Neowin.net

Is this what we online gamers have been waiting for?

Several sites reported that Nintendo has signed a deal with Japanese developer MultiTerm to utilize the game development suite MassPlayer for use with the Nintendo GameCube.

According to MultiTerm representatives, the tools package is ideal for GameCube developers due to its high-speed data processing and server monitoring capabilities.

The official MultiTerm website mentions september 2002 as a possible release date.

News source: GameCube Europe

The ACCC had intervened to support Sydney PlayStation retailer Eddy Stevens after he was sued by Sony for installing code-breaking chips in consoles and selling them.

In a separate case that has yet to be judged, Sony has also accused Stevens of selling pirated PlayStation games.

PIRACY

The electronics giant argues that regional coding, under which it sells different consoles to three geographically exclusive zones, prevents piracy.

But Justice Ronald Sackville of the Federal Court said Sony failed to prove that the regional coding was simply aimed at copyright protection, and that mod chips were therefore in breach of copyright legislation.

Sony Computer Entertainment Australia said it had the right to appeal and was in discussions with its parent company.

"We're obviously very disappointed," managing director Michael Ephraim told Reuters.

Ephraim lashed out at the ACCC for what he said were "misleading" and "distorted" comments to Australian consumers about competition and regional coding.

He said PlayStation 2 games sold in Australia at the same price as in the United States and at up to 20 percent less than in Britain.

The court case was purely about piracy, he said.

"Piracy is a major problem," Ephraim said.

Citing independent surveys, he said the cost of piracy to Australia's A$680 million (US$367 million) a year computer games industry amounted to A$50 million per annum.

Pirated PlayStation 1 games sell on the black market for as little as A$5 compared to a retail price of up to A$49 while PlayStation 2 games can be bought for around A$30, against the normal retail price of around A$100.

The Sony executive said that rather than being designed for commercial motives, regional coding came about because of different television formats in Australia and the United States.

Furthermore, he said there was nothing in the court ruling that allowed consumers to legally play back-up copies, as suggested by ACCC chairman Fels.

"There is no such thing as an authorized back-up copy," Ephraim said. "The copyright act makes it clear that making back-up copies of games is illegal."