Pokewalker: Anti-piracy exercise at its finest

Amidst all the noise involving DRM and other anti-piracy measures, Nintendo has come up with a fun idea to prevent game piracy without angering gamers: the Pokewalker. Bundled with Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Pokewalker is a pedometer that connects to the DS games via infrared signals and helps to level up the Pokemon you transfer to it by traveling along different routes. On each route there are different wild Pokemon and items to be found. At first only certain routes are available, but as the player uses the Pokewalker more, additional routes open up, allowing for more game options and keeping the Pokewalker accessory relevant and addictive.

How does this relate to piracy prevention? The Pokewalker can be thought of the same way as DLC - content that adds to the basic game. By introducing a fun new piece of hardware that greatly enhances the gaming experience, Nintendo has effectively deterred players from pirating this game, as software may be easily crackable but hardware is difficult to replicate. Although pirates could still most likely get their hands on an illegal basic copy of HeartGold or SoulSilver, they would be missing out on an integral and engaging part of the game, so it would be significantly less enticing to pirate a copy.

For many games, adding on hardware to enhance the in-game experience may not make sense. However, if an appropriate opportunity for such an add-on comes up, it seems to be a viable option to help deter piracy.