More juicy details have now emerged from yesterday's now infmaous R4 court case, and the news is worse than we thought. The extremely thorough ruling details all devices and methods designed to circumvent Nintendo's copy protection, specifically covering "the shape of the connector arrangement of the slot on the DS and the corresponding shape of the game cards designed to fit into it; the boot up software permanently stored on the Nintendo DS, which checks for the presence on an inserted card of the Nintendo Logo Data File (NLDF) and prevents execution of programs present on the inserted card if the NLDF is not detected; and the use of shared key encryption technology and scrambling to enable the DS to detect whether game cards are authentic."

That means that any device designed to get around this protection using the above methods is now officially illegal, and the case itself specifically names the R4 DS, M3 DS, DS One Supercard, DSTT, DS Linker, Acekard, CycloDS Evolution, N5 and EZ devices.

It's worth noting that it is still legal to own flashcarts, just not to sell or advertise them. Readers interested in the exact details of the case are recommended to go read the full breakdown over at Eurogamer.

Remember when we announced that Love Plus was getting an arcade release?

Course you do, it was only a few days ago!

Here's some video of the game in action. As you can see, players get a full 5 minute "date" with their chosen virtual lady, and at the end players receive a printout detailing just how well they've done.

Remember the guy from Japan that married a DS game that we reported on a while back? It seems that the object of his affections, Konami's Love Plus, is getting an arcade release. Seems like these girls aren't into commitment all that much though - they'll entertain anyone who comes along and flings some Yen in their direction.

I also don't see anyone walking down the aisle with one of these things any time soon...

A question we get asked a lot here at ConsoleBUZZ is "when are you guys going to start selling DS games?". It's a fair question really, after all, we're big Nintendo fans and big gamers ourselves, so you'd think the opportunity to actually shift some games would be pretty tempting for us.

As it happens there may well be something in the works in the near future. I can't say too much just yet, but there's some wheeling and dealing going on which should result in some games becoming available through our hallowed pages very soon.

So "stay tuned", as they say...

Flash carts are a wonderful thing, allowing Nintendo DS owners to really unlock the potential of their handheld gaming machine. They can be used for playing music, videos, and homebrew games, as well as game backups. Of course, with the thousands of games available for the DS, carrying your entire game library around with you is a daunting prospect, making these handy little devices a tempting proposition.

Lifehacker has an excellent story up on two of these popular carts, the SuperCard DSTwo and the hugely popular Acekard 2i. The guide shows how to set up the cards and how to backup your DS games for your own convenience. Did you know that it is completely legal to backup the games that you own, just in case the worst should happen to them?

The Acekard 2i is coming soon to ConsoleBUZZ, meaning that you get our legendary customer service, software pre-loaded and ready to go, and free delivery anywhere in the UK. Watch this space to be the first to know when they come in to stock!

Gaming juggernaut The Sims 3 is going to be released on games consoles this autumn, EA has announced. The game will feature a new karma system, as well as Facebook connectivity. The versions will differ slightly, as the Wii will be getting an exclusive "Beach Town" location, while the DS brings an all-new story mode ot the franchise.

The Sims has been one of the best selling game series of all time and a huge hit with fans, so these home console releases should be well-received.

Want to know how to use R4i cheats and where to download them? Read on...

Introducing two products which are new to ConsoleBUZZ - our DS Lite Travel Adapter / Car Charger and our DSi Travel Adapter / Car Charger (also suitable for DSi XL). These power adapters are perfect for travelling in the car, boat, caravan, or anywhere else there is a 12V "cigar lighter" power socket.

Our adapters come with a very generous 140cm (4'6") cable (which should easily extend into the back seats of any car) and are compatible with the latest models of DS. Follow the links above to check them out!

Some more good news for DS fans! The hugely successful Nintendo DS family is getting a whole new member. As if the DS, DS Lite, DSi and DSi XL weren't enough, Nintendo have confirmed that we're getting the 3DS, a 3D iteration of the popular handheld.

Rumour has it that the 3DS will sport the following features (according to Nikkei):

• Some sort of "3D Joystick" controller
• Force feedback "...that will let players feel the collisions of a game character"
• Improved wireless communication speed
• Improved battery life
• Screens slightly smaller than the new DSi XL
• Potential accelerometer for motion control
• 3D LCD screen technology from Sharp / Hitachi which does not require 3D glasses (source)

These rumours are supposedly directly from inside Nintendo, so I'm hedging my bets that all of these features will be making it into the new handheld. Nintendo will unveil the new device officially at E3 in June, so there's not too long to wait.

The 3DS will be backwards compatible with all existing games and DS accessories, although rumour has it that it will not be carrying the DS name at all and may be the first in a new handheld family for Nintendo. The line has been around since 2004, so that would also match up nicely with the 6 year "offifcial" lifespan of the original Game Boy.

More news in June, or as and when it comes in!

The wealth of legal DS "homebrew" apps includes a port of the Linux Operating System.

Nintendo has had its case against the Divineo group, a major trade supplier of the popular R4 and other flashcarts for the company's DS handheld system, dropped in a French court on Friday. The judge ruled that the devices open up the system to software development, and that Nintendo have deliberately been locking out developers from its consoles.

It was suggested by the court that Nintendo should open up its hardware platforms for development by anyone, much like Microsoft's Windows operating system.

Of course, this is a major blow to the company's anti-piracy efforts, from which they have every right to protect their business, but it does highlight the perfectly legitimate uses of these flash-based devices. If Nintendo added proper media support and completely opened up the DS to homebrew games developers, not only would they increase sales by increasing the usefulness of the system, but they'd also kill off the market for these "piracy-enabling" devices.

That's a win-win situation, I'd say.

A hopelessly besotted Japanese gamer, known by his online tag of Sal9000, has just tied the knot with his girlfriend Nene Anegasaki. Her best friend gave a moving speech at the wedding, and the event was streamed live on Nico Nico Douga, a Japanese video site of which Sal9000 is a member. He then took her on a romantic honeymoon to Guam.

Lovely, romantic stuff - but all is not as it seems!

You see, the odd thing about our lovestruck couple is that the bride isn't actually a real person at all - she's part of Japanese "romance simulator" Love Plus, a game for Nintendo's DS handheld console. The game allows players to choose a virtual girlfriend, wine and dine her, keep her company, play games with her, and, er, maybe other things (I don't speak Japanese, but the pictures on the official website are quite suggestive).

I'm not sure if this is a publicity stunt or what, and it all seems a bit strange to me, but he looks happy enough. How long before she finds him flirting with the new DSi or - worse yet - a PSP?

We're introducing some new lines over the coming weeks, and first up will be the DS cases you see above. They're suitable for the Nintendo DS Lite and DSi. We've also set up a new Nintendo DS Cases category so that you can check them all out in one place!

The new designs feature Pikachu, of Pokemon fame, and a mushroom from the Mario games. They're big enough to safely carry a DS Lite or the new DSi, and have a secure velcro fixing. The soft yet tough construction will keep your handheld safe from knocks and scratches.

Look out for them appearing on the site in the next 2 weeks!

It's that time of year again, and it's looking like it's going to be a busy time for the happy little elves at ConsoleBUZZ. We recently decided that we'd discontinue our old range of flashcarts to concentrate on those that are compatible with the latest DSi firmware 1.4 update (don't worry - they also work with the original DS and DS Lite!). The reason we took this decision was to reduce potential compatibility issues and potential disappointment for our customers - there's nothing worse than opening your new flash cart on Christmas morning only to discover that it doesn't work with your shiny new DSi.

So, here are a few tips for DSi owners out there, old and new, looking to buy a new flash cartridge in the coming months:

Buy a well-known brand

The R4 is arguably the best-known name in Nintendo DS flash cartridges, with TopToy's DSTT a very close second. Some of the lesser-known flash cartridge manufacturers out there can fade into obscurity, leaving their users stranded without software updates.

Avoid cheap clones

It helps to spend the right money for these cards, and make sure they're from a reputable source - there are plenty of cheap clones of these cards around, and they're plagued with reliability problems, not to mention compatibility issues with the "official" firmware.

Buy from UK stock

All of our flash carts are shipped from stock from our very own UK warehouse (for free!). There are plenty of disreputable sellers out there who hide the fact that they drop ship from China, potentially leaving the customer with the bill for customs charges and extortionate airmail shipping fees. It also means that they can't personally test and update every cartridge, which is what we do to ensure that your experience is as painless as possible.

Don't buy old stock

Due to some of the "shadier" uses of these carts, Nintendo blocked them with a recent firmware update. The now-notorious DSi 1.4 firmware rendered most R4 cartridges useless. Only the very latest R4i Gold supports DSi firmware 1.4, and some retailers are selling off old stock without mentioning compatibility. Don't fall into the trap - when it comes to flash cartridges, you get what you pay for!

A flash cartridge should give years of enjoyment, and can really help to enhance and expand your new handheld investment. If you follow the simple hints above, you can avoid many of the pitfalls which can be involved in buying one of these cards.

If you have any more questions at all about flash carts, please do contact us via our contact form or by email. You can get hold of a DSTTi flashcart here or an R4i flashcart here. As an added bonus, all of our flash carts come with a 2GB MicroSD card and USB reader - everything you need to get you started!

Check out this awesome Mario rug, hand crafted by Crafster user enemyairship. As you can see, Mario's wearing his famous Tanuki suit which enables him to fly. The rug measures 7ft x 7ft and is made up of 386 individual granny squares, each one representing a pixel. The rug took 15 days to complete, and should go along very nicely with enemyairship's other Mario-inspired work, including the leather ottoman you see above.

Keep up the good work!

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