Narin: DSi flashcarts technically illegal, DSONEi not a complete solution

As Nintendo matures its efforts to combat piracy, giving itself the option to push downloadable DSi firmware updates to lock out flashcarts, manufacturers of these devices are already preparing their defenses.

Supercard, for example, revealed the DSONEi, a new DSi-compatible cart with its own upgradeable firmware. If Nintendo disables the current line of flashcarts with an update, Supercard owners can patch their carts (provided that hackers find a workaround) to get it back in working order, instead of having to buy a new device.

Wanting to find out more about how this will impact this battle between game companies and pirates, I spoke with GBAtemp.net’s Narin, a prominent figure in the DS “protection bypass” scene, who says that the DSONEi isn’t as evolutionary a product as most assume, and explains why owning a DSi flashcart is technically illegal:

“The Supercard DSONEi isn’t exactly special other than it including a USB slot that allows you to upgrade the card’s firmware. The AceKard 2i and the R4i I believe (the R4i is an AK2i clone actually) can have their firmware flashed in the occasion Nintendo does release an update to block them. So, what the Supercard is doing isn’t exactly new, but it just offers a different means to do so.

The problem is the method these flashcards use to circumvent the protection the DSi has. They actually use a real ROM — albeit slightly modified to run a loader — in the firmware to fool the DSi into thinking it’s a real game, and then load up into it.

Technically, this makes all DSi flashcards illegal as they distribute copyrighted ROMs and code. In many of the DSi flashcards, you can dump the firmware and extract [their ROM info].”

According to Narin, the DSONEi isn’t the complete solution to beating Nintendo at its firmware game. Because of how DSi-compatible flashcarts are currently designed, the DSONEi is as vulnerable as other products:

“Flashcards use real ROMs to fool the DSi into loading the flashcard into a DS compatibility mode. Nintendo, if they were inclined to, could easily make a firmware update to render this method unusable making all current DSi flashcards obselete.

The problem is, this is the only method the flashcard companies have to load flashcards on the DSi. The best they can do is use a different ROM in their firmware to try to fool the DSi into thinking it’s a real game, though if Nintendo adds a check for the flashcard itself and not for the actual game, it would render the flashcards useless until the protection on the DSi is actually cracked.”

So, if you’re planning on purchasing a DSONEi — for homebrew purposes, of course — keep in mind that Nintendo could still release a system update that would make it incompatible with your DSi.

See also: Narin comments on Metaforic’s anti-piracy DS tech, Flashcarts defeating anti-piracy measures with anti-anti-piracy feature

*Narin emphasizes that these statements are his personal opinions and do not reflect the views of GBAtemp.net.

tags / narin / flashcart / rom / piracy / supercard / dsonei / ec

Hackers: MetaFortress security unlikely to keep DS game pirates at bay

Earlier, Metaforic revealed its anti-tampering DS tech, boasting that many games this holiday season will prevent pirates from loading ripped ROMs, and will require a “long, slow, manual” process to patch each individual release for flashcart users.

To get an idea of how game hackers are taking the news, I spoke with GBAtemp.net technician and Cheats Database maintainer Narin*, who was instrumental in the protection bypass efforts for high-profile DS games like Mario & Luigi RPG 3!!!, Chrono Trigger, and Dragon Quest V.

He’s confident hackers will defeat the MetaFortress tech, as they have with previous anti-piracy solutions:

“This isn’t the first time someone has tried to include protection into DS games. Nintendo has actually included code that game developers can use in their latest SDK that lets them check if the game is running on a flashcard. 99% of the games that came out recently that has a piracy check in them actually used this code.

Once this method was cracked, it was easy to crack it in other games, as you could search the game’s memory for similar routines. AKAIO, an custom AceKard firmware actually scans the game’s memory and patches these piracy routines before the game even loads so all current and future games that contain the Nintendo piracy check will automatically be patched.

The game hacking scene is quite large, and no matter what protection is added to a game, it will only be a matter of time before it’s cracked. The only people who lose out on this are those with flashcards that have been abandoned by their developers, meaning no firmware updates like the original R4.”

The key issue here, in my mind, is how long it will take for hackers to make those initial breakthroughs that will lead to a proven method for cracking the protected DS games. Metaforic claims on its site that MetaFortress has the potential to stall hacking efforts for months.

Narin also shared his thoughts on other DS/piracy-related items, discussing developments from both sides of the fight, so keep an eye on Tiny Cartridge for that.

See also: New flashcart seeks to circumvent future lockouts from DSi firmware updates, Flashcarts defeating anti-piracy measures with anti-anti-piracy feature

*Narin emphasizes that these statements are his personal opinions and do not reflect the views of GBAtemp.net.

tags / piracy / metafortress / metaforic / rom / narin / gbatemp