The launch of the Nintendo DSi did little to help the problems of rampant piracy on the handheld platform, with new carts quickly being developed to let unscrupulous gamers run amok in Ninty’s shop, but the big N is taking action: a new DSi update has blocked them all.
A new Nintendo DSi firmware update in Japan that began rolling out this week brought Facebook photo uploading to the platform, as well as one nasty addition for pirates and homebrewers: software that blocks R4-style Nintendo DSi gadgets.
The list of cartridges rendered redundant so far includes the DSTTi, Hyper R4i, ak2i, R4 Ui, R4i Gold, and EZ Vi, though it’s possible that carts which can update their own firmware will get round the new barriers.
It’s not over here yet – the Facebook app isn’t expected in the West until the Autumn, but if you’re the shadowy sort who’d prefer to pirate games despite Nintendo’s tumbling revenues, you might want to wait on updating anytime soon.
