51–60 of 188 posts
That's wild because Super Mario Bros contains a built-in code editor (via arbitrary code execution easter eggs), and Nintendo is OK with that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPcV9uIY5i4
Isn't that a bug though and not a feature? Also running the inputs to generate compileable code isn't feasible on the original console because of the required precision of the inputs and only possible on emulators?
In what way was that code editor malicious? Did it allow i.e. creating your own games, modifying other games etc? I don't think so, since I'd expect apps on such platforms to be totally sandboxed. If you could only enter data into it via a keyboard, you couldn't even use it to download programs off the internet, except doing it the 80s "let's retype those ten pages of code into my computer" style.
If it's a full implementation with OS-level access, a USB device that fakes keyboard input could do all kinds of spyware-like stuff with only brief access to the hardware, and without most users even knowing it's possible.
Also Nintendo does have a full BASIC interpreter available for sale on their app store.
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It was the deception by the developer. He chose to hide it from all reviews and gave a false description of what the product to sell on the platform was.
I really don't think an easter egg like this is enough for "false description of the product". Is Excel 97 not a spreadsheet program?
I love the amount of control we are using over our devices. It is not like people can do anything malicious with it. Anyway; so like Apple (less and less luckily), Nintendo forbids editable code to run on their devices? Or is it allowed if there is a gaming aspect involved? Or just not at all?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I really don't think an easter egg like this is enough for "false description of the product". Is Excel 97 not a spreadsheet program?
Was Excel 97 submitted to a separate authority for testing and validation prior to release? It was, don't you think the authority should have been informed of any hidden functionality or easter eggs?
The users? Sure. An authority? No, not really.
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The fact that Nintendo were always like this does not mean it is okay. If there's anything wrong with this story it's how everyone seems to silently accept it is okay for a company to tell you what you can run on the hardware that you "buy" but not really own.
If nintendo didn’t put DRM, publishers would avoid the platform, as they would see it as insecure. Blame the laws allowing this.
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What surprises me is the number of people who seem to be agreeing with Nintendo in this case. I guess the Overton window is shifting away from a position of software freedom; which is unfortunate. :-/
Well, there's two separate issues at play, and then how they combine. There's whether you should be able to run your own code on your own device, which I think most people here are on board with. Then there's whether you should be able to misrepresent what you've agreed to ship through someone's network when you've presumably signed contracts and made statements about that end up being untrue. I think most people wou…
If you remember what happened on the 3DS with Cubic Ninja [0], that game’s level editor allowed the console to run homebrew code. That was inevitably another vector for piracy at a time where Nintendo was already grappling with the for-profit piracy enabler that was Gateway.
Based on this I can’t personally say if Nintendo is against homebrew running on their consoles or if they’re trying their hardest to prevent piracy, at the expense of homebrew. I do think that the feature included in A Dark Room would have had better chances of staying if the dev hadn’t kept it a secret through the publishing process, though.
[0] https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubic_Ninja#3DS_homebrew_exploit
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I really don't think an easter egg like this is enough for "false description of the product". Is Excel 97 not a spreadsheet program?
Was Excel 97 submitted to a separate authority for testing and validation prior to release? It was, don't you think the authority should have been informed of any hidden functionality or easter eggs?
I love the amount of control we are using over our devices. It is not like people can do anything malicious with it. Anyway; so like Apple (less and less luckily), Nintendo forbids editable code to run on their devices? Or is it allowed if there is a gaming aspect involved? Or just not at all?
You can purchase a BASIC interpreter on the 3DS eShop. It's called SmileBASIC, and it's pretty full featured. http://smilebasic.com/en/ It doesn't make intuitive sense to me why a BASIC interpreter would be allowed, but not a Ruby interpreter. The difference is likely that Nintendo was never informed about the Ruby interpreter. While I wish everything was user-modifiable, I'm generally okay with game consoles being l…
>The narrative that has played out online is exactly what's wrong with this trashcan fire of a world. >Everyone is an armchair expert. Everyone thought the worst. You've seen that I've been called a dick, idiot, and everything in between. Because sensationalised news sells. If the narrative was 'I added a sandbox to A Dark Room that lets you mod the game and provide a medium for kids to code (and technical parents to…
The fact that Nintendo were always like this does not mean it is okay. If there's anything wrong with this story it's how everyone seems to silently accept it is okay for a company to tell you what you can run on the hardware that you "buy" but not really own.
There is a perfectly reasonable debate to be had about bootloader unlocking, sideloading and consumer choice, but this is not that debate. The issue here is fundamentally about someone intentionally deceiving a business partner.
Sidebar: There are no shortage of tablet-ish computers that will run arbitrary code. The Joy-Con controllers are class-compliant and will work with any Bluetooth host. There are open alternatives, but a lot of people buy the Switch specifically because it offers a curated experience with clear age ratings and effective parental controls.
To meaningfully contribute to the debate on walled gardens, it is first necessary to acknowledge their relative popularity compared to open platforms. If walled gardens were universally and unconditionally bad, it is implausible that they would have such broad market acceptance. In the case of Nintendo, this issue is particularly acute - many informed observers credit the NES10 chip and the Nintendo Seal of Quality with saving the video games industry.