Sure thing, here goes:
You know that YouTube channel Once Were Nerd? Francesco Salicini runs it. Yeah, him. Anyway, he’s in hot water with Italian authorities, supposedly for talking up these Anbernic game consoles, which are like these retro gaming gadgets that remind you of those good ol’ Nintendo and Sony days. Anbernic ships their stuff with a bunch of copyrighted games thrown in—no bueno legally, just to be clear. Salicini? Well, he’s saying he didn’t push any shady stuff, just did a hardware review. No sponsors, no affiliate links, nothing. Just him and his thoughts.
Now, this whole saga is still unfolding. The Italian Copyright Law (Article 171, I think?) might slam him with a €15,000 fine or, worse, three years staring at cell walls. Right now, over 30 consoles are chilling with the cops, along with his phone and juicy chats with those console guys. Yeah, the whole shebang.
Investigation’s gonna take a spell—like six months. Meanwhile, ol’ Francesco might see his channel vanish into thin air, even if the man’s as innocent as a Sunday morning. Can you imagine? Just poof, gone!
Oh, and Nintendo’s lurking in the shadows. That big N doesn’t kid around. They slap copyright strikes left and right like it’s nobody’s business. Every emulator repo they catch sight of? Bam, down it goes. Who knows if they’re the ones who sicced the cops on Salicini—it’s a mystery. But if it’s true, oof, things just got real.
There’s this tug-of-war, right? Game companies want to keep their grips on these games, from way back when. But hardware doesn’t last forever, so, hello emulators! Without them, some classic games might slip away, never to be seen again. Bummer, right?
Oh, and PS: Tom’s Hardware? Worth a follow on Google News if you want the lowdown delivered right to you. Just saying.
