UK retailer pulls R4 after ELSPA threats
by Chris Greenhough 
{ Jul 11th 2008 at 9:30AM }
It looks like the tide is finally turning against the R4 flash cart in the UK. After yesterday's statement from the ELSPA on the matter, Brit retailer SimplyGames.com has decided to drop the R4 from its range entirely."Since launching them we have reflected on the overall impact R4 cards will have on long-term software sales and I have talked openly to senior people at Nintendo UK about the situation," explained SimplyGames' Neil Muspratt, who we're guessing may have received a grouchy phone call from Nintendo. "We have concluded that they are not at all healthy for software sales."
Muspratt then urged Amazon to follow SimplyGames' example. As we write this, the R4 listing on Amazon's UK site notes that "we don't know when or if this item will be back in stock," though no official statement has been released by the site. As for all you UK-based homebrewers out there, just be thankful there are plenty of alternatives out there.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Niz @ Jul 11th 2008 9:48AM
that or order one from various online retaliers, amazon is a jungle for r4ds fakes, you can get legit ones from here:
http://uk.supercardnds.com/
i bought my exflash 3 in 1 from here, so i think theyre pretty trusted.
I bought my r4 from ebay back when ebay werent removing them.
Nick @ Jul 11th 2008 11:23AM
I wonder how many studies and research it took for them to decide its not good for software sales. Dumbasses.
Char6296 @ Jul 11th 2008 12:45PM
Mmm... that R4 looks like light chocolate. However, we're getting picked on as a nation. Why just us, why not America to pull R4s? Or any other country? To me, it's not entirely fair.
RootiePatootie @ Jul 11th 2008 1:34PM
I own an R4. I love my R4. I have ZERO pirated games. Why do I have an R4? I love, love LOVE the homebrew scene and enjoy a number of games and apps that have come out of that. I also enjoy having some of the games I've purchased all on one cart and not having to drag around several carts, and worrying about losing or damaging them.
Although I know that many own an R4 ONLY for pirated games I feel it's quite unfair to penalize the rest of us. However, this is not uncommon and I highly doubt that the tides will change anytime soon. What I do feel is that if sales of the R4 drop to the point that you can't buy one ANYWHERE in the world there will be, sooner or later, a replacement.
Rather than drop the sale of the R4, or similar devices, I'd like to see more discussion..a LOT more, about pirating ... games, software, music, movies and so on and on. Perhaps, and this is a long shot given the fact that humans will be humans, the result of a lot of discussion and focus on pirating will cause some people to become aware of the damage that results from it and stop dong it.
On the other hand, the DRM issue with music is very slowly moving in another direction and I feel that we very well see the day when music becomes ad sponsored or something along those lines. Meaning... the way music, and perhaps games, movies and so on, are marketed and distributed, will change drastically and the issue of whether or not to sell a device such as the R4, based on loss of sales due to pirating, will become a non issue. Then those of us that want the device for homebrew and backup will not be sneaking around trying to find an R4, or similar, in a dark alley somewhere.
Oh, and I bought mine from Hong Kong, simply because NOWHERE in the US at the time could I find one for sale. The price was the same but the shipping, overnight, was of course more. My guess is you'll ALWAYS be able to find one for sale.
Gennataos @ Jul 11th 2008 2:56PM
I can't blame folks for wanting to pursue homebrew, but I'm glad to see any and all measures to fight against piracy. It's harmful to the industry. Just look at what's going on the with PSP. If some (a large portion?) of the software drought for the PSP isn't fueled by piracy, I'd be stunned.
Slize Kalfer @ Jul 11th 2008 5:34PM
ugh again they link to that guide to homebrew. I wish they would take that down, we don't need an influx of people who are fucking idiots and think that they are entitled to free shit.
And People wonder why DSOrganize was discontinued.
Lord Bowser @ Jul 12th 2008 7:21AM
Enough with the R4, please.
If you want a media player buy a PSP; it's superior in that aspect in almost everyway compared to the DS. Only pirates use these cards, and I find it sad whenever somebody tries to come on this site attempting to justify thievery. If everybody steals we'll see stagnation on the DS, and do you want to know what stagnation looks like? Look at the top ten chart for the PC. Copy-tripe: every single game.
And don't give me that all that homebrew nonsense. Out of all the games available, only Pocket Physics looks remotely interesting, and that's only because it's a clone of crayon physics. I'm not against people wanting to develop and show off their own games, I support that, but in light of the limited selection at present, using homebrew as an excuse for these cards comes off a little weak. We all know why you have these R4/flash devices: enjoy your scuvy.