Animal Crossing MMOG / DS Flash Card Rumored

Though there are no official announcements at the moment, Next Generation is reporting on two interesting possibilities for the future of Nintendo products. In a report filed yesterday, the site hints that Nintendo may be considering a MMOG version of Animal Crossing , to be released on the Wii console. Also exciting: the possibility of a Flash Card for the DS that would allow classic Nintendo games to be (legally) played on their handheld console. "The uncontrollable homebrew and piracy communities that use the DS rely on similar devices ... 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."

DS homebrew rocks

[spyrochaete]

As a new owner of an R4DS [r4ds.com] micro SD cartridge I'm glad to report that homebrew on the DS is totally wicked. There are productivity apps like e-readers, media players, web browsers, IRC clients, wardriving packet capture utils, and much more. Also, many retro PC games like Doom, Heretic, Hexen, Flashback, Lemmings, SCUMMVM, and lots more have been ported to the DS.

Considering Nintendo's resistance to homebrew I'd be wary of an officially supported solution. I think your best bet is to go with a third party solution. This would enable you to play homebrew NES, SNES, MAME, and other ROMs using their various emulators. This ought to be legal, DMCA notwithstanding.