Future R4 firmware to sabotage clones, brick DSes?
by Eric Caoili 
{ Jul 3rd 2008 at 7:00PM }
It's a funny twist that the R4DS, a product used mostly for pirating games, has found itself now battling it out with counterfeits carts that have infiltrated the market, but we assume that's just how Chinese flashcart companies roll.
Seeking to eliminate its knock-off competition, Team R4 has announced that as of September 15, it will release firmware that will only work on genuine R4 flashcarts, according to a statement translated by GBAtemp. As an added deterrent, users attempting to load the firmware on illegitimate carts could potentially damage their DS permanently, leaving their system unusable.
What if you've unknowingly bought a fake R4 (for running homebrew software, of course) and brick your DS after trying to install the updated firmware? Team R4 has stated that it will not accept responsibility, advising that you contact your "unscrupulous" shop to complain. Thanks, Team R4!
We understand that it's annoying to have all these companies drinking their milkshake, but is this really necessary? Won't this drive away potential R4 customers, not to mention people curious about experimenting with DS homebrew? Make sure to look through our (semi) ultimate homebrew guide if you're interested in finding flashcart alternatives that won't leave your system bricked.
See also: Homebrew Glossary
[Via GBAtemp]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Peter S @ Jul 3rd 2008 7:11PM
Sad, but glad that I got a different flash cart for my Homebrew playing. Still can't get/understand that Yahtzee game, though. :P
ballistic3188 @ Jul 3rd 2008 7:25PM
wow the hypocracy. the pirates want to stop other piraters from pirating their stuff.
if the law of piracy follows their anti piracy software will be circumvented as well
Matdredalia @ Jul 9th 2008 3:48PM
The R4 is also used for homebrew. Don't assume everyone who owns an R4 is a pirate.
Shannon @ Jul 3rd 2008 7:29PM
This is very disappointing. I just bought a R4DS flashcard. I'm assuming it is legit, but given that it is often hard to tell where a place got their cards, that makes me not want to update just in case. Apparently I should have spent a little more money and went with a better company. :x
chispito @ Jul 3rd 2008 7:53PM
Well it's not like brand new firmware is required to run 99% of the ROMs.
Also, that's not what ironic means.
Eric Caoili @ Jul 3rd 2008 8:20PM
bah, i always have trouble properly using that term. i'm gonna go with calling this a "funny twist" then.
maqr @ Jul 3rd 2008 8:05PM
Trojan homebrew can brick a DS too.
That's why some people, even with these carts that don't require FlashMe, opt to do it anyway. Unless this is some kind of crazy new exploit r4 has discovered (which i doubt), their firmware would be unable to brick a flashed DS this way.
Of course, most r4 users probably don't flash, since you have to physically bridge a connection to do it, so it's probably still effective for them to stop bootleggers. Real homebrew authors with flashed DS's will likely go unaffected, since they flash to make sure they can't accidentally brick theirs while writing software anyway.
juju187 @ Jul 3rd 2008 8:03PM
i brought my old lady a R4 card for valentines day, best investment ever
magicianmule@hotmail.com @ Jul 3rd 2008 8:04PM
LOL this is freaking hilarious...first they don't bother updating their firmware anymore to work with the latest games and now we find out they're instead wasting their time on sabotaging competitors in a largely illegal pirate marketplace
Salty Soil @ Jul 3rd 2008 8:10PM
Whatever happened to honour among thieves D:
I kid, however the obvious thing to do is NOT to install any new firmware from now on. Besides, there are better alternatives to the R4/M3simply
Roto13 @ Jul 3rd 2008 10:46PM
"Whatever happened to honour among thieves D:"
I think you're remembering the saying wrong. :P
Salty Soil @ Jul 4th 2008 12:17PM
What saying? There isn't any 'honour,' which was what I was joking about. Of course R4 only makes the carts and doesn't directly involve piracy.
ecco6t9 @ Jul 3rd 2008 9:49PM
What a bunch of jackasses I sincerely hope they get Lik-Sang'd.
Peter @ Jul 3rd 2008 8:45PM
Remember that there's more to Slot-1 flash carts than piracy. The DS homebrew scene is growing rapidly and already features a long list of excellent homebrew games and applications.
I can understand R4's motives, but I have the feeling this is only going to drive more people to buy a CycloDS Evolution instead. The Evolution is a fantastic cart with frequent updates and great compatibility with homebrew titles. It may cost a little more than a R4, but it might be worth it, if only for the piece of mind.
LocalToast @ Jul 4th 2008 2:34AM
The CycloDS Evolution is probably the greatest homebrew device you can go with, presently. I bought one last Christmas, and I'm never looking back. The R4 is so outdated, I don't see why people keep buying them.
The CDSE has a great team producing it, with tons of updates and new features (soft-reset in homebrew, anyone? You can say "exclusive"!) I firmly believe the CycloDS is the best flashcart on the market.
Pie Pants @ Jul 6th 2008 11:51PM
"Remember that there's more to Slot-1 flash carts than piracy."
Unfortunately the DS Fanboy bloggers seem to remember that for about five whole seconds, then get lost in the "LOL PIRATES YARR" side of it.
Peter @ Jul 3rd 2008 8:47PM
Remember that there's more to Slot-1 flash carts than piracy. The DS homebrew scene is growing rapidly and already features a long list of excellent homebrew games and applications.
I can understand R4's motives, but I have the feeling this is only going to drive more people to buy a CycloDS Evolution instead. The Evolution is a fantastic cart with frequent updates and great compatibility with homebrew titles. It may cost a little more than a R4, but it might be worth it, if only for the piece of mind.
Chyld989 (MKWii: 5241-2307-2882) @ Jul 3rd 2008 9:34PM
What they really should do is release a firmware version that alerts the user that they're using a knock-off R4, and that if they continue it could brick their DS. At least this way you know if you unknowingly bought a knock-off, and don't just suddenly have a bricked DS.
Morning Toast @ Jul 3rd 2008 9:53PM
Well, I hope there's some "official" way to determine if my R4 cart is legit. I trust the vendor I got mine from but still, kind of crappy to say beware of fakes without telling us what makes a fake.
Alexisonfire @ Jul 3rd 2008 10:15PM
I don't really care about the story. But the picture is made of win.
Sam @ Jul 3rd 2008 11:30PM
looks like its time for me to get an evolution, they have a better UI and stuff anyway, good luck in the pirate war, R4!
BlackDS @ Jul 3rd 2008 11:51PM
Nintendo is laughing all the way to the bank. LOL.
This can only help Nintendo sell it newly released DS Vision.
While Nintendo was quietly contemplating how to eliminate the competition (other flash cards), the competition decided to destroy themselves. :)
Peace.
LocalToast @ Jul 4th 2008 2:34AM
I'm importing a DSvision card... looks like a fun addition to my DS collection. :)
Geoff @ Jul 4th 2008 1:36AM
Why would anyone buy an R4 these days? Real or clone? The CycloDS is *much* better. Sure, it was talk of the R4 that got my curiosity piqued but once I started googling away for R4 and flashcart information it was obvious that while the R4 *was* the top in technology and price that is no longer the case. Is the R4 bad? No. But there are now better options. The CycloDS is the option I went with. http://gbatemp.net has reviews of all of the flashcarts.
kronik @ Jul 4th 2008 8:56AM
Kind of frustrating because I doubt anyone bought their R4 in Wallmart. I bought mine in MBK in Bangkok whilst on holiday there. How on earth do you know it's legit or not? Though I very much doubt they could actually brick your DS with a firmware update (cause youre just copying new files to your SD card), it's still pretty ridiculous that they're wasting their time with petty threats...
Nice going R4...
A Brik @ Jul 4th 2008 2:45PM
They can brick it... as soon as you turn it on with the fake updated R4 inside, the only thing it needs to do is load a bricker, and boom.
If the DS has FlashMe installed, it can be recovered, otherwise you now have a paperweight / spare parts for another DS.
What I'd like to know is how the firmware detects whether or not the R4 is a fake.
Jamar @ Jul 4th 2008 11:22AM
TTDS is good too.
Smootling @ Jul 4th 2008 5:38PM
Psh, r4 is so passe. EDGE-ds all in yo' face.
kittykatlaura123 @ Jul 4th 2008 8:01PM
I just hope mine doesn't brick my DS. >.
Lord Bowser @ Jul 5th 2008 9:45AM
You pirates make me sick.
Christopher @ Jul 5th 2008 11:21AM
Your casual use of the word "pirate" makes me sick. Although there is plenty of that going on, there is legitimate home brew stuff going on as well.
Also, frankly I don't want to have to carry around and keep track of a bunch of cartridges that I OWN. Having them on one cartridge is convenient.
I plan on hacking my PSP because I HAD a copy of Valkyrie Profile. I still have all the stuff, but my daughter somehow lost the UMD. It likely got into the garbage since she sometimes has a messy room. I bought it once and had I had the ability to back-up my OWNED game, I wouldn't have lost it. Now companies like Sony want you to go out and buy it again. I say this is BS. Common wisdom and fair use dictates that I have the right to make back-up copies, yet Sony, Nintendo, and other companies do all they can to prevent it, not ONLY for stopping the pirates because they KNOW they'll never stop pirates because Pirates would never buy in the first place. It's to maximize profit off of the casual user. That's why the DMCA is badly broken. It provides no consumer protections and benefits large corporations.
If a $50 flash cartridge will allow me to exercise my fair use right or backing up my OWNED games, then SO BE IT.
/rant
Christopher @ Jul 5th 2008 11:10AM
Glad I bought an M3 DS Real. It makes me wonder though because I've read forum posts where people were claiming that the M3 and R4 teams were sharing information between their teams, hence the reason why other than skin they are mostly identical. I wonder how this will affect the homebrew scene on the DS as a whole?
Noremakk @ Jul 18th 2008 7:38PM
They should make it brick the fake R4 itself instead of the DS; many, many people have bought (unknowingly) a bad R4 and will have a nasty shock to find that the new update has bricked their DSes.
On the other hand, maybe it's Team R4's way of covering their asses for the next update: "Your update bricked my DS!"
"You must have been using a bad R4."
Ondoher Prime @ Aug 26th 2008 8:11PM
i'm still a relatively new DS owner and am planning on getting an "authentic" R4. i've heard of this news a few weeks back, but just how do i know that i am getting an "authentic" R4?