Of similar import is the imminent arrival of an official DS flash card, which will initially just be available to allow Nintendo to sell the back catalogue of Game Boy and Game Boy Colour games. The uncontrollable homebrew and piracy communities that use the DS rely on similar devices for their more nefarious ends, but this should, in the long term, allow Nintendo to exercise some control over at least the former through the simple step of offering a path to publisher-supported content. Compared to the slightly vague WiiWare proposition, this has the possibility to revolutionise homebrew development – at least in terms of distribution and the possibility of mainstream success – but how far the notoriously controlling Japanese giant will allow that community the creative freedom it requires to flourish will only be seen in practice. And before getting too excited, the device will launch exclusively for old Game Boy content, initially.
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