DS piracy and the R4 device have halved sales of DS software across Europe...

Software piracy, mainly using the R4 cartridge, has slashed sales of DS software by as much as a half, massively affecting Nintendo's profits across Europe. The R4 device allows for players to play pirated versions of DS games downloaded from the internet for free.

Nintendo have stated that the "nearly 50-percent drop in sales in Europe" has lost the company "trillions of yen". In response, the company has been trying to clamp down on retailers selling the R4 device, usage of which has most taken hold in Italy, Spain and France.

Not only does piracy affect wealthy companies like Nintendo, but also smaller software developers looking to turn profit after months of hard work. Read more about the problem in our recent article Hacked Off, by N-Europe's Mark Lee.

What are your views on the R4 device? Let us know below...