• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

Nintendo updates 3DS eShop; can no longer download free games straight from their servers

Nachos

Nachos

Member
Oct 26, 2017
798
I thought this was interesting, coming off the heels of the EmuParadise news. Nintendo really is trying to crack down on piracy, though once again, it seems too little too late.

Basically, up until yesterday, it was possible to download any game, regardless of region, straight from Nintendo's eShop servers – so long as you had the proper credentials. Nintendo, however, never generated unique credentials for each user, so the servers had no way of knowing whether an incoming set of requests were coming from a legitimate customer. As long as you could find the right credentials online, downloading a game was just a matter of putting the info into a homebrew application and pressing the download button.

All that's changed now, following the most recent update, 11.8. Nintendo now generates unique credentials for each game and user, rendering useless the download applications and some long-running sites that were just databases of credentials. This doesn't stop people from just downloading games from elsewhere, but it does plug up a gaping hole in Nintendo's infrastructure.

bqcm1mQl.png


I never used any of this stuff, but when I found out about it, I was baffled that this was something that Nintendo just allowed you to do. I'm pretty sure they made this impossible from Switch on day one, but that doesn't change that for years, people were downloading free games – even brand new ones – straight from the source.

The page linked to in the screenshot.

The ResetEra thread on version 11.8, which already had some people discussing the possibility of changes.

If I've gotten any information wrong, just let me know, and I'll fix it.
 

Sounds

Member
Oct 27, 2017
924
PS Vita, and I assume PS3, uses a similar system... home brew downloaders get it from PSN
 
Atolm

Atolm

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,825
The siuation is similar with Switch. There are download apps straight from the eShop.
 
Vena

Vena

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,379
Atolm said:
The siuation is similar with Switch. There are download apps straight from the eShop.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

It isn't. This technique of prevention is identical to the Switch one but for the Switch people are sacrificing unrecoverable certs to get banned. The switch case is basically a race to the bottom until Nintendo simply bans the certs outright. Eventually these things will stop working because they'll run out of cert donors.

3DS has no such cert, and everything here works exactly as with the Switch as it was ported from the Switch.
 
Cyanity

Cyanity

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,345
I believe you can currently do this with the Switch, although Nintendo can and will prevent your console from downloading anything from Nintendo's servers ever again if they catch you.
 
Becks'

Becks'

Member
Dec 7, 2017
7,395
Canada
Thank fucking God it took them so fucking long. GG NO RE, pirates. I still can't believe Nintendo allowed people to directly download from their servers.
 
Vena

Vena

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,379
Cyanity said:
I believe you can currently do this with the Switch, although Nintendo can and will prevent your console from downloading anything from Nintendo's servers ever again if they catch you.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

The authentication process now introduced to the 3DS is from the Switch. It works exactly the same way. The work around on the Switch requires permanently burning an irreplaceable certificate, and that's what they are currently doing. Racing to do the bottom before they run out of certs and lose all access permanently.

It's extremely stupid and short sighted.
 

Deleted member 3208

Oct 25, 2017
11,934
Damn, Nintendo is on fire. Congratulations are in order.
 
casiopao

casiopao

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
5,044
Nintendo is hitting hard for literally all pirate things. Guess that collab with DeNA is really worth all the bucks now.
 
zychi

zychi

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
4,064
Chicago
hypercard said:
PS Vita, and I assume PS3, uses a similar system... home brew downloaders get it from PSN
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Same with ps4, itunes, amazon, pretty much all digitla services.

Things dont really get uploaded to the internet and leaked anymore, its usually put up officially and ripped from official servers. Nintendo being one of the first to attempt to stop this is actually really interesting
 

Deleted member 249

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
28,828
This is actually a really interesting redressal of the problem, if a bit too late for the 3DS.
 
Nanashrew

Nanashrew

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
6,328
Becks' said:
Or they started reading GBATemp and other sites related to hacking.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Mmm not sure, I'd honestly believe that most companies like Nintendo are aware of places like GBATemp. I'd say it has more to do with the recent community fallout in the hardware hacking and homebrew scene. Some very prominent hackers for Switch and 3DS have now become white hats and are getting paid by Nintendo and Nvidia for reporting bugs, exploits, etc.
 

KratosEnergyDrink

Using an alt account to circumvent a ban
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,523
Atolm said:
The siuation is similar with Switch. There are download apps straight from the eShop.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Whole other situation. Whoever tries this will probably get a banned account and Switch in the near future.

Some people said if people that used this homebrew had been dumb enough to use real personal data in their accounts it could used as base for prosecution in many countries. Will probably not happen, but one would think that people don't use homebrew and piracy on Switches with real accounts on it, but the whining about bans because of hacked Switches proved otherwise. No pity here anyway.
 
Darktalon

Darktalon

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,265
Kansas
This doesn't actually stop any piracy from happening, just makes it less facepalm easy. Too little too late.

*Edited for sensitive folk
 
Last edited:
Vena

Vena

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,379
Darktalon said:
Its 100% related to the point of the thread. How is discussing the effectiveness of Nintendo's piracy measures not related to a thread about measures Nintendo has taken?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Because this is a thread about shutting down FreeShop. I don't know why you're so keen to tell us about how easy some other unrelated piracy is...
 
smisk

smisk

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,997
Pretty insane that FreeShop even worked, not sure it's gonna do them much good this late in the console's life cycle.
 
Darktalon

Darktalon

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,265
Kansas
Vena said:
Because this is a thread about shutting down FreeShop. I don't know why you're so keen to tell us about how easy some other unrelated piracy is...
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
You can sense how "keen" I am over the internet? Or maybe you are just projecting and assuming things.
I'm not going to give Nintendo a gold star or an A for effort and pretend everything is flowers and lollipops. It is good that they are taking measures to prevent piracy, but they are two years late on stopping Freeshop.
And it doesn't stop any one who intends to pirate on the 3DS. Which is what the Freeshop is used for, so yeah, its not unrelated.
Stop trying to control discussion, go make your own thread if you want to Moderate what the discussion is about.
 
ASaiyan

ASaiyan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,228
This is actual good news. It's absurd that people could literally just steal the latest games straight from the eShop for so long. Good on Ninty for cleaning things up on their end.
 

Deleted member 274

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,564
Darktalon said:
This doesn't actually stop any piracy from happening, just makes it less facepalm easy. Too little too late.

*Edited for sensitive folk
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I don't see why you had to edit this, it's not like you endorsed it or posted a freaking tutorial on how to do it.

I really don't understand why some people here act so aggresively defensive when talking about piracy, it almost feels like they take it personal for some bizarre reason.
 
Griffith

Griffith

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
5,585
I still don't understand how Nintendo believes they can charge for online and some people accept that even though they've repeatedly show how wildly incompetent they can be when it comes to basic things like... not allowing software pirates to freely download off their store or, oh I don't know, requiring you to use a phone app to be able to voice talk with people in an online multiplayer game oh and the small fact that it took them 3 (4?) consoles to disassociate a digital purchase from a console.
 
Last edited:
Darktalon

Darktalon

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,265
Kansas
Pikma said:
I don't see why you had to edit this, it's not like you endorsed it or posted a freaking tutorial on how to do it.

I really don't understand why some people here act so aggresively defensive when talking about piracy, it almost feels like they take it personal for some bizarre reason.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Some people just make it their personal mission to assume anyone, besides themselves of course, that discusses piracy or has any knowledge about the subject is a dirty no good pirate. Pretty hypocritical if you ask me.
 
shan780

shan780

The Fallen
Nov 2, 2017
2,566
UK
I always thought it was hilarious that you could just download any game, for free, right from nintendo's servers. it's almost as bad as being able to buy R4 cards on the high street

ultimately though, if people want to pirate 3DS games it's still very easy for them to do so. Nintendo just has to try to avoid these issues entirely with the switch
 
Daysean

Daysean

Member
Nov 15, 2017
7,378
Braaier said:
Maybe. Maybe not. Nintendo is still selling a ton of 3ds'. Maybe this will help software sales
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I don't know about that, there are still ways to easily pirate on the 3DS unfortunately , all nintendo did was close their door that they left wide open while people can still get in from other entries.
If people want to pirate they will sadly but I'm just suprised it took this long for the 3DS, because they aren't fucking around with the Switch
 
Ninjadom

Ninjadom

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,191
London, UK
Griffith said:
I still don't understand how Nintendo believes they can charge for online and some people accept that even though they've repeatedly show how wildly incompetent they can be when it comes to basic things like... not allowing software pirates to freely download off their store or, oh I don't know, requiring you to use a phone app to be able to voice talk with people in an online multiplayer game oh and the small fact that it took them 3 (4?) consoles to disassociate a digital purchase from a console.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

What kind of post is this?

So Nintendo online should be free because pirates figured a way to download free from the eShop?

Or because Nintendo made an Online Phone app that means that their entire online service should be free?
 
PotionBleue

PotionBleue

Member
Nov 1, 2017
460
Even if they can't download games straight from the eShop server, surely there are plenty of websites hosting game downloads, aren't there? Does this really change anything?
 
InteractiveSoftwareUser

InteractiveSoftwareUser

User requested ban
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
472

Valus

Member
Nov 21, 2017
1,084
I thought pirates didn't update their 3DS' anyway so how will this stop them? Or is it only meant to stop new pirates from emerging?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.