Does anyone here actually still pirate games?

[25.05.2005]

I lend games to friends, and borrow off them too.

According to some publisher and developers...that is piracy.

As is sharing certain PC games across my multiple PCs....I'm looking at you SI Games.

AND...it's that kind of attitude that makes me want to pirate their games. Just to make a point.

At the moment, I have a Wii with HDD games to go with my huge legitimate collection, it's just easier to quickly load up what I want than going to get the disc. Helps protects the discs as well, especially if someone is using it that doesn't take care like I do. I don't really see a problem with that, although it is technically piracy I guess.

[MartyG]

I don't have enough time to play the games I already own, let alone grab more - I suspect the that the average age of folks on here means we've been around for quite a while and so we're at the stage where pirating content is pointless.

[stevie vip 99]

I don't get chance to play the games I have so haven't had a copied game in years. (Ps2)
I thought the newer machines Xbox 360 etc could detect and ban you for flashed machines? I like you play online when I get chance so now worth the risk for me, also easy to order a game online without going out in the cold

[kellog7]

I don't have enough time to play the games I already own, let alone grab more - I suspect the that the average age of folks on here means we've been around for quite a while and so we're at the stage where pirating content is pointless.

Those shelves look like they're about to collapse under the weight.

[MartyG]

They are double stacked; behind them are PS2, Saturn, Gamecube and various other formats but it hasn't collapsed yet

[dataDave]

Thanks to buying a CFW Wii from ToyThatKills I discovered the art of downloading WiiVC and installing them without paying. I've never looked back for my retro fix. It's nice having the digital library there, especially after once owning around 70% of it.

[kryss]

Only to play my PSP games on my Go, and the DS Korean dictionary.
Everything I want is cheap enough that I can buy it and not have enough.
My CFWii was purely to play other region Wii games, although I've been meaning to try N64 emu on it...

[smouty]

I have installed CoinOps on my old Xbox which is technically pirating games as it includes mame/N64/PS1 etc but I have honestly only played Robotron 2084.
I only really play on 360 now so no, I haven't bothered as I find when you download stuff you spend more time downloading and not actually playing.

[dataDave]

I agree that mass downloading stuff you've never played before is a bit meaningless, however I've properly rinsed a lot of the retro titles I've been playing with my wife or nieces such as Castlevania 1, Streets of Rage, DKC 1+2, S3&K, Megaman II, and a load of others when the Wii was my only console after moving out here. I've already bought a lot of them at retail in the past, and maybe more than once. Three times if you want to include retro collecting via. Ebay... Damn right I'm downloading them. F**k it.

I own the PSone versions of Chrono Trigger and FF6, and they are substandard. So much so that I abandoned my 35hr saves to start again on the WiiVC.

[Jay]

I occasionally download games for: PS2, DS, PSP. I usually also buy them though.

PS2 + HDD is amazing. Usually I rip my own copies. I only have a couple of games on there that I don't own on disc and I'll buy those eventually.

Same with DS actually. Buy game, put downloaded copy on CycloDS.

PSP games, I'll sometimes download a fixed version of a game so I don't have to worry about changing my old CFW PSP. I'm probably going to pick up another PSP at some point soon though so I can just pop a UMD in without faffing about. Then again, I've just got a Vita and have already bought a bunch of PSP games on PSN.

[nakamura]

I use emulation mainly to try games I haven't played before. If I like the games I purchase them.

I do use the Mega Drive emulator on the Wii though.

I haven't got a HDD in my PS2. I should probably look into that.

[Mr Ono]

So, do we all agree that mass piracy is a thing of the past? I don't know anyone personally who ever got their XB360 or PS3 chipped. I understand that you can use a flashcart on 3DS now but it is by no means as widespread of the NDS R4 stuff.

[Guts]

I don't think this forum represents the average population very well regarding pirating games.

It's hard to say if pirating games has gone up or down, I don't think there are any means to actually measure it, only guess work. I'd like to think it's gone down, thanks to better digital services like Steam, GoG and Live and PSN, but again, there's really no way to know.

[importaku]

Have a load of retro console games/computer games in rom/tape image format but modern stuff i pretty much buy originals. Used to use my DS flash cart a lot in trying new games out, it was a valuable tool in screening out **** games from my purchase list. Pretty boxes & nice looking screenshots sometimes hid a truly awful game when it eventually came down to playing it. Now that my DS collection is complete it sits there unused nowdays. Half my DS collection wouldn't even exist if i hadn't been able to try stuff out beforehand before buying, on rare occasions piracy can benefit games publishers.

Tempted to get a 3DS flash cart so i can do the same thing & try stuff out before i plunge into a purchase as imports are not exactly cheap, it's a bit better now though as a lot of games now have a demo to try but a hell of a lot still don't.

[wakka]

So, do we all agree that mass piracy is a thing of the past? I don't know anyone personally who ever got their XB360 or PS3 chipped. I understand that you can use a flashcart on 3DS now but it is by no means as widespread of the NDS R4 stuff.

Nah, no way. The amount of piracy on mobile platforms is epic.