-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Iwata addresses region-locking at Nintendo investor Q&A
- Thread starter Cheesemeister
- Start date
KiTA
Member
My word, I had no idea that's how it worked. I thought once I bought property I could take the things I own anywhere in the world. Does anyone know where I have to turn in my games if I ever decide to visit another country? Do I get them back if I come back to the US?
How silly.
Panajev2001a
GAF's Pleasant Genius
GB, GBC, GBA, and DS were region free... Region locking is optional on MS and Sony consoles and has been for a while and tons of games are region free... Most games on Wii U are by Nintendo itself now...
They created a problem, hard region locking on all their devices even their portables which were thriving without it, and now they ask us to empathize with how impossibly difficult the problem must be. This is the same story with Nintendo lately: everything is a monumental almost impossible to understand issue that needs to be studied for years before attempting to address it... and then re-studied, etc...
Lord Ghirahim
Member
Even if Nintendo decided to go region-free, it wouldn't be announced for a while. Why buy a region-locked Wii U when you can wait a couple of years for the region-free successor (with BC to boot) after all?
Night Angel
Member
They better get rid of it. I don't want to have to buy a jp handheld to play MH next time around. If they region lock their next release, I will have to go the custom firmware route.
HolyBaikal
Banned
Well, that seemed like a nice way of putting it. And very positive.
I'm glad that he was willing to talk about it and say those things. I hope he can work those problems out with region locking. Because I really don't like region locking. I have a Japanese 3DS just for Japanese exclusive things.
And I would like to be able to import Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker early and play it, without having to buy another Wii U.
I'm glad that he was willing to talk about it and say those things. I hope he can work those problems out with region locking. Because I really don't like region locking. I have a Japanese 3DS just for Japanese exclusive things.
And I would like to be able to import Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker early and play it, without having to buy another Wii U.
That's the first time ever I've heard someone at Nintendo say anything other than "please understand" on the subject. It still doesn't sound like they have any intention of changing it anytime soon, but well, baby steps. Personally, I consider region-locking (for any kind of media) to be one of the most shamefully anti-consumer practices out there, and one that should have been made illegal a long time ago.
Reminds me of a funny story from a few years ago when US president Barack Obama gave British prime minister Gordon Brown a collection of 25 American movie DVDs, which (in addition to being a terrible gift) were region locked and therefore couldn't be played using a British DVD player.
Reminds me of a funny story from a few years ago when US president Barack Obama gave British prime minister Gordon Brown a collection of 25 American movie DVDs, which (in addition to being a terrible gift) were region locked and therefore couldn't be played using a British DVD player.
GhostTrick
Banned
It's not up to Nintendo to region lock their hardware. It should be up to publishers to decide if they want this game to be region locked or not.
A region-free successor doesn't mean the Wii U games will become region-free.
Fina-fucking-ly!!
Not the announcement that seals the deal, but now I can start considering buying their next console, it was the frustration with both the region lock in the Wii and 3DS that stopped me from getting a Wii-U, it has a shit load of games I want, but I'm gonna vote with my wallet, region lock = no buy.
...Now if their next system is backwards compatible.
Not the announcement that seals the deal, but now I can start considering buying their next console, it was the frustration with both the region lock in the Wii and 3DS that stopped me from getting a Wii-U, it has a shit load of games I want, but I'm gonna vote with my wallet, region lock = no buy.
...Now if their next system is backwards compatible.
Even if their new systems are region free, Wii U games will forever be region locked.
Yeah, no.
I can play American Wii and Gamecube games on my PAL Wii U via homebrew. Its literally a matter of flipping a switch. They are never "forever region locked".
Starwolf_UK
Member
IOf course it is but developers and Nintendo agreed to region locking so pulling the carpet would be a breach of contract.
That is why 3DS and Wii U will officially be forever region locked.
Revisions of contracts can happen.
Either way, bring on homebrew. Region unlocking for the 3DS is very close.
Eh, PS3 was region locked for PS1 + PS2 games. It's not a problem from a technical standpoint, but from a licensing one.
Maybe that's actually what they meant with hurdles. Maybe Nintendo is actually thinking about making 3DS + Wii U region free. At least Wii U doesn't have that many 3rd party games, so asking for agreement could be possible somehow.
For a day, then an update happens and you are locked out again (either out of region free or out of new games). Homebrew doesn't solve this.
I guess, yeah
Even so, I have faith that homebrewers will save us from the wii u region locking hell. Like always.
BumblebeeCody
Member
Nintendo don't deserve any praise until this they get this fixed.
You own your games everywhere but distribution rights (and other issues such as ratings) are not always global. This is a thing that exists in all media and has existed in games since day dot. Hardware locking prevents users from breaking these rules. Removing the locks doesn't make these issues go away. It just makes it easier for customers to circumvent them.
Still the same stupid "because reasons" non-explanation. You did region-free in the past, there's zero reason not to do it nowadays. If you use "buh--buhhh-buhhhh Nintendo of Europe can't release games 12 months late if we don't do region-locks, NoE would lose money because of some people not waiting for them", then maybe get your fucking act together and release stuff ~simultaneously.
Physical games yes, but a lot of digital PS1 games were region-free. Not all, but a majority or at least a pretty big portion of them were. Not sure about PS2 classics.
glaringradio
Member
Unfortunately for Nintendo, it is far more likely that a group will come up with a flash card for the 3DS that will provide region-free play, before Nintendo ever actually seriously think about updating their consoles to allow this.
And on that day, I'll be happy, because none of us should have been subjected to this in the first place. I can finally buy games on import and have a device capable of playing them. But also sad, because that's when the death of the console will begin.
And on that day, I'll be happy, because none of us should have been subjected to this in the first place. I can finally buy games on import and have a device capable of playing them. But also sad, because that's when the death of the console will begin.
Sup.
http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=878726&page=100000
Region free is coming, without the use of flashcards, even works on the new3DS.
I don't really see the logic to this argument. Aren't digitally distributioned games usually more restricted than retail games even on the region free consoles, (requiring local credit cards etc).
And from almost every viewpoint the argument for region locking becomes stronger with Digital Distribution, simply because it's easier for consumers and it would be more widespread than importing physical games. And if they want to uphold rules about age ratings, and more importantly VAT and other taxes you can't just let everyone switch regions in the eShop at will, as much as we would all like to.
It should be easier to launch in all regions at once with Digital Distribution though. But that's an area where nintendo could still use some improvement in their procedure for eShop developers, as you still require separate build for each regions
BumblebeeCody
Member
What about the DS?
Lord Ghirahim
Member
test_account
XP-39C²
Yeah, i think this is the best solution indeed.
Also, seeing how many games that are region free on PS3 and Xbox 360, where the publishers could choose to region lock their games, it makes me believe that the demand for complete region lock on consoles isnt very high. And why would publishers start to ask for full region lock on handheld gaming system now, why not 15-20 years ago?
gingerbeardman
Member
Not sure if this has been linked;
http://uk.businessinsider.com/nintendo-might-stop-region-locking-2014-11
Quotes this thread.
http://uk.businessinsider.com/nintendo-might-stop-region-locking-2014-11
Quotes this thread.
Cheesemeister
Member
OP updated with the official English translation.
ShogunDarius
Member
sounds more reserved in the official, hopefully they see the error of their ways