Piracy of gaming software is by no means a new phenomenon. Bootleg copies of popular titles have been sold overseas for over a decade now, and in more recent years the Internet has accommodated easy and free distribution of software through illegal downloading websites. As time passes, the process of obtaining pirated copies of games is becoming easier, less expensive, and more widespread. As a result, this practice is starting to cost the gaming industry millions of dollars each year in software sales.

As the Nintendo DS is enjoying widespread popularity and record-breaking sales, it has also attracted the interest of piracy companies looking to cash in on some of Nintendo’s profit. Recently, the Revolution for DS, or the R4 chip has experienced high sales numbers despite the fact that it accommodates the practice of software piracy. What makes the R4 chip unique among other more traditional methods of piracy is that much like re-writable CD’s and DVD’s, the R4 device itself is not guilty of breaking any copyright laws.

Essentially, the chip acts as a general storage device that allows users to play digital content off of their DS hardware. Although the device can be used for perfectly legal activities, such as playing legally obtained music or videos off of the DS, it can also store software for illegally downloaded DS games, and can run these titles almost flawlessly on the DS hardware. Needless to say, this is quite concerning for Nintendo, and the company has started to crack down on the sales and distribution of the device.

Despite Nintendo’s best efforts, the R4 chip is now available within many retail electronics stores in Japan. The stores that sell the chip deliberately avoid discussing the exact nature of the product with their customers in order to avoid legal repercussions. Many even refuse to publicly disclose their sales totals for their own safety. Specifically, an advertisement for one of these stores in the Akihabara electronics district reads:

New R4 shipment has finally arrived! You know what it does! Absolutely no questions will be answered concerning this product . . .

Although the video game piracy industry has gained a small victory with the sale of this product at retail, Nintendo will continue to fight against the use of the R4 chip for illegal activities. Recently, a representative from Nintendo stated:

We are keeping a close eye on the products and studying them. But we cannot smash all of them.

Times Online
via Kotaku