Nintendo Targets YouTube Accounts Showing Emulated Games
Explore Nintendo's latest actions and the clash between IP rights and gaming creativity in the retro gaming community.
Nintendo has been actively taking down YouTube videos that feature its games being emulated or modded, which has sparked significant discussion and concern within the gaming community.
"So, those guys generate positive advertisement for our games. How do we stop it, and make sure that public opinion shifts to «Nintendo is cringe and you're a loser if you play this shit»?"
Also, what the fuck is with Japanese law, criminalising modding?
Also, what the fuck is with Japanese law, criminalising modding?
My best guess would be that they're trying to get ahead of the recompiler scene before it catches a bigger foothold. But also, that lumps in the entire rom hacking and fan translation community, which I'm sure they view as perpetuating the piracy of their games.
It's probably not about that but rather to destroy the secondary market of modchips and save-file editors in Japan.
I don't care what bullshit justification they try to come up with for it; the bottom line is that it violates computer owners' property rights.
It is absolutely unconscionable, ass-backwards, Bizarro-world bullshit to privilege temporary fake Imaginary Property (IP) over and above actual property!
Nonetheless, the best thing would be to let those kinds of fans do what they do, because it is free advertising. But no, they'd rather be right than pragmatic, so they shoot themselves in the foot. Meanwhile, if they're so worried that these guys have that kind of serious reach and influence - aren't those the people they shouldn't piss on??
Typical Japanese bullshittery. I watch sumo, and even when there was no official way to watch outside Japan the sumo association would get youtube accounts showing matches taken down. Tons of industries are still run by technological dinosaurs.
I would assume a company such as sony or nintendo lobbied for that law.
You sure is Nintendo of Japan and not Nintendo of america that's doing it because the american office would use american jurisdiction
Also, what the fuck is with Japanese law, criminalising modding?
You state that this is Japanese law but what is clearly happeing here is nintendo abusing laws, please correct that statement of yours because your unfairly criticising the Japanese government for the actions of nintendo
Stop buying Nintendo products
The Switch was my last console purchase; I'm never buying another console from anyone ever again. I haven't touched it in years cause every time I new game comes out that I want to play, I just pirate it instead. Why bother playing new releases on an underpowered, outdated handheld that struggles to render in 1080p, when I can play them in 4K on my PC at 60-120 FPS instead? Seriously, fuck Nintendo. Between their crappy hardware and crusade against gamers, I have zero reason to give them another cent of my hard-earned cash.
I grew up as a PC gamer (if you can call 8-bit computers PCs too) and never had a console as a kid. I got an Xbox One when it came out, just because of the Kinect, and never played anything on it other than Just Dance. Playing on my PC is more convenient. I got a Switch and played some Pokémon, but couldn't get in the habit of playing on a device instead of a PC. When I got a Switch emulator on my PC, I played more on that than I did on the actual Switch in all the time I owned it.
The Steam Deck seems like a decent console, if that counts, because you're free to do what you want with it
But perhaps you consider that to just be a handheld PC instead of a console, which I suppose is true
I remember back when I was a teen, emulating GBA games on our family laptop because I had no money. I did not buy one single Nintendo games (for myself), but played 90% of the Zelda series. Great games, annoying ass company.
Keep buying Nintendo products so that we have systems with good games. They’re stuck in the last century but that’s for better AND worse.
I would never buy another Nintendo product after I bought the switch, played it for 2 months and never picked it up again.
Wife uses it, has a bunch of digital games installed, daughter wanted to use it, create an account on same device and she has to buy them again. Another reason to buy physical but other consoles let you play games on different accounts, it's just Nintendo being c***s
No, user accounts on the same console have access to any physical or digital games on that console, just like with PS5 and XBox. Nintendo sucks and all, but not THAT bad...yet.
That’s definitely not true, I have at least two digital games that we share on multiple accounts.
That’s definitely not the way it works.
My partner has a switch. We both created as account on it. She buys digital games on it and everything that’s installed appears in the games list.
Anyone that picks it up can see that game list. If I’m playing then I pick a game from the list and it asks which account is playing and I can choose mine or hers. Then the game starts.
Never buy digital media
With all these news recently, you could think Nintendo wants to be hated. It's truly shameful how the company has fallen since Iwata is gone.
Recently?! Nintendo famously hates their fans for years now.
On the plus side, it makes me feel extra good when I load their games onto my hacked Switch! Echoes of Wisdom was fun, but felt really short. I would have felt cheated if I'd spent $60 on it.
Nintendo has gone after youtubers and content creators for 15+ years. They are infamous for it.
to be honest, 80% of their customers probably don't even know what an emulator is and don't follow news about nintendo
They still did this stuff under Iwata. It's actually more of a Japanese thing than a Nintendo thing. Although the quality of stuff was better under Iwata
All they have is their IP, they must protect it at all costs. Nintendo doesn't even let Shingeru Myamoto wipe is own ass out of fear he will get hurt.
It just keeps getting worse. I'm done with Nintendo
We won't have much choices left it seems
Sony: Greedy fucks who don't know their customers anymore Microsoft: Kills off great studios then complains they have no games
We won’t have much choices left it seems
https://www.steamdeck.com/ is a good one.
Indies and decent publishers, Itch.io, GOG, It might regress a little, but gaming won't go away.
There are a lot of indie games out there.
Tue choice is indie. Always has been.
Exactly...I'm sure that's the literal point they are trying to make.
I just ignore them all completely and give them nothing like they deserve.
VR is still growing
Recent laws in Japan have criminalized console and game modding, as well as save file editing
What the flying fuck, Japan?
Hah. Fucking nothing better to do? We in the USA need to deal with our highest courts taking away women's bodily autonomy, but over there they are clearly focused on the real issues.
They've been on some kind of emulation crusade then, because it looks like they just killed Ryujinx:
Yep, they already removed the github and download pages from the website, last version was 1.1.1403
Sounds like someone got promoted to a high position. If I'm right it's the typical "New Manager Must Make Waves To Prove They Belong" level of stupid unique to corporate.
Or they simply are soon to launch the next console and want the happiest investors for the event.
I like their panoply of games, but I cannot in good conscience support this company. The time, effort and money they spent on their legal department could have been used elsewhere... Like pokemon maybe? I'm glad Palword saw daylight.
I grew up with a Nintendo controller in hand.
There's a very good reason I now game almost exclusively on PC. None of this is going to convince me to come back. Quite the opposite in fact.
Grew up the same way. Some of my all time favorite games are still some of the classics. That being said, I wouldnt shed a tear if they go bankrupt.
This can't be a new thing. This was one of the conditions Nintendo announced when they dropped their stupid "register with us to be allowed to do lets plays" thing.
Oh, and it's not just Nintendo. All of the big publishers believe they own your videos that use their games. I've been involved in discussions with people personally who were trying to figure out how to demand licensing fees from YouTubers.
This is goingnto get worse before it gets better. This has been a traffic jam caused by everyone waiting for somebody to go first. Nintendo is just the one who has volunteered to be the first mover.
Replace "children" with "economist" or "lawyer" in this:
They just killed Ryujinx too, proving it wasn't the fact that Yuzu was making money.
I missed this - what happened? (Searching now)
Nintendo visited the main developers home in brazil and came to an agreement to end Ryujinx, a former dev has confirmed this over on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Ryujinx/comments/1ftvi13/posted_via_ryujinx_discord_server/lpuz6pt/
I'm glad I bought a switch second hand and immediately installed a modchip on it, 0 money went to Nintendo
Didnt you technically support the guy that supported Nintendo?
Technically, yes, but I know for a fact that he went on to buy a PS5
Yeah I'm now emulating games I own on switch on deck because my switch hardware is so wonky with controllers randomly disconnecting
steam deck is the best switch online device i've ever used ;)
People got way too greedy with Switch emulation
The fact emulators are faster than the real hardware, can you blame them? Also, modding games is vastly easier, and people like mods.
Nintendo is just shooting themselves in the foot by not making these things more accessible. its a service issue. But nintendo prefers to invest in lawyers and not into their engineers.
The fact emulators are faster than the real hardware, can you blame them?
This is a problem Nintendo has had a few times before, choosing weaker hardware makes it much easier for other platforms to match and outpace them.
My first time playing Pokemon was emulating Pokemon Red on PC. For some reason they put it in Australian stores around a month after the US release so emulation was the only way.
Similarly GBA was playable on PC very early in its cycle. DS/3DS was a bit less attractive because of it screen layout and inputs but that kind of quirk aside underpowered handheld hardware is just asking for emulator support.
Switch represented Nintendo returning to its heyday of the SNES->Gamecube goodness.
Man, I feel like I dodged a bullet with that one. My SNES and GameCube controllers still work. So do my Wiimotes. (Okay, my N64 joystick is slack as my deadbeat cousin's work ethic but otherwise...!) Heck even my Wii U slate seems fine (although the battery worries me.)
Switchcons have been a bit of a QA nightmare for a majority of people I've heard from though. Cheap and creaky, the sticks getting all drifty. Blegh!
With major releases like Tears of the Kingdom on the horizon…
Internet Explorer?
The other horizon, the one behind you
Accidentally leaked the Switch 2 version
Now it plays at 720p60(ish)!
I love a link to the past randomizer which is obviously not stock Zelda. Fuck Nintendo.
They're clearing out the scene before the switch 2 releases because they perceive the current emulators as a major threat somehow.
Which I assume means that the new switch is similar enough in architecture that it would be relatively trivial to ship a fully functional emulator on hardware release.
Pretty insane because at least in the USA, emulation is protected by law, except if someone can successfully argue that you are bypassing DRM which is illegal.
In a working system, this wouldn't be an issue but I imagine neither Yuzu nor Ryjunix would want to deal with Nintendo's insane law team that could wreck them financially in a matter of days before even entering a court room.
I hope someone either makes an anonymous dev team for a future project, or gets assistance from a consumer justice firm/group to properly argue in court to shut Nintendo down. They really should not be able to do this because it was already a thing 24 years ago:
Sony Computer Entertainment v. Connectix Corporation, 203 F.3d 596 (2000), commonly referred to as simply Sony v. Connectix, is a decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals which ruled that the copying of a copyrighted BIOS software during the development of an emulator software does not constitute copyright infringement, but is covered by fair use. The court also ruled that Sony's PlayStation trademark had not been tarnished by Connectix Corp.'s sale of its emulator software, the Virtual Game Station.
I wouldn't be surprised if this backfires a bit. The reason most publishers/IP holders don't go after videos on youtube and twitch is because it's basically free advertisement for your game.
If this behavior leads to people holding back on making nintendo based content, it could fuck them over in the long run. If you were a streamer or youtuber, would you feel particularly comfortable making videos and streaming nintendo games?
I know I wouldn't. There is no guarantee that nintendo actually puts effort into determining whether you are using an emulator or not. And even for the people who do use emulators, they may not be looking to continue making nintendo content.
Nintendo is going after a lot of their biggest fans. It's so obviously stupid, but they just keep doing it.
Wow! Way to tell the world to never buy your products because you're petty sniveling greedy and absolutely hate your fans.
So you're saying I should never buy anything from Nintendo?
Cool cool cool, cool, cool.
Nintendo is running out of ideas so they are going back into their catalog to remaster old games. Cant have people playing dead games if they release a new graphically updated version and make millions.
This is especially true when the new generation is figuring out that graphics aren't shit and story is everything.
I don't really think it matters that much. The more of the community you alienate and spit in their faces for loving you, the more youngsters will be given something else to play because their dad wants to see Nintendo burn.
If only they did this at the Switch release, one of the biggest reasons I didn't buy one, wonder if there's a chance they'll do a PSO remake and release the English version 10 years later? (Although that's really Segas fault)
That's all they've been doing for decade's. Ninten-who? I stopped paying attention to them ages ago.
Ryujinx repo was just taken down from Github too
Nintendo needs to chill the fuck out.
nintendo should put more effort into making switch online not suck instead of going after gamers playing nintendo games
monkey's paw curls now it costs even more.
Idk I really like playing my backups upscaled with high fps with a not shitty controller. I wont buy any more though unless it's in Steam and not with a petty DRM.
Nintendo has burned through all the good will they developed with me when I was a kid in the 80s and 90s. I doubt I'll ever buy another Nintendo product again. Not that it matters to Nintendo, though. I'm many years removed from their target demographic. They make products for young people and that ain't me. I'm sure those younger Nintendo fans will keep supporting the company, but, as for me, I've got the classic Nintendo games I want and I'll keep playing them on whatever device I want. If Nintendo doesn't like that, they can kiss my whole ass.
Nintendo is doing everything in it's power to screw over gamers, yet people will still consistently be like "omg pokemon, hiiiiii 🥺" and buy their slop even when the games get worse every time.
Like could you imagine if Microsoft did shit like this, the backlash would be huge.
If someone has bought a Switch game legally, then it's legal to dump that game to a PC and play it on a Switch emulator, right?
Sure you could say that very few people dump their own games, but those that do are doing everything legally I think?
it's legal to dump that game to a PC and play it on a Switch emulator, right?
Depends on where you live. Copyright law varies significantly from country to country.
In the USA, section 117 of the copyright act lets you create a copy for archival/backup purposes only. What I'm unsure about (and don't know if there's any relevant caselaw) is whether bypassing copy protection to create the copy violates the DMCA.
The equivalent Australian copyright law explicitly states that you can use the backup copy instead of the original one. The US law doesn't (all it says is that you can make an archival copy, not how you can use the archival copy), so it's a grey area.
Both laws are for "computer software", but you could easily argue that a video game is computer software.
Nah. From Nintendo's position, you don't "own" the game. They do. All you bought is a license to play the game on a Nintendo approved console. By ripping the game from the switch dump, you are violating the license you bought by copying their software without permission.
From a practical perspective, fuckem. Your paid money to play the game and if you decide to play it on something else you own, go nuts.
Russ (Retro Game Corps) was so confident with his CEMU video he didn’t think he’d be a target despite everyone in the comments saying otherwise.
Fuck nintendo, I've been playing a pirated copy of Earthworm Jim (GB) all day and I'm gonna keep doing it purely out of spite.
I've been gradually building up my Switch digital and physical library and stuff like this makes me want to just switch back to Steam and spend my dollar elsewhere.
The strikes are absolutely frivolous and Russ sets a great anti piracy example for others. Backups of your own content are protected.
I'll have to mod a switch purely out of spite.
I'm going to stand by what Retro Game Corps stated that they don't want to advocate for piracy. Lawful backup of your own games is protected. The aggression against Russ and others is uncalled for.
Wait until they go after livestreams
Livestreams are Fair Use in the US because of the gamers reaction and commentary.
The same applies to recorded content.
I thought Japan was all about Face. I guess Nintendo is the exception?
This doesn't seem an economically positive decision. I think Nintendo are actually trying to save face here.
I thought Japan was all about Face. I guess Nintendo is the exception?
face, farce.
So the switch itself emulates older consoles... I could have swore I remember reading something like the anniversary bundle that they put out for a limited edition had a emulator that someone made.
It sucks cause I really like the Mario Kart and Metroid Prime series and was hoping for more 3D metroid games, but there's just so many other good games out there. Especially with Steam and the Steam Deck. I've had every nintendo console and handheld from the NES through the switch, but that'll be my last console now that the steam deck exists and nintendo has become so hostile.
However I do wish there were more devices like the wii sensor and wiimote/nunchuk. I'd rather PC gaming go in that direction than with VR gaming cause I really hate having to move my neck around with VR.
To your credit, Nintendo's golden age is well behind them. Most of the best games they're likely to ever make are already runnable on PC, especially since they've been kinda phoning it in for the last decade or so.
The Wiiimote and Nunchuk combo needs a little tweaking (maybe make the wiimote more like a nunchuk for ergonomics, give it an analog stick for coarse camera movement) but it was the most comfortable controller ever since I could place my hands in different positions relative to one another.
This is what we get because Atari fucked up with E.T.
(Atari would be owned by Disney by now, and thus also evil.)
Welp I guess this also includes NSO games.
How about if I sing the Mario song for my fans..... turns on the fans ... we're the Mario Brothers....
Imagine being a long time Nintendo fan to end up being sued because playing their games (and sharing your experience with others) is now considered the same as stealing.
On one hand, I don't want to reward their shitty copyright etc. practices, on the other hand Nintendo as a game developer is about the only large studio making finished games anymore and I do want to support that
Santa Monica? From Software? Firaxis? Capcom?
There's options, but I see your point.
Buy the games that are worth rewarding and maybe the seven seas can help with the rest
Has Firaxis released a game since Civ 6, which was better than most at launch, but still rough
Edit. Forgot they did Midnight Suns and XCOM Chimera Squad. Both released fully working to my knowledge
I have a hard time defending the YouTubers on this one. I mean, Nintendo has been pretty good about allowing older games to be played on its modern consoles. See VGC, the NES/SNES/N64 pass, and the multiple re-releases put out for the Switch. At some point just pony up the money or play the older games on a physical older console.
It's not the same thing? Emulation of older consoles improve and mod the experience. Upscaling, custom textured, etc
See: Kaizo Mario directly inspiring Mario Maker.
See: LttP Randomizer, along with literally any other randomizer.
See: speedrunning streams literally making the market that Nintendo then sold the Nintendo World Championships cart into.
Nintendo absolutely benefits from this. They just want to crack the whip and take over. Fuck them.
Also, still can't buy Mother 3. Double fuck them. Tons of titles play better on emulation. I shouldn't have to justify it.
Defending the youtubers for… doing something completely legit
