Flashcarts defeating anti-piracy measures with anti-anti-piracy feature
As flashcart sales escalate across the globe, major publishers like Square Enix are combatting the high piracy rate for their DS games with measures that prevent bootlegged ROMs from progressing too far into titles like Chrono Trigger and Mario & Luigi RPG 3.
In the recently released Dragon Quest V remake, for example, players who downloaded the game were unable to advance beyond an early boat ride, their ship never reaching its intended destination.
Tech-savvy users can download a workaround within days, if not hours, of a protected game’s release, but the extra security layer is enough to deflect delinquents lacking the motivation or know-how to seek these patches.
That barrier, however, will be lifted for CycloDS users, as the team behind the flashcart released a beta firmware update designed to bypass anti-piracy functions:
“A number of recent games have included a form of copy protection where the game will exhibit strange problems if you attempt to run it as a backup [rather than from the original cartridge].
Until now it was necessary to either use a “protection bypass cheat code” or wait for us to manually include a compatibility fix as part of a firmware update … We have now developed our own system which automatically disables the checks in protected games. without needing to use a cheat code or wait for a firmware update.
The system is working in all protected games released to date, and providing there are no major changes to the way the protection works, it should continue to work in the future.”
How long before publishers employ anti-anti-anti-piracy measures? Probably very long, as many companies still elect to not include any protection in their games at all.
See also: DSi locks out flashcarts, DSi flashcart news round-up
[Note: AKAIO, an unoffocial, custom firmware solution for Acekard flashcarts, provides a similar feature]
[Via GBAtemp]
tags / flashcart / team cyclops / cyclods / square enix / piracy / ec
