Hacking Japanese trains gets examined for people using R4-type devices

[Link5084]

Since Japan is so heavy on the R4, they do something crazy as this

http://kotaku.com/5319013/lets-research-ga...japanese-trains

Field research time! Website Gpara wandered up and down train carriages on Tokyo's Yamanote Line, looking for players using R4 piracy devices.

Since R4 piracy devices use cartridges with SD Card slots, it was possible

Gpara deployed on trains last week — and did profiles of the DS players it spied on the train. Those profiles include the approximate ages, gender, type (student, salaryman, etc), what platform the individual was using and the approximate time window.

On the first day, Gpara spotted 106 individuals on the train playing the DS throughout a chunk of the day. Out of those, five of them were using R4-type piracy devices — four of them were men, and one was a female college student. One of those five, a businessman, was using the piracy device to play Dragon Quest IX.

During the second day, Gpara observed 109 individuals on the train playing the DS. Out of those 15 individuals were using a R4-type device to play DS games with only one playing a pirated version of DQIX. The pirates varied from middle school students to college students to female office workers to businessmen.

And you thought all pirates looked piratey, ha! Wrong!

 

[JohnnyCheeks]

This is just too goddamned ridiculous and Orwellian... Who's to say that none of those people are actually using it in a legit manner, with backups of games they actually own? There's nothing like the convenience of having your entire collection all in one cart.

 

[k3vin369]

Yeah this is ridiculous. It's kind of funny picturing a businessman playing Dragon Quest, xD; but it sucks to be them. I also agree it could not always be piracy.

 

[Rayder]

Just for argument's sake, let's say the numbers are correct. To me, that would mean 90% are suckers and only 10% are smart enough not to waste money on crappy DS games. And if you factor in the fact that 90% of DS games are crap.......yikes.

 

[triassic911]

Just for argument's sake, let's say the numbers are correct. To me, that would mean 90% are suckers and only 10% are smart enough not to waste money on crappy DS games. And if you factor in the fact that 90% of DS games are crap.......yikes.

LOL yikes indeed.

 

[Canonbeat234]

What I notice is that most of them are playing RPG's. It proves that there are female gamers out there!

 

[Technik]

Well nintendo released their own flashcartish thing and it was only released in japan. How do you know its not some person using that?

 

[Schizoanalysis]

Well nintendo released their own flashcartish thing and it was only released in japan. How do you know its not some person using that?

DSVision has a side loading miniSD slot -- or at least the one I have does -- the spies would see it as a real DS cart

 

[Jakob95]

If they used those old the other carts that have it also in the side.

 

[Deleted User]

I'm glad there are only a few people using flashcarts, or maybe I should say I'm glad that the majority of the people actually buy games (which doesn't mean that these people don't own a flashcart).

This is just too goddamned ridiculous and Orwellian... Who's to say that none of those people are actually using it in a legit manner, with backups of games they actually own? There's nothing like the convenience of having your entire collection all in one cart.

I don't know about Japanese laws but where I live it doesn't matter if you own the original game -- ROMs are illegal here.

 

[BoxShot]

..... Get some side loading carts Japan.

Well they took it this far how much farther can they take it?

 

[Elritha]

Some of those people playing the DS must have noticed some strange person watching them closely, and peeking over their shoulder, to see what game they're playing. I'd be a bit freaked out if it was me.

 

[DeMoN]

Those are ridiculously low numbers. I'm surprised at how many non-pirates there are, as I cannot for the life of me find anyone who has a DS and buys games. Even little kids, who I assumed wouldn't know anything about flash cards, use them.

Some of those people playing the DS must have noticed some strange person watching them closely, and peeking over their shoulder, to see what game they're playing. I'd be a bit freaked out if it was me. blink.gif

No need to be paranoid, people do that all the time.

 

[Da-Bomb1]

Well, if done well enough, you wouldn't even be able to tell that they're spying on you.

 

[desh_thiere]

When I was in Tokyo on the trains (used them everyday for around 11 days) I always spent time spying on people playing DS's. It was truly amazing the spread of demographics who played, from kids all the way through to middle aged women and very wealthy looking business men. I always tried to see if they were using legit carts or flash carts and in like 90% of cases they were using legit carts. Basically the only people I saw with a flashcart with a microSD were younger people, teenagers and young adults.

I was surprised at the sheer lack of people using flashcarts in Japan, considering they were in so many shops on the streets of Akihabara. I went just before they were banned and they were very prominently displayed in some stores, and also FAR more expensive than you would pay for them on the net.

 

[Orc]

When I was in Tokyo on the trains (used them everyday for around 11 days) I always spent time spying on people playing DS's. It was truly amazing the spread of demographics who played, from kids all the way through to middle aged women and very wealthy looking business men.

WAT. What kind of Japan was this?

EDIT: Also what train line was this? If it was Yamanote-sen, that would explain the lack of people with flashcarts since who bothers playing the DS there (other than the kids I see who can't stop playing)? If it was the Yamanote-sen though, I have never seen a wealthy looking business man EVER... salarymen can look decent but lol wealthy, no.
EDIT2: Oh read the article. They surveyed Yamanote-sen, wtf... explains the low turn out... 100+ people only?

 

[YayMii]

simple solution, get an original cart colored sideloading card, such as the EZ-Flash.

I wanted an EZ-Flash, but I just decided to buy the first flashcard I see in a store, the EDGE. (btw, i went to the Philippines)

 

[Rock Raiyu]

Well this kind of behavior is not even remotely surprising. I expected this to happen sooner or later.

 

[Da-Bomb1]

This is why i also have a side loading cart.

Haha, probably just about everybody's caught on, and they're all using side-loading carts now.

 

[gameguy95]

This is why i also have a side loading cart.

Haha, probably just about everybody's caught on, and they're all using side-loading carts now.

i wish the Supercard dsonei was original color and side loading but they said it would too expensive to create that kind of design XD