[A.D.R.I.A.N]

I pray Nintendo doesn't attack this site... and I hope Nintendo doesn't attack the edge of the internet.

[Isao Kronos]

to be honest i think hosting issues like in the past will be the straw that breaks the camel back, not nintendo

stop worrying about nintendo, people

[A.D.R.I.A.N]

to be honest i think hosting issues like in the past will be the straw that breaks the camel back, not nintendo

stop worrying about nintendo, people

They worry because this is Nintendo we're talking about. They're very protective of their IPs (can't really blame them) and one illegal download can potentially hurt them (Switch games are already being pirated, not sure about their old games). But if it's ROM-hosting you're talking about, then it will be harder for people to find specific games that are out of print, with no other way to legally obtain them.

[FAST6191]

But if it's ROM-hosting you're talking about, then it will be harder for people to find specific games that are out of print, with no other way to legally obtain them.

They could probably point at virtual console at this point.

Anyway as for RHDN then probably not. RHDN purposely does not host ROMs, hosts patches which are basically useless by themselves (without the technical skills of a ROM hacker an IPS file is likely random junk), would be hard to demonstrate even the notion of losses from, probably does not have anything for a currently active online game and said patches typically should not contain any directly copyrighted material of the original game owner (or another IP owner, give or take spoofs but... yeah).
While they could possibly try something with derived works (or the local equivalent thereof), possibly whatever they went after subtitle sites with (though again such files are not useful in an of themselves, where subs are effectively a timed script readable by a text editor or simple program), or some kind of DRM circumvention (I once saw a game genie master code discussed) it would be a proper court case they have to fight if RHDN did stand up (the EFF I imagine would be interested) and not just buckle immediately. The results of said court case might also come out not in their favour and most companies will try to avoid setting a precedent that comes back to bite them. This also says nothing of the PR backlash that would likely result*.
Copyright infringement, or indeed outright knowing distribution by a commercial site, which is what ROM sites go in for (give or take the commercial bit at times), is far easier to sell to a court and does not attract a backlash.

*I am not sure the extent of it would be. I am sure we all saw the backlash for the Nintendo vs let's play set, itself something of a storm in a teacup and petered out fairly quickly.
Flash carts, emulators and mod chips are already considered a bit niche (and possibly a bit naughty thanks to years of propaganda) and ROM hacking is a niche within that niche for the most part**. I imagine it then be the people that knew about it would be far more bitter about it but so few in number that it does not matter.

**someone out there may well have got a game, wondered if it could be translated and came directly here, maybe were used to doing it for say a C64 where such things were the order of the day, or dreamt up the abstract concept from what they knew of programming in general. Fairly safe to say most here were already versed in emulators, flash carts, mod chips, the general "piracy" aspect of games culture and whatever else.

[Jorpho]

Well, there is precedent in the form of that ginormous kerfuffle over Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes.

[tvtoon]

Just to repoint the issue with (removed), they never seemed the lucrative group. They have been on the internet longer than any other, I even got surprised when they began to serve "mainstream" stuff like GBA ROMs and Redump-like CD images, that was in a time when the RIAA and whatever random were tracking many sites. I thought that was going to be their demise, wrong for good.

I will never miss the sites that serve MAME ROMs, this kind of site lasts an eternity, but Jaguar CD images, came on! It is hard to find good stuff even in torrents!

[NERV Agent]

Unless the famiclone bundles Nintendo owned code with it or uses their trademarks what do you propose they do? One of the very same things that allows us to have emulators (that being a console is just a bundle of chips, from that era usually off the shelf ones as well, and copyrighting that can't really be done) means they don't have a leg to stand on really.

You realize that most of these scam consoles get bundled in with a bunch of pirated ROMs? Some of them change a few graphics to make it "look" like a different game, but essentially a graphics hack of the original. And some of the games are just the unaltered pirated ROM completely.

Jeez, you can watch hours upon hours about this crap on YouTube. Especially on Rerez and Ashens.

FYI: I'm not at all referring to the Analogue NT and stuff like that. I meant the stuff made to look like an SNES Classic, PSP, Wii, etc., to fool consumers who don't know any better, but they are just Famiclones bundled in with a bunch of pirated ROMs. I'd imagine soccer moms who don't know anything about video games would be tricked into buying something that they perceive to be an SNES Classic/PSP/Wii/etc. for their son or daughter, but was really Famiclone crap and ROMs inside.

[FAST6191]

Famiclone tends to mean something specific though, mostly devices either through emulation or replication of hardware, with historically a fairly strong leaning towards the hardware replication thing, that allow playing of original carts.

Anyway now I am curious if the emulation on the devices you mention is better than Nintendo's sub par offerings for their stuff.

[tc]

Who knew that putting ads on a site that distributes ROMs would attract the stink-eye from the most litigious publisher in the past century?

I think that's key. They're not just distributing ROMs, they're financially supported in doing so through ads.

[FAST6191]

I think that's key. They're not just distributing ROMs, they're financially supported in doing so through ads.

While that is doubtless an aggravating factor didn't they also go after the internet archive when they did their emulation bit?

[Jorpho]

I'd imagine soccer moms who don't know anything about video games would be tricked into buying something that they perceive to be an SNES Classic/PSP/Wii/etc. for their son or daughter, but was really Famiclone crap and ROMs inside.

Well, you can't exactly go strolling into Toys R Us Radio Shack GameStop or wherever it is people buy games these days and pick one up, can you?  I'd expect they'd be pretty out of reach of the typical "soccer mom".  Maybe not so much someone who hangs out in Chinatown or pawn shops or something.

Anyway now I am curious if the emulation on the devices you mention is better than Nintendo's sub par offerings for their stuff.

M. Agent linked to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8-WcD4FGy4 earlier.  Looks pretty darn shabby.

[NERV Agent]

Well, you can't exactly go strolling into Toys R Us Radio Shack GameStop or wherever it is people buy games these days and pick one up, can you?  I'd expect they'd be pretty out of reach of the typical "soccer mom".  Maybe not so much someone who hangs out in Chinatown or pawn shops or something.

Fry's Electronics
Walgreens
Walmart
CVS
Target
You name it.

[Jorpho]

Fry's Electronics
Walgreens
Walmart
CVS
Target
You name it.

You're saying all of those stores carry things that resemble the NES mini or SNES mini, and that carry Nintendo ROMs?  Are there product listings on their online sites?

I know there are things like the AtGames Genesis, but that is a licensed product in spite of its crapiness.

[NERV Agent]

Where I live, yes. They are usually stored in the cheapo toys section with the action figures and cheap water guns.

[tc]

Where I live, yes. They are usually stored in the cheapo toys section with the action figures and cheap water guns.

Plug and play retro games aren't too difficult to find in stores.
However... how many of them actually contain Nintendo intellectual property?

If you want to talk about Gamestop being monopolistic, it's more the cutesy anime RPGs that only they carry in many US local markets.

[Kallisto]

Well, there is precedent in the form of that ginormous kerfuffle over Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes.

Some people are not convinced it was really Nintendo that did that, some say it was a hoax.

[Tsukiyomaru0]

Plug and play retro games aren't too difficult to find in stores.
However... how many of them actually contain Nintendo intellectual property?

If you want to talk about Gamestop being monopolistic, it's more the cutesy anime RPGs that only they carry in many US local markets.

Far too many of them contains it. Also there are companies that intentionally mimic the console design and name to a degree only to fool grannies and moms into buying bootleg systems like Game Advance or the most famous Polystation.

On the other hand, in Brazil there's Tec Toy, who is legally able to produce and sell Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) and Sega Mastery System (Mark III), and in one of their Mega Drive repros they actually addressed ROM usage! I won't quote it word by word, but it pretty much says "To use custom ROMs, insert the SD Card into your computer and move the files into the designated folder. However use only ROMs from reliable sources and know we won't take responsibility for damage that it may cause to your system."

[NERV Agent]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHYEGnKEuzw

That pretty much checks off all of the ROM sites on my ROM and ISO resources list.

[Chronosplit]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHYEGnKEuzw

That pretty much checks off all of the ROM sites on my ROM and ISO resources list.

Wait a minute, this one is actually different. http://www.theisozone.com/statement.php

It appears that they're attempting to launch a sort of legal ROM site that benefits the copyright holders?  One thing people would say about GOG when it was a retro game site only is that it only covered computers, it may just be crazy enough to work.

I doubt heavily that they'll ever get Nintendo in or whoever, but their main thing wasn't anything related to Nintendo for me before torrents or whatever happened.  This could actually be interesting.

[Kallisto]

Wait a minute, this one is actually different. http://www.theisozone.com/statement.php

It appears that they're attempting to launch a sort of legal ROM site that benefits the copyright holders?  One thing people would say about GOG when it was a retro game site only is that it only covered computers, it may just be crazy enough to work.

I doubt heavily that they'll ever get Nintendo in or whoever, but their main thing wasn't anything related to Nintendo for me before torrents or whatever happened.  This could actually be interesting.

I was freaking out about this all day, and just reading that makes me so happy. I'm glad something will finally be done after all these years, it just takes one step for a better retro gaming future.