Full FeedR4 chip for DS on sale in Akihabara and the internet
A small little chip is going to be responsible for a decline in holiday cheer at Nintendo. The R4 chip for the Nintendo DS is experiencing a huge sales spike this holiday season, and is frequently selling out in the Akihabara electronics district in Japan.
The R4 chip, which looks like a DS cartridge and fits in the cartridge slot, can hold a micro-SD memory card filled with homebrew applications, books, mp3s, movies and illegally cracked games. People simply buy the cartridge in a store or online, install the software on their computer and then drag and drop items to the memory card. The chip itself is not illegal, but certain owners choose to take advantage of the fact that the card can run DS roms without any kind of patch.
It is funny how stores in Tokyo are handling sales. Clerks are forbidden from discussing how it works, but that doesn’t keep them from discretely referring inquiring individuals to YouTube. The Times Online reports that the store signs advertising it simply read:
“New R4 shipment has finally arrived! You know what it does! Absolutely no questions will be answered concerning this product.”
The chip itself can be found at a number of online retailers. The price can fluctuate, with some sites selling it for as little as $29.99. The product is also available on Amazon through Digital Gaming International Trading Inc. for $59.99.
A similar product (which doesn’t have the illegal implications) is available in the US. The Games n’Music from Codejunkies also allows people to play homebrew games and applications, music and video clips on their DSes. Games n’Music costs $39.99 and is available in most major US retailers and online.
The product in itself isn’t that bad an idea. I’d love to be able to play mp3s on my DS so I could leave my iPod at home. Plus it would mean the PSP could stay behind as well. It is a shame how people exploit a good item and use it for piracy. At least Codejunkie’s product can’t be used for piracy.
Read [GamesIndustry.biz] Also Read [The Times Online] Product Page [Codejunkies] Product Page [Amazon]
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Fantastic device. Means I can use my DS for more than just playing games and leave my other hardware at home.
Surprised it has taken this long for an SDcard device for the DS. Better late than never.
on February 17, 2008 at 03:19 AM - LINKIt is handy, isn’t it? Otherwise you’d have to have an iPod for music and a PSP for videos if you wanted to have everything at once.
It is a shame when people abuse a product though and use it for theft.
on February 19, 2008 at 01:46 PM - LINKHello, we do R4 SDHC factory, if you need to contact us.
on November 19, 2008 at 09:20 PM - LINKIf you have DSI then I would suggest not to go for r4 cards as they are not really compatible with DSI version. But if you have DS then go for r4 cards.
on May 17, 2009 at 02:33 AM - LINKyes r4 cards are not supporting in my latest DSi it really made me sad when I got my DSi wanted to try something new on my DSi. anyways you can still purchase a r4i card for a nominal price it supports DSi and some people said it also supports DS not quite sure though.
on May 26, 2009 at 02:11 PM - LINKDSi cards are prving very popular with a lot people upgrading once they switch from Ds to Dsi.
on June 18, 2009 at 02:36 PM - LINK