Metaforic unveils new anti-copying measures for DS games
by JC Fletcher 
{ May 13th 2009 at 8:30PM } 
Metaforic's Andrew Mclennan, a former game developer frustrated by piracy, spoke to Gamasutra about a new technology his company has created to reduce copying of DS games. Nintendo's tactic so far has been to try to stop the sale of the R4 flashcart in Japan and other countries, but the company is now working with Metaforic to attack the problem from a different angle.Metaforic's MetaFortress technology, to be used in games by Nintendo and six other publishers starting this year, uses code stored in the actual game that detects the patching used by flashcarts, and then disables the ROM. "We take any DS game and inject a security scheme into the game itself," Mclennan told Gamasutra. "It turns each game into its own security system. Every time we apply it to a different game, it's a different security system."
Though he admits that the software could be hackable eventually, it would require a separate effort for each individual game ROM. "We add so much security to it that it will take a very long time to hack." Mclennan claims that even flashcart firmware patches will be unable to neutralize MetaFortress, though he didn't specify why.
Though Mclennan thinks flashcarts should be illegal, he "sympathizes" with the homebrew community. It wasn't his goal, but disabling flashcart-based piracy at the software level obviates the need for anti-flashcart legislation, which could be good news for homebrew fans.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
PeterF @ May 13th 2009 8:34PM
We'll see how long this lasts.
MrKlorox @ May 14th 2009 12:11AM
Especially when people don't like to carry around even 10 game carts with their DS, let alone however many thousands can be carried on a single SDHC compatible flash device.
For many people it's a space thing, not a "free games" thing.
FallenCow @ May 14th 2009 1:04PM
+1
I used my DS way more after getting a flashcart simply because I didn't need to carry a bunch of games with me every time I left the house. Isn't that what portability is all about?
Asok @ May 13th 2009 8:38PM
The fact that they admit it's hackable basically renders the whole thing pointless. If it's hackable, it'll be hacked. Way to go, Metaforic.
yincrash @ May 13th 2009 8:46PM
all drm is hackable, to admit it isn't is just lying. all that matters is if it is worth the cost for the developers.
joeythehobo @ May 13th 2009 9:05PM
The point is makes it so people can't make simple dumps from DS carts. In doing this, it will confine all/most roms to have to go through a few very skilled hackers to become playable. This could mean large delays in the piracy community, which is all the industry can truly hope for.
aka Prof Chaos @ May 13th 2009 9:27PM
@ joeythehobo
While this is true, it will become a contest to see who can release the hacked ROM first (similar to movie releases). Sure, there will be somewhat of a delay, but I don't think this will make a big difference. I guess we'll know soon enough.
WREturns @ May 13th 2009 9:29PM
"Sure, the boys in Ryan's lab can make it hack-proof. But that don't mean we ain't gonna hack it." -- Pablo Navarro
Mr Khan @ May 13th 2009 9:45PM
Also, by being individual, it probably slows the amount of time between when a game hits the market and when it hits the torrent circuit significantly (since each game has to be cracked on its own), hopefully helping launch sales
Dawveedeff @ May 13th 2009 10:56PM
The main reason I'm replying is because of that awesome Aquabats avatar!
But on topic, if people want the games to be hacked, they'll hack them.
kentuckyfried @ May 14th 2009 1:24AM
This is very bad news. They're purposely making it painful to get access to DS roms (which have been the easiest hack I've ever seen on any portable). Which will essentially make it as bad or worse than hacking a PSP, something I don't really have the time or patience to bother with.
On the upside, it only hopefully affects newer games coming out in 2009. that still leaves the plethora of titles I've not yet played prior to this time (Sonic Rush, for example).
sonicspike41 @ May 14th 2009 3:37AM
The best form of anti-piracy measure I can think of is essentially this, but on a cart by cart basis, rather than a game by game one. If every cart contained a different code than another cart with the same game, it would be much harder I'd imagine.
This just makes me think of computer programs and their cracks, patches, and keygens. Everytime a new iteration of Photoshop comes out it gets cracked/patched/keygens. Who is to say the same people won't rush to do that to these?
I know I remember reading about Adobe Photoshop CS4 torrents a few weeks before the program was even released.
I think it's a great measure to add in, sure, but I can't imagine it would be hard to also file DMCA takedown notices to a few of the more popular torrent sites and forums, which would at least scatter the communities a bit. Why not just pay someone a small salary to continually hunt these sites?
Quattro @ May 13th 2009 8:40PM
What a joke.
Brodo @ May 13th 2009 10:12PM
The DS has so many mediocre games that you will honestly only play through once, or only play it partway through. There really isnt anywhere to rent ds games, and you dont want to buy this games for about 30 - 35 $ a piece.
However, I still believe if you download a game and really enjoy it, enough to play through multiple times, you should go out and buy a copy of the game.
Zoinks @ May 13th 2009 11:10PM
Yup, when Brodo needs a car, he can't be bothered with rental fees and taxes and all that. He "borrows" them instead. I mean, if he's only going to drive it once, why not?
Quattro @ May 14th 2009 1:12AM
Comparing a physical object to data is not a good comparison.
Zoinks @ May 14th 2009 2:44AM
Data isn't a physical object? Oh it's metaphysical? Give me a break, that "play stupid" act won't fly.
But there's another reason you say it's no comparison, other than just playing dumb. If you steal a car you are many times more likely to get caught than if you pirate video games, because when was the last time you heard about some kid getting busted for downloading a game. So in that sense you're right.
I guess if cars or phones or computers or anything else were as easy to steal as data you would happily use your same excuse about not having enough money to pay for them.
Because it's not wrong if you don't get caught amirite?
jkjudgex @ May 14th 2009 7:02PM
@Zoinks:
You're wrong, in the most telling way.
Your example of "Yup, when Brodo needs a car, he can't be bothered with rental fees and taxes and all that. He "borrows" them instead. I mean, if he's only going to drive it once, why not?"
Let me dismantle that for you in a way that you can handle.
1) Brodo can take a taxi for a really, really tiny fraction of the price of the car... you see, $18 to get across town, versus the $18,000 of the full price of the car is literally 1/1000th the price. If video games were this way, "Brodo" would be renting a $50 game for a nickel. You see how this illustrates inflation of value?
2) Should Brodo steal a car, that physical car is gone. Its owner later walks out and goes "hey... oh my god. My $18,000 automobile is completely gone. About half of what the average American makes in a whole year of toiling has been stripped away from me by a thief, and I can no longer get to work to earn more money until I have recovered from this loss. My life has been tremendously impacted." However, if Brodo had simply sneaked into the same guy's house and physically stolen his XBOX and a copy of Call of Duty, the guy is only out $300... and that's including the actual theft of a console and a game. What if Brodo just downloaded a COPY of a video game he was never going to purchase in the first place because, well, Brodo actually doesn't have any money after he pays his bills? That's not $50 that a company was ever going to get. Do you see how this illustrates the insanity of comparing a car to a game?
3) Most other things that you can purchase for $50 last a lot longer than the amount of time you'll enjoy most video games. Let's take a quick look at what else you can buy:
A) 3 space heaters to keep you warm in the winter.
B) Food, that in many cases will outlast the enjoyment of some of the more lame video games.
C) 3 DVDs of awesome movies that you'll probably watch 2-4 times each, which is more time than you'll spend on video games.
D) A power drill, with which to make home repairs.
E) Enough Paint to re-paint a room.
F) 3 decks of regular cards, 2 decks of UNO cards, Monopoly, Risk, and Chess... all of which will provide you and your family a good amount of entertainment.
G) 4 4 port USB 2.0 hubs and a bluetooth adapter, a microphone, stereo earphones, and a car USB adapter all from dealextreme.com for less than $50.
Now, I'll give you this... some games, like Battlefield 2 or Half Life 2 or Orange Box, for instance, provide me with enough entertainment to justify even a $50-$100 price tag... but, this is extremely, extremely rare, especially on Nintendo DS.
http://www.judgex.com/
Chris M @ May 13th 2009 8:45PM
I know its not cool to be in support of copy protection, but I am. It sickens me when I see people who think they are gamers when they have no respect at all for the industry that creates the games they love. When you copy games you don't own onto a flash cart and use em, you arent being counterculture, you aren't sticking it to the man, and you arent some sort of videogame freedom fighter helping to liberate games from commercialism and corporate greed. What you're being is lazy and/or cheap. Sure the people who publish games might be the corporate type, but the ppl who make games are generally geeks like us.
The past six months have shown us all that videogame developers have financial issues and even high profile development houses have been closing left and right. Piracy certainly is not helping this trend.
kevinski @ May 13th 2009 9:06PM
I completely agree. I own nearly 600 legit games, and I take pride in my collection. Seeing people brag about their emulator and ROM collections while fumbling around in an attempt to get an emulator running properly just disgusts me.
Foetoid @ May 13th 2009 9:27PM
Well said Chris. I will say, thanks to Steam, my ratio of pirated games to legit games has improved significantly. Bioshock was a biggy. With my gaming budget pretty dim and very limited, and too many good Wii games to buy that i can count, PC games have, for a while, lived in .iso images for me. Even Fallout 3 and Dead Space are on my PC right now downloaded illegally. Well guess what, i havent even installed them yet (and i've had them for month). When Bioshock was USD$4.99 over christmas, i deleted my downloaded copy, same with Stalker when it was on special on Steam (i'm still yet to finish both games). In fact, besides Fallout 3 and Dead Space, the other games i don't own legitimatly, i don't play at all and will probably just throw them out. I want to play Fallout 3 and Dead Space so badly, and i could be playing them in 20 mins if i wanted, but it just doesn't feel right anymore and i'm waiting for a Steam sale to get them legit.
Quattro @ May 13th 2009 9:30PM
The 'geeks like us' who are making the games I play, are also making a hell of a lot more money than I am. Maybe they can afford to buy every game they want to, but I can't.
WREturns @ May 13th 2009 9:49PM
Quattro,
I never understood how that argument is justifiable. So you want it but you can't get it legitimately, so you just take it. And that's okay? Does your rationale apply to items at the local Best Buy? What about dating? Good God, I would hate to be the girl that you wanted but that didn't want you.
HotLimit @ May 13th 2009 9:54PM
I'm all for Mr. Mclennan, not because he is against piracy, but because he was smart enough to think about the problem in a different way.
There's way too many people (companies) who think they are going to be all clever by implementing some countermeasure in their game which gets hacked in a week and they don't even bother to change it for the American release.
@Quattro: As much as I love the Red Comet, you not having money is no excuse for pirating games you want. I can't afford new games so I don't bother upgrading to next-gen. I have enough gaming with $5-10 used PS2 games to last me a couple more years, and believe me, they are just as awesome as the stuff that comes out on PS3.
chispito @ May 13th 2009 10:16PM
I'm not against this kind of thing, but I'm also for the hackers who will break it so that I can check out a game before I buy it or be able to fit it on my flash cart when I travel. And yes, in general if there is a ROM on my flash cart that I have not paid for, it's because I've been too lazy to delete it after deciding I didn't want to buy it, not because I am playing it.
Also: homebrew.
smcn @ May 13th 2009 10:54PM
I'm sure a good number of pirates, myself included, would never in a million years buy a game if they couldn't pirate it. I would simply go without. In fact part of me wishes I couldn't pirate games so easily, maybe then I'd get some shit done.
finaldarklord @ May 13th 2009 11:39PM
I guess I'm going to have to be the one to step in with the stealing =/= copying argument. Though, I will agree that pirating is wrong.
However, I'm also broke and don't give two shits whether its wrong or not. I won't argue that I'm not entitled to free games just because I'm strapped for cash these days, but thats mainly because I don't care.
MrKlorox @ May 14th 2009 12:14AM
@Kevinski: Do you enjoy carrying around 25 (or however many you own) NDS carts for your PORTABLE device? How many fit in your carrying case?
I for one love the fact that I do not have to carry and change carts when I want to switch games.
Phil Fauble @ May 14th 2009 12:20AM
@Chris M
I completely agree with you, honestly.
People don't understand the situation developers and publishers are in right now, they need all the sales they can get.
While I'll also have to say that some people will download games to try them.. and buy them if they like them and others wouldn't buy the game either way. But it does seem like more often then not... someone pirates a game because they don't want to pay for it... not because they can't... They just don't want to.
And I'm going to have to disagree with anyone that says copying a game isn't the same as stealing... to a certain extent, because like I said... some people like to try before they buy. If you download a game... to play it without paying for it... then in my opinion it is the same as theft.
I like this approach to getting rid of piracy because I really like the ability to run homebrew applications on my DS and other consoles. But I don't believe that pirating the games is okay.
I also understand it's hard to pay for games because almost everyone is tight on money right now... but so are the companies that make the games. If they don't start making money soon most of them could fail, that would be sad. At the same time though, they wouldn't have to worry about pirating... no games = no game pirating.
Quattro @ May 14th 2009 1:18AM
My point is, I don't have money for DS games. I could download them for free, or I could just let my DS sit and collect dust. You can say I'm wrong, but I'd rather be playing games than not playing them.
ripslymemc @ May 14th 2009 3:35AM
I agree. maybe this software will make me start buying more games, instead of going the cheap route.
m-p{3} @ May 14th 2009 8:14AM
As a student I didn't had much money to purchase games, so I can't say I haven't pirated some games in the past. However I am a full time worker now and I have the capacity to purchase all my games, including old ones that I played in the past.I don't say it's alright to use piracy, but there are some little games I would have never known without it.
Slaziman @ May 14th 2009 8:57AM
The grand majority of the people that buy games are the teeming masses, people who wouldn't know or care to learn how to pirate a game, except maybe on PC. Piracy is really barely affecting sales at all, especially since most pirates wouldn't buy 90% of the games they download if the couldn't pirate games. Used game sales are a much bigger problem for the game industry.
I'm a collector. I like having my stack of retail boxes sitting there on my bookshelf. Still, I'm not rich and sometimes there is a game I'd like to play but not for 40 euros, and so I pirate it, since i figured it wouldn't hurt anyone if I did. Is that really wrong? Maybe. It depends whether you are honest with yourself over what games you would and wouldn't buy if piracy didn't exist.
MagusDF @ May 14th 2009 9:04AM
@Chris M
I'm mixed about statements like this. Since i started out as a pirate when i was a younger. I personally think that it has converted me into a very large consumer when I actually had my own source of income. If i didnt have photoshop 2 when I was 12 i probably would not be a graphical designer or be chained to adobe shelling out for every other version for the rest of my life. I have a very similar perspective on games, I have 2 large bookshelves with everything from ps1 through pc, ps3, 360 games that I probably would not otherwise.
On the same hand being part of that community I have also seen the other side. People that have access to more crap than they probably should or want to. Over time I think it deludes their value and enjoyment out of the experience. Those are the people that I dont think will ever be converted to real consumers.
Measures like this are only really aimed at "Casual" piracy. Developers consider this to be one of the bigger threats because causal pirates have a high rate of conversion to customers. Just remember the next step of stopping causal piracy is zapping/suing every person that loans their disc or cart to a friend.
KenSharp @ May 14th 2009 9:12AM
I couldn't agree with you more, Chris. You pretty much encapsulated a debate I was having with a friend of mine about his hacking and subsequent "theft" of PSP games. While I certainly don't weep for massive conglomerates when their financials are hurting, I do feel for the various game developers/coders/programmers/writers/etc. who do suffer even if it's to a minor extent when the games that they create are pirated-detrimentally affecting sales.
I buy all of my games legitimately, without hesitation, because I enjoy my hobby, and want to continue to see it thrive.
Ok, I'm hopping off of my soap box now...
chispito @ May 14th 2009 1:00PM
@Phil
http://www.nehemiascr.com/alfa/images/stories/piracy-is-not-theft.gif
I'm not saying piracy is acceptable, I'm saying it's intellectually dishonest to take the RIAA and MPAA party line and equate it with theft. It cheapens theft.
sandwiches @ May 14th 2009 1:35PM
For me, it's irrelevant whether it's wrong or not. I will be honest and admit that I know what I do is immoral to most people and I don't care. All I care is two things: price and convenience. In my mind, there's a subconscious algorithm that figures out if a game is worth the hassle and wait of pirating it or if the price is so cheap, I should just buy it. For instance, Steam and iPhone App Store are the only consistent ways I buy games because of the convenience of impulse buying. They don't really give me time to think and I get them so damn fast any time I want.
Whereas DS games are usually more expensive and harder to get. Sorry but my algorithm tells me that I should just pirate them. It's not like I'd buy 99% of the games I download anyway.
kevinski @ May 14th 2009 2:05PM
@MrKlorox: No, I have this amazing thing called an apartment. Seeing as how I don't need to play 25 games at once, I generally take the game that I'm playing at the time with me and leave the rest at my apartment. Also, I have a carrying case for my DS that could easily store several cartridges.
Nadril @ May 15th 2009 12:18PM
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/12/study-software-piracy-on-the-rise-but-so-are-sales/
That link might be a decent read for you, Chris. Piracy isn't the big bad wolf of the industry like some companies would like you to believe, honestly. In fact there is a few ways in which it can help (to an extent)
The thing is, given that a pirate would have not bought the game otherwise, the company already loses nothing from him downloading it. What happens though now is that if that pirate has friends he'll probably tell them about the new game he got, and if it was good or not. It ends up that, yeah, if the game was a great game it may actually see a small rise in sales due to word-of-mouth from those who have played it. It's not an excuse but it still is something to think about.
Anyways I pirate DS games. Honestly they aren't worth paying $35 or so a piece for, I don't even know if I've really finished many of mine. The new DRM scheme here is going to be cracked soon -- several companies have already tried protecting their NDS games already afterall, most which end up getting cracked in a day or less.
Either way I save my money for the real games that I want, not overpriced DS games. And really trust me, I don't try and justify it with some bullcrap -- I just do it. However people are so quick to victimize themselves when it comes to piracy that they forget it is an entire different idea all together than stealing.
giantenemycrab @ May 13th 2009 8:46PM
I'll bet it's cracked before it's even implemented into the first DS game.
PS36Wii Fanboy @ May 13th 2009 8:46PM
Rofl I loved when he said it will take a while for each game to be hacked, funny Andrew.
And why does the word MetaFortress reminds me of Meta Knight? idk... well back to my flashcart playing some homebrew.
PS36Wii Fanboy @ May 13th 2009 8:48PM
Two words: Imagine series
another Two words: Petz Series
and lastly, any game that ends with a Z as a plural
PS36Wii Fanboy @ May 13th 2009 8:50PM
Damn, meant for that to be a reply to Chris M, Curses again Joystiq comment fiend!
THE Ezio Auditore de Firenze (PSN slycooper_rocker) @ May 13th 2009 8:48PM
note to self: get DS lite + flashcart before they all get sold out. i needs me a ds, and i needs me some homebrew whenever i can get it.
Mabui @ May 13th 2009 8:51PM
I buy my DS games - so I don't think I'll be overly upset over it.
Rhamsey @ May 13th 2009 8:51PM
"Though Mclennan thinks flashcarts should be illegal, he "sympathizes" with the homebrew community. It wasn't his goal, but disabling flashcart-based piracy at the software level obviates the need for anti-flashcart legislation, which could be good news for homebrew fans."
This is what matters to me, as a huge fan of homebrew, id hate for it to be illegal to buy or have flash carts. I prefer this method instead.
PS36Wii Fanboy @ May 13th 2009 8:52PM
I concur, if the big N steals my Paint.... I don't know what I will do "Sobs"
Arashikou @ May 14th 2009 2:43AM
Yeah - putting the pro-homebrew spin on this was really classy. If homebrew can get any advocates in the industry, I'm all for it.
Sizer @ May 13th 2009 8:54PM
Well I'm not sure how well this will work (it's just bringing copy protection to DS ROMs and we know how successful that is), but as he says it will at least make piracy a little effort.
As long as this doesn't affect legitimate games (and DSes) then this doesn't really bother me, because unlike PC DRM it won't f@#$ up my PC and keep the game from playing. If it does either of those things then I'm buying a R4 and pirating everything just to spite Nintendo.
Erik @ May 13th 2009 8:55PM
I like this idea a lot more than attacking home brew makers or attacking the R4 flashcart makers. yeah it can be hacked but everything can. Just need enough nerd power.