Sony tried this last gen with DNAS authentication. At first it prevented people with copied games from going online, until a workaround was found and used by pirates. The problem with piecemeal online systems (like the PS2 and Wii) is that there is no centralized system that can be used to stop pirates. Any measure taken by Nintendo or Capcom would merely be a bandaid for what is a fundamentally flawed online system.

Shamelessly reviving this thread so we can look at how accurate our guesses were.

MH3 debuted with a very impressive (given our low expections) 110k first week in NA.

More than double my initial guess and even above my highest revised guess of 100k.

A title like this will like have a steep drop next week but for a MH title this is a great debut in NA. I look forward to seeing how it's legs hold out.

All, thats left are follow through commercials, word of mouth based on the content and the next holiday season.

Has it matched ur expcttions?