for the R4. And with the DSi only coming out in summer of next year, there's plenty of time to fix it.

Martin Bormann @ Nov 6th 2008 3:38PM

None of them work:

http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=112857

Phil S. @ Nov 6th 2008 3:47PM

I don't think the R4 (or other carts for that matter) will die anytime soon. There are still millions of DSes out there.

Nintendo gave us cameras, media player functionality and a built in web browser? I say, so what? That dosen't even begin to touch what the community has given the DS over the years.

I use a TTDS for my DS.

I have the Homebrew channel installed on my Wii.

I DON'T pirate games. Games I want to buy I pay for, like everyone else should.

I DO enjoy getting the many free games and apps available from the community.

Homebrew apps add a richness to the console that you wouldn't get otherwise. I know Nintendo can't stop the piracy without stopping the other, more productive types of homebrew, but I resent anyone who assumes that because I own a flash cart that I am up to something nefarious.

Buckshot @ Nov 6th 2008 3:47PM

Is dsst r4?

Buckshot @ Nov 6th 2008 3:58PM

DSTT, my bad

CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Nov 6th 2008 3:55PM

Good to see Captain Baby Pirate back in action!

Tez @ Nov 6th 2008 4:00PM

IMAGINE THAT!

JRM @ Nov 6th 2008 4:19PM

Well, we still have the DS lite if we still clamouring for homebrew, etc. The DSi is just a bigger screen, useless camera, and broken web browser.

Unless EVERY new game becomes a DSi exclusive, there's no real need to get a DSi--and even then, what makes you say you couldn't obtain said games as .nds files just so you could stick it to the man?

Zachary Lewis @ Nov 6th 2008 4:27PM

Isn't the solution to just... not get a DSi? I mean, they aren't going to make games strictly DSi compatible. It's like the difference between a GBA and a GBA:SP.

Farseer (GDI) @ Nov 6th 2008 4:30PM

I know of one way to continue playing games using the r4. Use your DS lite.

My phone has a media player, a camera and a web browser, and I carry my phone with me more than I do my DS. Guess how often I use any of those features on my phone? No thank you DSi.

bkirchoff @ Nov 6th 2008 5:21PM

Is there anyway to put the R4 or CycloDS into a mode where the only thing on it is a complete image copy of a single DS cartridge?

Asok @ Nov 6th 2008 7:37PM

The R4 is dead anyways, as far as I know it hasn't been updated in months. The Cyclo DS is where it's at now. Honestly, unless they come out with frequent required firmware updates for the DSi (or the Wii for that matter), pirates are just gonna keep cracking away at it. (Not that frequent firmware updates do much anyways, but it interrupts the flow pretty well.)

Besides all that, some people (like me) prefer the vast amount of awesome homebrew over piracy. This means I'm gonna have to wait before I can get my tower defense goin' with the DSi.

Alzheimers @ Nov 7th 2008 10:05AM

Am I the only one that remembers Howard Lincoln from those old "Howard and Nester" comics from Nintendo Power Magazine?

Those were so bad. Like the Power Glove.

mko @ Nov 7th 2008 11:06AM

(checks adress bar)
Is this Joystiq?
You are way behind my friend this is old news.
8 days ago http://www.dsfanboy.com/2008/10/31/dsi-rejects-current-homebrew-flashcarts/
4 days ago http://www.dsfanboy.com/2008/11/04/dsi-hacked-already/

jynxycat @ Nov 7th 2008 1:06PM

Pretty sure the people who own an R4/Cyclo are the people who AREN'T going to be wasting money on a pointless remodel of the DS.

If people are savvy enough to download games for free, why would they spent money on another brand new DS that has a few features that aren't even worthwhile ?

I'll go ahead and call this not an issue.

joeymoto @ Nov 10th 2008 2:27PM

C'mon Captain Baby Pirate!!!!!!!! We know you can do it!!!!!!!!

Mathew @ Nov 22nd 2008 10:50AM

Ok one: Not everyone who pirates the games is going to run out and want to buy a DSi. Hell, I don't even think most people will run out and get one.

And two: Its all just a matter of time before something comes out that will allow pirated games to be played.