From G4TV 
 
http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/710875/Nintendo-Warns-Against-Playing-Pirated-Games-On-The-3DS-Threatens-To-Brick-Consoles--.html

Aaaww.. I kinda wish the 3DS had a literal self destruct button. They should at least create a fictional one for a James Bond movie..

It would be great if it actually exploded.

sucks for Europeans and Aussies :/

Yeah. That's what they've been saying for the Wii too. "Firmware updates can brick your console if you've installed illegal software". Whatever protection they throw in, it's cracked within the week.

If you pirate a game then the start button changes and now arms the bomb inside the 3DS. You hit it once to arm the bomb, hit it again to disarm. I highly advise you never to pause your pirated games. Unless you want to see an explosion in the most realistic 3D ever.

" Yeah. That's what they've been saying for the Wii too. "Firmware updates can brick your console if you've installed illegal software". Whatever protection they throw in, it's cracked within the week. "

One of the first things hackers usually figure out how to do is create a recovery mode in case you accidentally brick your system. Besides, the only way this could work is if you choose to update while you have a custom firmware running. As long as you just keep installing whatever custom firmware people put out, then this won't be a problem. It's not like Nintendo has any idea how the internet works or how to design a competent online platform, so you know this won't be anything super sophisticated.

Nintendo have proven time and time again that they have the worst security in the business. I doubt the 3DS and its defences will last very long.

I'm a little peeved about how much energy seemingly goes into copy protection or drm or whatever you want to call it. Hackers are gonna hack, and they are not limited by time and budget constraint

hackers gonna hack, and ball don't lie ~Ron-Ron Artest.

" I'm a little peeved about how much energy seemingly goes into copy protection or drm or whatever you want to call it. Hackers are gonna hack, and they are not limited by time and budget constraint "

A lot of consoles already do this.  
 
This isn't exactly new.

" If you pirate a game then the start button changes and now arms the bomb inside the 3DS. You hit it once to arm the bomb, hit it again to disarm. I highly advise you never to pause your pirated games. Unless you want to see an explosion in the most realistic 3D ever. "

I give it about 6 months from now till someone proves Nintendo wrong.

" I give it about 6 months from now till someone proves Nintendo wrong. "

I damn well hope hackers get around this.  If I can't play any more fan-translated Super Robot Wars games, I'll be rather pissed. 

Well it's not like you're missing anything by keeping your Nintendo products offline. 

" Aaaww.. I kinda wish the 3DS had a literal self destruct button. They should at least create a fictional one for a James Bond movie.. "

I don't know how I feel about this to be honest.  On the one hand, those who pirate games should be punished and it is way to easy to get away with it.  On the other, they did give Nintendo $250 to own that hardware.  If it is owned, shouldn't you be allowed to do whatever you want with it?  This is a tough issue.  I guess no one has to worry about this if they just don't put a pirated game on the system.

" Well it's not like you're missing anything by keeping your Nintendo products offline.  "

" If you pirate a game then the start button changes and now arms the bomb inside the 3DS. You hit it once to arm the bomb, hit it again to disarm. I highly advise you never to pause your pirated games. Unless you want to see an explosion in the most realistic 3D ever. "

I like this a a lot. I buy my games cause I like to support developers. Now I can laugh at my cousin that has a R4 and pirates all his games.

" @XII_Sniper said:

" Well it's not like you're missing anything by keeping your Nintendo products offline.  "

For the download store you may be right from what we've seen with Wiiware and DSiware but lots of games are going to better support online play and with a system friend code instead of a friend code for each game people will want to play with their friends more online.  "

I glad my PC BIOS doesn't have this feature. 
 
the hardware is the consumers property to do as they wish once they buy it.

But..The whole point of handhelds is to customize them with a bunch of custom shit that would otherwise never be available. Like when I used my PSP to read .PDF's.
The dual screen setup would make the 3DS perfect for .PDF viewing. I sure hope some hacker cracker relentless attackers get in there and do some dirt on nintendo's new handheld. And quickly.

" But..The whole point of handhelds is to customize them with a bunch of custom shit that would otherwise never be available. Like when I used my PSP to read .PDF's. The dual screen setup would make the 3DS perfect for .PDF viewing. I sure hope some hacker cracker relentless attackers get in there and do some dirt on nintendo's new handheld. And quickly. "

instead of giving reasons to buy and not pirate, nintendo wastes time with this bs, which is only going to attract hackers lol

" @ch13696 said:

" I give it about 6 months from now till someone proves Nintendo wrong. "

I'll take that bet and raise it. 3 months! "

lolwut.  The point of handheld devices is to use them for their intended purpose as designed by the manufacturer.

" @keyhunter said:

" But..The whole point of handhelds is to customize them with a bunch of custom shit that would otherwise never be available. Like when I used my PSP to read .PDF's. The dual screen setup would make the 3DS perfect for .PDF viewing. I sure hope some hacker cracker relentless attackers get in there and do some dirt on nintendo's new handheld. And quickly. "

lolwut.  The point of handheld devices is to use them for their intended purpose as designed by the manufacturer.  And after the rampant piracy on the DS and PSP, using PDF reading of all things as an excuse for cracking is essentially bullshit.  (And I for one have never heard of anyone using a DS or PSP to read PDF documents.) "

" @ch13696 said:

" I give it about 6 months from now till someone proves Nintendo wrong. "

I'll take that bet and raise it. 3 months! "

This does nothing to protect against emulators that will be created for computers. I admire this attempt, but its still not good enough for those determined to play games without paying for them regardless if they want the 3d option or not

" It would be great if it actually exploded. "

nice way to issue a challenge to hackers Nintendo

The Wii had the same disclaimer. This is not a "threat", it is just fact: When you softmod your console, an official firmware update might brick it. It has happened before. 
 
Talk about making "news" from nothing.

All rumours to be honest

Nintendo should just do what Link's Awakening did when you stole from the shop. You will always be called THIEF! That traumatized me as a kid. 

" @keyhunter said:

" But..The whole point of handhelds is to customize them with a bunch of custom shit that would otherwise never be available. Like when I used my PSP to read .PDF's. The dual screen setup would make the 3DS perfect for .PDF viewing. I sure hope some hacker cracker relentless attackers get in there and do some dirt on nintendo's new handheld. And quickly. "

lolwut.  The point of handheld devices is to use them for their intended purpose as designed by the manufacturer.  And after the rampant piracy on the DS and PSP, using PDF reading of all things as an excuse for cracking is essentially bullshit.  (And I for one have never heard of anyone using a DS or PSP to read PDF documents.) "

It was only to be expected with the level of piracy on the DS, but like others in this thread have said there'll be a crack for it in no time.

They region-lock a handheld system for the first time in history, and now they're threatening to disable my system if I want to play America/Japan-only games without buying two other devices?

Man, fuck that.

Any issue regarding the "bricking" of the 3DS will likely be overcome by the hackers with time, however I do think it's possible for Nintendo to invalidate your ability to play games online if they suspect you might have altered the firmware to enable homebrew software. 

bullshit, they can try but they will lose... as always. I am all for buying games, sure but I want my platform to be as open as possible. The original Xbox Media Center for example ruled my TV for a very long time and I still bought 32 original Xbox games.

Considering the past there is no wonder console makers today might go extreme. 
No matter what your option about pirating is, it is illegal, nothing can change that.
 
@Apathylad:
Ha ha, yea I remember that.

Well I am in favor of things like home-brew apps and importing however we all know that's not what the majority of people who hack consoles do. I also think that the NGP will likely do the same.

if the 'self destruct button' can't be removed, why would someone who 'pirates' want to invest in the hardware?  There is the iphone and itouch... people can bootleg games on those systems. Essentially by putting a 'self destruct' in the 3DS, Nintendo just said to those folks "Go buy an iphone" or itouch. 
 
The 3DS is a dead system anyway. It's much more cool and hip to hold an iphone or similar device, than it is to hold a DS or 3DS. Someone will use the iphone to make a phone call or use the itouch to play music... there are legitimate reasons for holding and using such devices. What' the reason for holding a 3DS? "Games you moron".  HA, that's soo 1-Dimensional.

Yeah, whatever. Like it's gonna work anyway. In a few weeks there will be a solution available and I'll be able to play all the European import shovelware I want.

It should just permanently display the Dennis Nedry animation from JP until the battery dies and won't take a charge again. 
 
AH AH AH! AH AH AH! AH AH AH!