90% of US DS games are pirated

Up to 90 percent of North American Nintendo DS owners are believed to be using the infamous R4 chip to play pirated games, according to the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association.

John Hillier, manager of ELSPA's Intellectual Property Crime Unit, told The Sunday Post that the R4 chip, which bypasses the DS's security system allowing users to play pirated games illegally downloaded from the internet, is hampering Nintendo's software sales and "risking the future of the games industry" by putting legitimate retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers at risk.

[pwnsause]

wow. thats all I got to say.

[Rice]

exactly what i said, "wow"

[TheTwelve]

This is absolutely untrue. It's hard to believe that people are allowed to say such lies. If 90% of DS owners are using pirated gear, then we all should know easily know somebody who does it. I don't. I know many people who have a DS and they don't either.

I would believe this if they said that 90% was the 360 RROD failure rate, because I personally know that to be a fact among the 360 owners that I know as a friend. But this? This is either complete crap or a typo.

12

[mikeslemonade]

There's noway it's 90% unless a small group is pirating a bunch of games. The PSP would be higher because it's easier.

[BrotherNick]

It's not easier...the ds is easily haxored.

[BrianC6234]

I never even heard of that chip before. Not that I care about the DS. I don't see many games for it I even want. Maybe that's why people do it. The games aren't worth paying for but for free go ahead. I guess this could be why DS sales are so high.

[TheIneffableBob]

Using the R4 is extremely, extremely easy. All you need to do is put the chip in the game slot like any other Nintendo DS game and it works instantly.

[hades07]

This is so not true. When I go to EB games, who are the largest number of people looking at the DS games, parents and/or children, and your telling me all of those little 8 year olds who only play Nintendogs is running out and getting the R4 chip, doubtful. If you want to see which consoles have the most rampant pirating just go to a torrent site and compare. After the PC the PSP is definitely the worse.

[WilliamRLBaker]

LOL what numbers are they using? *falls over laughing* lol

[WilliamRLBaker]

bogus thing i've ever heard what numbers and research are they using? anually the DS in systems and software sales outsells every thing in every region....so if thats the case how is 90% of games are pirated? lol

[Leo Atrox]

90% is way too high. Considering that nearly half of DS owners are "tween" girls (at least in my experience anyway) I find that any claim that 90% are using mod chips and downloaded games to be highly suspect.

I had two DS stolen; but before that happened, I bought several games. I never considered using pirated software.

Maybe they got the statistics wrong. Maybe 90% aren't using pirated games, and the other 10% are. 10% is alarmingly high in its own right. (These aren't PC's, afterall.)

[WilliamRLBaker]

2 disagrees with FACT

The DS outsells in hardware and software EVERY OTHER SYSTEM in EVERY REGION.

[BrianC6234]

I never heard of chipping with the DS but just check out elspa.com. They have a page that covers chipping for all the systems. The DS has a lot more options than the other systems. I'm surprised to see a report saying 90% of games in the US for the DS are pirated but it looks possible. Check out a device called the R4DS and you'll see what ELSPA is talking about.

By the way, if this report is a lie a lot of sites are reporting it. A Google search of ELSPA DS 90% will bring up a huge list of matches.

[BISHOP-BRASIL]

In hardware yes, in software, not so true. Just look at Japan charts, it's usually have 8 DS tittles within a top 10. And that's natural, thinking on NDS sales numbers. But how many US or EU charts you see with DS games? How many top 10 with more than 2 or 3 DS games?

I don't know if this is up to 90% or not, but sure there is really many, probably majority, DSs running pirated software.

[ShiftyLookingCow]

yeah I have to agree that this is total BS. Even with something as easy R4, it can't be 90%. As you say, how in hell do they still manage to beat other system in hardware and software sales. I doubt the Chinese Manufacturers can create that many mod chips in any case.

[leon76]

And 90% of the Ds games are nice piece of....

[InfectedDK]

You know while the DS and the Wii sells well its mostly because thats the only money your gonna spend on thoose systems ;) The games.. you guess..

[kspraydad]

Oh...

its about the DS!

This report is BS.

[coolfool]

But I would say they other stamements are probably true....

"is hampering sales for Nintendo".

However, I do have a gripe about the ds. The DS is probably the most cost effective platform to develop for but does that really make the games that much cheaper?

I think DS games are slight over priced. In play.com I can get Uncharted for £34.99 but "Alvin And The Chipmunks" or Bratz the game is £24.99. I am not knocking the games but I wonder how much less they cost to make than Uncharted......

It would just be nice if the consumer saw some of those savings, that might stop piracy being so rife because people will think twice about the risk of piracy if they felt they could afford not to do it.

[v1c1ous]

that 90% of US DS owners don't even know what an R4 is

[witchking]

You're absolutely correct. There are 4 DSs in my house and I have no clue what an R4 is.

[caffman]

all 6 have an R4. Why? Because an R4 with a 1 gig card is £25. For £30 you can get one with 300 games.

[burghair]

Its not saying 90% of DS OWNERS. It says 90% OF DS GAMES. I don't know if you've seen the website that has DS roms but it has a giant torrent of HUNDREDS of them. I know people with R4s who have hundreds of games just to have them. Most of them they don't even play them. 90% is completely reasonable if you take into account that most pirates download tons of games.

[gamerriffic]

out of everyone i know that has a ds in my highschool, and of everyone i've met that owns a ds... only one person SOMETIMES buys real games.
it's pretty rare that i see people have real games. so i'm saying its easily believable if its 90% or higher.

[ruibing]

I've only bought the real games to developers I want to support which are mostly the big titles, include FFIII and FFIV. If it wasn't for the R4DS, I wouldn't even have purchased a DS Lite.

[Jesso2k]

This article is all time low in the bs department.

[kewlkat007]

I have the R4 and I can't imagine how many people use it too.

Nintendo is very lucky they make lots of money because of the pricing of their products, they are never in the red.

Knowing how much gamers use "PassMe & Flash Carts" they are loosing some money due to the "torrented" games. Because it is Nintendo, looking at their sales you'd barely notice.

But as well all know as soon something is "HACKED" the HARDWARE SALES WILL be on FIRE. We seen this with SONY PSP, which I also had running Alex's custom.

[Leo Atrox]

Your logic makes perfect sense, but I still find 90% to be a figure that is highly suspect. I think 10% is far more likely.

[kewlkat007]

90% is not correct...looking at the Hard sales of the software.

Nintendo is already cheap..and caterers to the younger crowd more so these days so they will always have good sales.

[Mr Blings]

I totally agree with you...I had never heard of that chip before this article and i am on games sites all the time, have every current (besides from psp) system and most systems of the past. Besides, most people who have ds are kids in the U.S. I highly doubt parents are buying this chip along with the system for their kid.

What is the methodology used to come up with these numbers in this study?

[kewlkat007]

PassMe & Flash Carts

-TT DS
-G6 DS
-DS-Xtreme

Where you gamers been...

I doubt parents know about what kids are doing to their Hardware. Except they will notice little "tim" has plenty of games they did not buy.

[v1c1ous]

i know 9 year olds who pirate on their PSPs.

same 9 year olds didn't even know you could get free games on DS

[BlackCountryBob]

I cannot support piracy but in all honesty 90% sounds very very inflated considering the sales of Brain Training etc, if so much software is pirated then that 10% buying legitimate software must buy 3 copies of every game.

After seeing Nintendo's profits report I don't think they need to worry to much if the sales of their games are only to 10% of the available users, they must have bloody good profit margins on games they do sell.

BTW: Never heard of the apparently hugely famous chip until now!

[GIJeff]

every pirater doesnt only steal one game. 300+ games per pirate sounds about fair to me....

[KingJFS]

All claims from the industry about the number of pirated games is bullshit. Always has been always will be.

There are 20 million DS sysmtems in the wild in the US. If 90% of people pirate games that means 18 million people are pirates. That is bullshit.

[BloodySinner]

That percentage can't be real.

[fenderputty]

I call BS too. 90% of the "CASUAL" gamers that buy the DS don't even know that a chip exists. I'm at work so I can't check but, how many DS's have been sold? I know it's been a lot. I'm pretty damn sure they do fairly well with software on the NPD's too. Something is terribly wrong with these figures. I would even have a hard time believing 9% of DS's have chips and that number is a hell of a lot more believable then 90%.

[Charon_Sin]

Poppycock. I don’t even see how they can quote those figures with a straight face.

[Rocko]

thats a lot.

[Rocko]

Do you even READ my comments, or just disagree because I posted it. Because if you really believe 90% isn't a lot, your a RETARD.

[mintaro]

90% of ds games? 90%? that can't be true

[PS360WII]

That's a bit high but also shows how easy and big the homebrew crowd is for the DS as well so it's not just PSP that does everything.

Anyway I don't use R4 and I don't use emulators on my PSP. I'm a big old consumer and buy all my games and I got a bunch for both ^^

[PS360WII]

I don't believe it either. I think the PSP might have that number seeing no one buys PSP games.

[mistertwoturbo]

I have a R4DS for my gf. But 90% is over exaggerated. I know 10 different 21 year old chicks who has no idea what a R4DS is.

[Iamback]

No way, that thing is selling ton of software, on other hand PSP has obvious piracy problems.

[wetowel]

There is no way its 90%. Maybe 20-30% but no way in hell is it 90%. What a BS number.

[kingme71]

Where do they get a number like that? My kids have DS's and all my nieces, nephews and a ton of their friends, my wife and alot of her friends. I can probably count 20-30 kids under 10 that have them and I guarantee you they or their parents have no clue what an R4 or for that matter even what a chip is. If that number is right, then 18 of 20 6 year olds that my son knows are stealing games with their R4 chip :)

Smells like sensational journalism to make a point.

[Graphics by ATi]

There is no way in hell that this article is correct in saying 90%.

It may be something more like 15 or 20% (probably not even that), but dear god....not 90%. Nintendo would have a crisis on their hands if it was 90%.

[GIJeff]

say 10 people buy DS. 9 of them BUY 1 game each. 1 of them pirates 9 games....guess what? that 1 pirate just pirated 100% of the GAMES that were sold...

[sajj316]

I didn't know about the R4 until. I just ordered it + bought be a DS. No wonder these things sell like hotcakes ;)

[chrno6]

haha me and all of my friends have either supercard or R4. Let's face it, these cards can hold around 20 games which is more efficient that the having 1 card per game.

[Covenant]

Proof?

90% is a HUGE number.

I mean, the DS is mostly purchased by casual gamers, kids, moms, and a growing number of older folks (for Brain Age-type games primarily). Those aren't really the types of people who usually pirate games.

Sounds like he pulled that number out of his nether regions.

[GIJeff]

and just so you know, most of the people i know and would consider as "hardcore" gamers had a DS long before a PSP.

[Fux4Bux]

WTF?! I'd bet my life it's less than %10. Where do they get these outrageous statistics? It's just so stupid considering %90 of the userbase is just casuals.

[Kwertie]

I wouldnt be surprised with 50%. Its the easiest thing in the world to get an R4 and put some ROMs on it. I couldnt think of an easier way. I don't use one, but I would for SNES emulation if it worked good enough. Nintendo needs to sue some ass.

[puki]

"risking the future of the games industry"

or risking the future of handheld gaming industry, they charge too much for those crappy games anyway.

[puki]

btw Mario 64 rocks on the psp.

[ShiftyLookingCow]

double post.

[rob6021]

Well if everyone with the pirated unit has like 1000 games, and everyone else has 3-10 i guess the numbers would make sense lol

[ReBurn]

I have 3 DS's in my house and I've never even heard of this chip. I think it's BS. Unless the massive sales of DS software is only 10% of what it could be without this thing.

[MaJiKaLL]

Lolz come of it man... what do they expect.. imagine ur paying £20 for a game dats literally 32mb. Does it make sense to you? sure as hell not.. plus u get amazing value for money with these games, i mean the adapter and mem card is wat, lets say £40 in total.. n i can fit about 70games onto it. Nintendo and the industry should embrace this behaviour, offer people a card in which u could mix n match games you want for a set price.

Its also good for parents, because nintendo are jus creamin people for money, i mean u buy the DS for amost £90 here in UK, n thats without a game, das another £20. I recently bin tellin parents about the ds adapter n they love it because its only a one of payment, i mean its theft yes... bt lets be honest.. we arnt robbing banks through hacking n whatnot.

It is partly to blame nintendo, there system is very open. i mean you dnt even have to format the biost, or install n e thing. Long as u no how to unzip and place files into a mem card thats it. Even a blonde could do this... nintendo its your fault!

I also run a crackd psp, n i admit ive not baught games for a long time, however with the regular updates n what not, i have purchase one or two in my time, and plus there more quality, not as fragile, online play (socom ftb) etc.

Anyway its not nintendo dat has to worry that much, they are raking it in with the hardware sales, even if software sales are stupidly low if any. 3rd party devs must be fuming at the poor sales with such a hardware install base. Hence u dont see many good games, and to be honest whos gna keep buying a game, to find out its sh1t, i found interesting ones which were awesome, that i dnt think even sell in uk. This is also another bonus to the DS, i can dwnload games from any region n they all work, i also have a SNES emulator, so i can play the original mario bros n what not, even have a sega emulator, for me to enjoy bubsy, deejay boy n a host of others.

Leeeets not 4get another awesome thing with the R4, or as im using, M3DS simply, the ability to play music .mp3 and also videos (through converting). Because out of the box, you cant do anything with the DS, u can communicate with another ds, bt i mean how fun is that when the person is just nxt to you (great concept nintendo coughLAMEcough).

Overall people expect psp functions from the DS, and it just doesnt deliver, R4 helps to give it some functionality and heck, dont blame the R4 for this mess, cos if it wasn't ever concieved, nintendo would never had sold so many DS's.

DS games to lookout for: Poker DS, Metroid Prime, dementium, mario kart. THose are the ones i play alot, then u have other ones like brain trainin, more brain trainin, sight training. Zelda also, not 4gettin dat one, its awesome.

n e ways, ive typd enough!! BIG love for the M3DS or R4! you saved the DS and even nintendo loves you!!!!

[Marceles]

I never heard of the chip either until this article...and look what just arrived at my office lol...thanks CVG