Gateway: The 3DS Piracy Tool Whose Anti-Piracy Tactic Bricks Your 3DS

[Blitsie]

Am...am I reading this right? A company that aids in 3DS game piracy had their own software pirated so now they developed anti-piracy DRM for their own pirate stuff?

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at the large amount of irony present here.

 

[Covarr]

The hell of it is, this Gateway card can't even run homebrew. only signed commercial software. Unlike the DS scene, not a soul can claim they've used this card for anything but piracy.

P.S. Thanks

P.P.S. That said, I am genuinely interested in the prospect of a 3DS homebrew scene popping up eventually, even if it takes another two years. I'm really curious what sorts of ideas people might come up with for the hardware, and fans tend to be better at thinking outside the box than the big developers that comprise most of the commercial games.

 

[Lono Shrugged]

I will be curious to see how successful this will be in the long term for people pirating this software. If I know pirates (and I don't want to) they will enjoy over-coming gateway's counter measures. And when that happens it will prove that even the most draconian counter measures won't work.

 

[Scrythe]

I love how as you read the article, it gets gradually more hilarious.

It's like some kind of technological comedy of errors.

 

[cerebus23]

well now the pirates know about the trigger its possible to find and nerf it is it not? recent firmware update addition that kills the entire system should not be terribly difficult to find if you know what your looking for lest to my amature programming mind.

pretty darn funny however either way piracy cards being pirated and the pirates getting angry and nuking all of them wo warning, tisk tisk dodgy arse homebrew hacking scene.

 

[Kmadden2004]

God, just when I thought Adblock's Kickstarter campaign to get funding to advertise their software on the web was the height of eye-rolling irony...

Meanwhile, Nintendo just quietly chuckles to itself as these folks with bricked systems are forced to buy another 3DS.

 

[Smooth Operator]

In short "do not ever buy anything from Gateway ever again", just amazing how they are willing to destroy users consoles only to make sure their mods are the only ones in place...

 

[Something Amyss]

WOW the disconnect is strong with this one, stop modifying our product that modifies other peoples products it's unethical

If only they reached a level of self-awareness on this.

It's kind of like that whole Game Dev Tycoon where people were posting for help because in their pirated copy of the game pirates made it impossible for them to make money.

 

[wulf3n]

Not what I was saying. Basically, Gateway just ensured that no one can ever trust them again, thus devaluing their own product in an attempt to protect it. No effect on piracy in general, but I can't imagine too many people rushing out to buy a "backup" tool that the manufacturer actively sabotages.

The manufacturer only sabotages cards that aren't legit. It would be like Nintendo bricking the device if it was found to be playing pirated software. Few would say I can't imagine too many people rushing out to buy a tool that the manufacturer actively sabotages.

OT:

It also seems disingenuous to call this a "Piracy Tool". By that logic we can call the internet a "Piracy Tool", we can call computers "Piracy Tools"

 

[Scars Unseen]

Not what I was saying. Basically, Gateway just ensured that no one can ever trust them again, thus devaluing their own product in an attempt to protect it. No effect on piracy in general, but I can't imagine too many people rushing out to buy a "backup" tool that the manufacturer actively sabotages.

The manufacturer only sabotages cards that aren't legit. It would be like Nintendo bricking the device if it was found to be playing pirated software. Few would say I can't imagine too many people rushing out to buy a tool that the manufacturer actively sabotages.

OT:

It also seems disingenuous to call this a "Piracy Tool". By that logic we can call the internet a "Piracy Tool", we can call computers "Piracy Tools"

umm.. no. It does not sabotage illegitimate cards; it turns illegitimate cards into vehicles of sabotage that destroy people's expensive gaming hardware. This is illegal, and would earn a legitimate company a well earned lawsuit, but since Gateway's own product is already illegal, that isn't likely to happen. Thus the only thing people can do is not to buy any Gateway derived product, original or otherwise.

Take away the illegitimate nature of the products involved and it would be like Sony inserting a virus onto Sony Pictures blu rays that trashed the firmware of any non-Sony blu ray players.

 

[Fdzzaigl]

Indeed, it's a hugely dangerous practice and very illegal.

Reminds me of that one Oblivion modder who made your game go to hell if you didn't follow his rules, except bugs in his mod made your game go to hell randomly anyhow.

 

[major_chaos]

Well that's a shame. Can't wait for a legit home brew screen to pop up on the 3DS. Playing all my old games on the go without paying an arm and a leg to buy them a second time would be nice, as would getting rid of scumbag Nintendo's region locking bullshit.

 

[CaptainMarvelous]

OT:

It also seems disingenuous to call this a "Piracy Tool". By that logic we can call the internet a "Piracy Tool", we can call computers "Piracy Tools"

Well, it's a card designed solely for piracy . It isn't like a boat that you can use for some smuggling on the side, it's a galleon with skull crossbones and is physically incapable of holding legitimate legal cargo.

 

[lacktheknack]

OT:

It also seems disingenuous to call this a "Piracy Tool". By that logic we can call the internet a "Piracy Tool", we can call computers "Piracy Tools"

Actually, apparently, the Gateway product can't even run homebrew. Only pirated commercial software.

Just... I can't even anything anymore.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

It's like Irony and hypocrisy had a baby.

Just... I can't even anything anymore.

 

[Strazdas]

Gateway has said that it only offers support for genuine Gateway customers, and those with bricked devices can't be genuine customers. If they were, they wouldn't have tried to modify Gatway's product. Those with dead devices have only one option: send it back to Nintendo for repair.

Yes, because any costumer that wants to modify its product, perhaps fix the problems said product has, is not a genuine costumer.
also funny considering gateway itself is illegal.

I think gateway should be sued for damage of property (bricking) and should be destroyed. but then, we dont live in a perfect world now do we.

Can't say I feel too sorry for the people whose 3DS's got bricked, if you use illegitimate pirating hardware you take the risk of fucking up your system. Hopefully they've learnt their lesson and they'll pay for future video games they play.

tyhe problem is said hardware shouldnt be illegal to begin with. this hardware is illegal because when you buy a 3DS you dont actualyl buy it, you rent it from nintendo and it can tell you what you can and cant do with it. Its like if you bought a car but wanted different light inside the car and when you installed a different light the car exploded because lol you pirate lights.

Hypocrisy at its finest. If you're a script kiddy using other peoples hacks you're asking for trouble. You could never trust other peoples hacks let alone trust someone else's illicit hack. The only hacks you can ever trust are the ones you do yourself. Soder, code, and all. Then you're just hoping you don't do something that doesn't brick it yourself. I applaud Gateway for teaching another generation that you can't trust someone else's hacks. Now they can go off and try to learn to do it themselves. 5 3DS's later they might have made some progress, but that's the cost of learning.

you can never trust another persons cooking. never eat any food another person made. i applaud the guy that put poison in his restaurant, that will teach the lesson to those who eat food another person made. sure some people died but thats the cost of learning right?

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

That is the worst anti-piracy measure I've ever heard of. Why don't we save everyone in the industry a LOT of time, effort and money by saying right here, "If what you are doing to combat piracy makes piracy a better method of obtaining content than using your service, YOU ARE DOING THE WRONG THING."

 

[wulf3n]

umm.. no. It does not sabotage illegitimate cards; it turns illegitimate cards into vehicles of sabotage that destroy people's expensive gaming hardware. This is illegal, and would earn a legitimate company a well earned lawsuit, but since Gateway's own product is already illegal, that isn't likely to happen. Thus the only thing people can do is not to buy any Gateway derived product, original or otherwise.

Take away the illegitimate nature of the products involved and it would be like Sony inserting a virus onto Sony Pictures blu rays that trashed the firmware of any non-Sony blu ray players.

I'm not saying it's not wrong per se but rather only blaming Gateway is wrong. It comes across as everyone treating R4 and their ilk like victims when they're as much responsible for ensuring the products they release don't contain any malicious software. This is especially important when reverse engineering anothers code/hardware illegally.

Well, it's a card designed solely for piracy . It isn't like a boat that you can use for some smuggling on the side, it's a galleon with skull crossbones and is physically incapable of holding legitimate legal cargo.

Actually, apparently, the Gateway product can't even run homebrew. Only pirated commercial software.
Just... I can't even anything anymore.

I guess that all depends on how one defines piracy. I know several people who only use cards like these to consolidate the games they already own into a single cartridge to negate the need to carry around a pouch full of DS carts. Still technically illegal, but not immoral from my perspective.

 

[TKretts3]

So these people produce tools for pirating 3DS Games, and then have the gall to get upset when other people steal from them? These people who complain (And rightfully so, btw) about ridiculous and intrusive DRM, then include console breaking DRM in their product designed to get around DRM?

Let's all just bask in the irony for a moment.

We do not answer rumors, speculations and other tactics from people who are not even real competitors but simply companies stealing our hard work...

Yeah, can't imagine how THAT feels like.

On the whole, I really can't sympathize with the people who are affected by this. They are, after all, pirates, taking content, a product, without paying for it - stealing. They deserve the consequence that they're actions bring.