I mentioned this in the other thread, but I think this issue deserves its own thread. This should irritate enough people at GAF to get a fairly sizable response. Who knows, maybe someone from Nintendo will see this thread and fix it. Doubtful, but it's worth a shot.
As the topic indictates, Wii VC Gifts aren't just region-locked - they're also COUNTRY-locked. That means - for example - someone in Canada cannot send a gift to a person in the U.S., or vice versa - even though both countries are in North America, which is (obviously) considered the same region.
I ended up having to change my region to U.S. just to be able to send a gift to my friend. What a pain!
This must be even worse for the people in Europe since there are so many different countries there.
I really hope the morons at Nintendo fix this idiotic "glitch."
BTW - WARNING: I believe you can lose gifts you haven't received (and who knows what else) if you change the region of your system. There's a big disclaimer when you try to do it, so make sure to read that carefully.
the problem isn't that big if we are able to change the country in the Wii settings, right?
or is it based on the IP address of your Internet connection?
or is it based on the IP address of your Internet connection?
Hey well done, Nintendo! You had a kind of cool, seemingly innocuous feature that you managed to stuff up! You always find a way, don't you?
Well, you can't send a Target voucher from New Zealand to America and expect it to be fine, nor could you send one country's currency. It's not really a huge issue, to be honest.
Might only be for countries with different currencies though?
No, you can't, but you can use a hell of a lot of online retailers for that. What am I gonna do for Christmas presents for my cousins in the US? Not VC gifts, that's for sure.Originally Posted by Roat
Well, you can't send a Target voucher from New Zealand to America and expect it to be fine, nor could you send one country's currency. It's not really a huge issue, to be honest.
It is a world wide product, in a world wide economy. It is not the end of the world, but one more poorly implemented feature in an industry that is supposed to be at the higher end of the tech scale.
It should not be this hard to design products and features sensibly.
Oh shit, the GAF Virtual console secret santa is screwed
Well, you can buy a Wii Points Card and send those cousins the code, so they can buy any VC game they want... and you could be the best cousin ever..so? :pOriginally Posted by idahoblue
No, you can't, but you can use a hell of a lot of online retailers for that. What am I gonna do for Christmas presents for my cousins in the US? Not VC gifts, that's for sure.
Actually it is. Now Europe and NA are separated into many smaller countries, instead of region.Originally Posted by Roat
Well, you can't send a Target voucher from New Zealand to America and expect it to be fine, nor could you send one country's currency. It's not really a huge issue, to be honest.
Region locking, it's not just for 360 users anymore
I was told, you LOSE your Wii points if you change your region. Any word on that?
Because if thats true, the whole thing SUCKS!
Because if thats true, the whole thing SUCKS!
Last edited by CoolS; 12-11-2007 at 10:06 AM.
Why would it be by region? Software region codes have nothing to do with this, this is about currency.Originally Posted by grandjedi6
Actually it is. Now Europe and NA are separated into many smaller countries, instead of region.
That makes sense, since the Wii Point prices aren't standard across all the PAL regions. Just goes to show Nintendo isn't giving up the raping of PAL by giving us fairer prices/region-free any time soon.
Yeah, I could, but I think I'm just gonna order some Amazon crap for them. They are young, they don't really care what they get, as long as it is colourful. :lolOriginally Posted by fernoca
Well, you can buy a Wii Points Card and send those cousins the code, so they can buy any VC game they want... and you could be the best cousin ever..so? :p
Edit: I also just don't like buying vouchers/giftcards etc for people.
Last edited by Dead Man; 12-11-2007 at 10:05 AM.
Currency? Wtf? The Wii Points are standardised across all countries. This system is just retarded.Originally Posted by Roat
Why would it be by region? Software region codes have nothing to do with this, this is about currency.
Nintendo does not want the global village.
Damn that sucks.
I'm almost positive it's for some sort of legal/currency reasons but that still sucks.
I'm almost positive it's for some sort of legal/currency reasons but that still sucks.
Oh, they change the value of Wii Points every day for each currency do they? This is what I mean by 'currency'Originally Posted by IronicallyTwisted
Currency? Wtf? The Wii Points are standardised across all countries. This system is just retarded.
.Originally Posted by CoolS
I was told, you LOSE your Wii points if you change your region. Any word on that?
Because if thats true, the whole thing SUCKS!
Oh please. Realistically how many people buying the Wii have friends in other countries that they are going to send gifts to...
Good point.Originally Posted by Xeke
Oh please. Realistically how many people buying the Wii have friends
Wow. This kinda just wrecked the secret santa business.
That is so typical of Nintendo. :|
Ah well. I participate in the secret Santa, but now I have yet another thing preventing me from buying VC games for myself (storage problems being the other - the fridge is full).
Ah well. I participate in the secret Santa, but now I have yet another thing preventing me from buying VC games for myself (storage problems being the other - the fridge is full).
Originally Posted by Roat
Oh, they change the value of Wii Points every day for each currency do they? This is what I mean by 'currency'
All they have to do is charge US$ or EUR for everything, or just charge in the currency of where the gift is for. Even us Southern Hemisphere freaks will eat the currency charge for convenience.
It should be no different than any other overseas online purchase.
Et toi.Originally Posted by AniHawk
Goop.
I'm not sure how it works for the Wii, but generally they would charge a single native currency and let the medium (i.e. credit card company) deal with the converstion.Originally Posted by Roat
Oh, they change the value of Wii Points every day for each currency do they? This is what I mean by 'currency'
Its a moot point anyway because the worth of a Wii point should be standardised.
Why stop there Nintendo?
Lock by State!
Lock by City!
Lock by Street!
Lock by Wii!
Do it!
Lock by State!
Lock by City!
Lock by Street!
Lock by Wii!
Do it!
I really hate region locking. It's so backwards and stupid.
Could be Nintendo's secret mantra :POriginally Posted by Tiktaalik
I really hate region locking. It's so backwards and stupid.
Originally Posted by Wii
Why stop there Nintendo?
Lock by State!
Lock by City!
Lock by Street!
Lock by Wii!
Do it!
:lol
You guys are making a big deal out of nothing.
Isn't that what we do at NeoGAF?Originally Posted by sp0rsk
You guys are making a big deal out of nothing.
If we don't, how will they know their system is broken?Originally Posted by sp0rsk
You guys are making a big deal out of nothing.
Nintendo: Protecting US kids from Canadian predators.
I thought not at first, because it'd be neat to send someone something outside my own country - but it's all to do with currency, otherwise I'd just get people overseas to buy me VC games, thus it being a lot cheaper.Originally Posted by sp0rsk
You guys are making a big deal out of nothing.
It's no big deal really.
And know it makes sense. Okay I'm fine with this country locking thenOriginally Posted by Roat
Why would it be by region? Software region codes have nothing to do with this, this is about currency.
Dunno, really. I do not see anyone totally overreacting in this thread.Originally Posted by sp0rsk
You guys are making a big deal out of nothing.
Country-specific gifts are stupid, no matter how you slice it. Out of my ~25 Wii friends maybe 5 are from Germany. We're PC gaming central here. I'm lucky to know that many (and have been the reason for two of them even being bought).
The feature is useless for a region as fractured into small countries like the EU. Look at a map, we're talking about positively tiny countries here, with gaming populations of equal size. It's a minor hassle for Americans and Canadians, but for us Europeans it's simply unacceptable.
It's not a huge deal, true, but it's annoying nonetheless. They pulled a Nintendo on us again, and personally, I get tired of that shit.
Probably has to do with a lot of issues. Like licensing and publishing rights. Just because a certain company owns the rights to a game in North America doesn't mean they have the rights to release it in Europe.
Besides, it makes sense. Giving Japanese Wii owners games that haven't been released in their own region might be a nice idea but there's probably a reason for it.
Besides, it makes sense. Giving Japanese Wii owners games that haven't been released in their own region might be a nice idea but there's probably a reason for it.
I want to cry more about this, but considering it's not like anyone else has done this before, we really don't have much of a right to complain yet. When Sony and Microsoft start allowing their services to be gifted and region free, then I'll gladly take a pitchfork to Nintendo.
Actually this issue doesn't really affect me since I have no friends in Canada that i'd want to send wii gifts to anyway. Too bad so sad!
2) buy an SD card
Actually this issue doesn't really affect me since I have no friends in Canada that i'd want to send wii gifts to anyway. Too bad so sad!
1) You know Nintendo's not the only company that region-locks, right? Also, read the rest of the posts in this threads for explanation for country lockingThat is so typical of Nintendo. :|
Ah well. I participate in the secret Santa, but now I have yet another thing preventing me from buying VC games for myself (storage problems being the other - the fridge is full).
2) buy an SD card
Just out of curiosity, what would be a reason for that?Originally Posted by Hero
Besides, it makes sense. Giving Japanese Wii owners games that haven't been released in their own region might be a nice idea but there's probably a reason for it.
It is quite silly, even if it is for currency reasons. International trade crumbles because of currency fluctuations? No. So why should online gifting?
Err, have you heard of a place called Europe? Generally when games get released in Europe, it gets released in every country in Europe, as well as fellow European tagalongs such as Australia and Australia.Originally Posted by Hero
Probably has to do with a lot of issues. Like licensing and publishing rights. Just because a certain company owns the rights to a game in North America doesn't mean they have the rights to release it in Europe.
Besides, it makes sense. Giving Japanese Wii owners games that haven't been released in their own region might be a nice idea but there's probably a reason for it.
Licensing and publishing rights have nothing to do with it, nor do currency rates. The only thing that factors into this is that Nintendo charges disproportionate amounts for Wii Points depending on what country you're in. Sure it may be one same rate on mainland Europe, but the UK, Australia, and them get charged a different rate.
This is just to stop us from using the Gift feature as a loophole to get someone in a country whose Wii Points are cheaper to get the games for us.
My aunt & uncle run a Mom & Pop store, "The Gamecube Hut", and sold 80k WiiU within minutes of opening.
(12-11-2007, 11:26 AM)
Can you gift used VC games?
Did anybody try using the gift feature between countries all using €, or is this country-lock just an assumption based on the lock between Canada and US (who use different currencies)?
I'll try it with someone when I get home if noone did that till then. PM me.Originally Posted by Jocchan
Did anybody try using the gift feature between countries all using €, or is this country-lock just an assumption based on the lock between Canada and US (who use different currencies)?
If I bend over and grab ankles like a good choir boy they'll just start using whips and candles. I at least demand lube and a friendly pat on the head afterwards. I have my standards.Originally Posted by Pellham
1) You know Nintendo's not the only company that region-locks, right? Also, read the rest of the posts in this threads for explanation for country locking
2) buy an SD card
I already have an SD card, and transferring an average game to it takes freaking ages. Once it's on the SD card it cannot be accessed anymore and has to be copied back (all slow-like, again) to be played. This is NOT a solution to my problem. Before you say it, redownloading isn't, either. I appreciate the thought and am pleasantly surprised by both options, but they're stop-gap measures, at best.
I have used the console to its fullest given time and usability constraints, now I'll wait for Nintendo to fix it so I can throw more money their way. I am in no way obliged to give them my money until they do so (unless I missed something in the terms of use).
Buy a better SD cardI already have an SD card, and transferring an average game to it takes freaking ages. Once it's on the SD card it cannot be accessed anymore and has to be copied back (all slow-like, again) to be played. This is NOT a solution to my problem. Before you say it, redownloading isn't, either. I appreciate the thought and am pleasantly surprised by both options, but they're stop-gap measures, at best.
[IMG]http://i8.************/8fevlee.jpg[/IMG]Originally Posted by Cerebral Assassin
Buy a better SD card
Sure, it's my choice of SD card.
Better SD cards will have a faster transfer rate
PS what the hell does this mean?I have used the console to its fullest given time and usability constraints, now I'll wait for Nintendo to fix it so I can throw more money their way. I am in no way obliged to give them my money until they do so (unless I missed something in the terms of use).
Realistically, I do. And that's all that matters to me.Originally Posted by Xeke
Oh please. Realistically how many people buying the Wii have friends in other countries that they are going to send gifts to...
The Nintendo defence force in here is insane. I have 14 VC games, around 20 Wii games, and around 75 DS games. I'm not trolling Nintendo.
All region locking is ridiculous, period. There are no exceptions. Content produced anywhere in the world should work on any machine of the users choice. Companies should not permitted to reap the benefits of free trade when it comes to suppliers, components, shipping, and distribution, and then fuck their customers by adopting an anti-free trade stance when it comes to fair use of content. Given that I figure most companies enjoy continuing to make billions of dollars, region locking can fuck right off.
In this particular case, it might well be illegal to "country-lock". In the same breath that it unifies North American intellectual property law, NAFTA also prohibits companies and countries from implementing technical measures to prevent electronic goods from working in other countries. While no complaint has ever been made about region-locking in specific under NAFTA (since in all previous incarnations, region locking has not been used on a national level), such a complaint would almost certainly be held to be valid. In the particular case of gifting, Nintendo could likely evade such a complaint by arguing that the content is available in both countries, it's just that the particular means of delivery via the Wii Shop is not. This is a technical defence, not a moral one.
(The same issue that applies with NAFTA also applies with the EU; although the EU is MUCH more likely to strike down regional locking as there's a more pressing complaint. Estonia, amongst other eastern European countries, is not in the same region as western Europe. This is a trivially obvious violation of EU trade restrictions and will result in either the full regional homogenization of the EU or removal of regional locks on everything sent to Europe)
Any company that supports region locking because of economic self-interest ("We want people to buy the localized copy to support our regional divisions--that is when we localize it a year from now... if we decide to. Also, since we don't comment on unannounced product releases, you have no way of knowing if we will localize it") deserves to be fucked as hard and as often as possible on the issue. If regional divisions cannot compete by providing compelling localized content on a quick scale with a reasonable price, they deserve to be eliminated. Companies do not care about consumers who cannot afford their product, I'm not sure why consumers should care about companies who cannot compete.
The alternative argument to support region locking is that it's supposedly pro-consumer. "You might not understand a product you're importing". Well, given that I'm older than five, I'll take it up with the retailer if they inadequately describe the fact that I'm buying a foreign-region game. Most retailers would not make a mistake with this. This is not an argument.
Companies constantly lobby for tax breaks, easing of tariff restrictions, and virtually every economic advantage they can get their grubby little hands on. They also constantly fail to do anything approximating passing on their savings to the consumer. As consumers, we need to stand up for ourselves are fight against this practice.
All region locking is ridiculous, period. There are no exceptions. Content produced anywhere in the world should work on any machine of the users choice. Companies should not permitted to reap the benefits of free trade when it comes to suppliers, components, shipping, and distribution, and then fuck their customers by adopting an anti-free trade stance when it comes to fair use of content. Given that I figure most companies enjoy continuing to make billions of dollars, region locking can fuck right off.
In this particular case, it might well be illegal to "country-lock". In the same breath that it unifies North American intellectual property law, NAFTA also prohibits companies and countries from implementing technical measures to prevent electronic goods from working in other countries. While no complaint has ever been made about region-locking in specific under NAFTA (since in all previous incarnations, region locking has not been used on a national level), such a complaint would almost certainly be held to be valid. In the particular case of gifting, Nintendo could likely evade such a complaint by arguing that the content is available in both countries, it's just that the particular means of delivery via the Wii Shop is not. This is a technical defence, not a moral one.
(The same issue that applies with NAFTA also applies with the EU; although the EU is MUCH more likely to strike down regional locking as there's a more pressing complaint. Estonia, amongst other eastern European countries, is not in the same region as western Europe. This is a trivially obvious violation of EU trade restrictions and will result in either the full regional homogenization of the EU or removal of regional locks on everything sent to Europe)
Any company that supports region locking because of economic self-interest ("We want people to buy the localized copy to support our regional divisions--that is when we localize it a year from now... if we decide to. Also, since we don't comment on unannounced product releases, you have no way of knowing if we will localize it") deserves to be fucked as hard and as often as possible on the issue. If regional divisions cannot compete by providing compelling localized content on a quick scale with a reasonable price, they deserve to be eliminated. Companies do not care about consumers who cannot afford their product, I'm not sure why consumers should care about companies who cannot compete.
The alternative argument to support region locking is that it's supposedly pro-consumer. "You might not understand a product you're importing". Well, given that I'm older than five, I'll take it up with the retailer if they inadequately describe the fact that I'm buying a foreign-region game. Most retailers would not make a mistake with this. This is not an argument.
Companies constantly lobby for tax breaks, easing of tariff restrictions, and virtually every economic advantage they can get their grubby little hands on. They also constantly fail to do anything approximating passing on their savings to the consumer. As consumers, we need to stand up for ourselves are fight against this practice.
Last edited by Stumpokapow; 12-11-2007 at 01:20 PM.