90% sounds absolutely absurd, considering that half the people who own DSes are grandmothers playing card games.

In a related story, Fox News is reporting that 90% of Nintendo DS owners have been intimate with their handheld consoles, and thus, Nintendo is responsible for corrupting the youth of America.

I would never have purchased a DS if it wasn't for the R4 chip. Nintendo still got my 140 bucks for something I had absolutely no interest in buying to begin with so why the hell should they care?

There is no way in hell it's 90%. You say 50% of your friends have it, and that's probably the technically adept part of the DS population. When you factor in the population that don't even have the knowhow capability of using the pirate device, it'll be like 25% max.

Does an M3 Lite Perfect count?

Although I own one and do "pirate" games, I still support developers. Most recently I purchased Phantom Hourglass (well it actually came with my shiny gold DS, does that count?) and I can't wait to get my hands on Dungeon Explorer, Nanostray 2, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates and Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword.

It also makes me glad I didn't have to buy Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales and MySims to find out they sucked.

Not American and have a DS-X but...

Everything on one cartridge is, alone, so worth it. Being able to play the games when they're out, rather than several months later when they're out HERE, is also great.

Those are the main reasons, honestly. Other than that, I like to own good games and have ordered games I've already completed before they were released here. For support, and for the this-is-good-and-I-own-it factor. Same thing with CD's and my favorite bands; can't remember the last time a CD wasn't leaked way ahead of actual release, but even though I can't wait hearing it, I'll buy it when it's out too.

It's not even always a blessing to have and (ab)use one of these - what do you do when you have 50 friggin' games on your cartridge, of which several are long-ass RPG's? You cry, knowing that you can't play them all even though they're right there. Cursed be Time.

Buying a good game increases it's value in more ways than just the $$. And, unless you've got lots of money, gives you a chance to play them through before getting the new ones.

Oh, and that 90 percent figure seems fairly dreamt up.

90% of Americans pirate games.

99% of Chinese pirate consoles.

I'm in the 10% then . . .

I must be part of that tiny minority then. I've always supported Nintendo, as they've always made quality handheld software

Let's be clear.


PIRATING WILL KILL THE GAME INDUSTRY.

Exhibit A.: How many huge PC games of the super-high-quality graphics FPS style have been announced lately? What's that, none? Oh that's right, because pirates didn't buy Crysis, they can't afford to make a sequel.

Pirate music from the greedy RIAA, they've been trying to fuck us for years. Game companies care about our experiences, they still offer quality content. Don't change that by being cheap, even if you're an asian.

I don't know anyone with one.

Ridiculousness. They probably polled a forum on a warez site or some such.

I think they looked at the GameFAQs board and got their number from there. 90% is an insane amount.

I personally could care less if someone uses an R4, M3, or any other pirating device. I don't think it's right if they do, but hey, it's on them.

Me? I prefer to actually own the game (VC being the exception there). I like being able to display the case (or in the case of my NES games, the game catridge). Guess I can be considered a collector.

Look folks. STOP PIRATING BABYZ and just buy the damn thing already.

@dvddesigns - ...if that's the future industry, I'm pirating hardcore now.

i hear R4s drain the color output from your DS and make it black and white (j/k)
seriously this is just sensationalist journalism...probably will sell more R4s since nobody is really buying them (including me) LOL

I mainly put games on mine if I own them, and I test games on it too. If I like the game I might go out and buy it. If it is boring within a week then I will leave it.

It is pretty convenient to have your entire collection in one card.

Even your friends 50% is not representative of all the casual/younger/older market who I highly doubt are even that high.

We have a DS and no R4. I'm not a big fan of stealing.
"that's not all it does" you say
"that's not all you use it for then?" I say

My M3 Real is broken already

I own an R4 and have absolutely no qualms about it. Do I pirate games? Yeah, I do. However, I also buy 2-4 DS games a month. The R4 is nice during periods like the holiday season, where there are plenty of games to buy, but you definitely can't afford them all.

Also, with Nintendo published titles at least, many of those games have extremely limited print runs. Try finding a copy of Tetris DS, Advance Wars: Dual Strike, or Meteos. You will likely have to drive a great distance to find a crummy used Gamestop copy 30 or more miles away.

Nintendo makes money off nearly every game they publish precisely because of these limited print runs; scarcity and the high resale price indicates that demand continues long after the print run has finished. Nintendo defines how much revenue they will get from each game, and every copy sells out over the course of just a few months.

It's also pretty amusing that many self-righteous gamers that would never use an R4 would still buy a used copy at Gamestop. Whether you download it or buy a used copy, no money is being funneled to Nintendo. I would argue that used copies at GameStop are actually far more harmful to the industry than pirates at this point in time (not for PC games, obviously, which does have a huge piracy problem). Why do you think digital distribution is so appealing to Publishers? Not only is it cheaper, but it eliminates the used game market cannibalizing the industry.

I heard that 90% of DS owners are lying twats. Refute.

I use my R4 to play Final Fantasy IV. When it is released in the US, I'll buy it.



Also, cocks.

Doubt it's that high. Have no clue how they worked it out.
If it's done on sales, most English speaking countries buy their R4's from the US.
I'm a New Zealander and I own and am a proud supporter of my R4, it's not illegal if you don't download roms onto it.
I bought it specifically for Cave Story DS (homebrew port), but in the meantime while I wait for that to come out I put my music and videos on it.
I respect Ninty to much to pirate their games.