i'm not particularly educated on the subject but i think you are right about that.  i can't think of any devices i've ever owned that truley updated itself.

Yeah in the first year maybe when it will be system for core gamers.

People really underestimate effect of "free" software on console sales in regions other than US or western europe.

Oh, no doubt, piracy has helped push almost all major platforms' hardware sales the past decade or so (PS1, PS2, DS, PSP, Wii, etc).  I also doubt the 3DS will remain "unhackable" for it's entire cycle though, and the weight of industry support that's centering on it pretty much ensures it'll push record numbers regardless.   

Piracy sucks, it kills success, like how it killed GTA Chinatown Wars's sales. But good thing the 3DS is piracy proof...

No one ever said it was, from the comments delivered by Nintendo I actually suspect it to be hacked in a matter of weeks. They said something vague about trying harder with no given solution but that sounds more like PR to me. The 3DS cardridge system seems very much like the DS one. I'm sure with the experience the hackers have on DS it won't be such a problem for them.