On Wii Saved Games were used to smuggle in the Homebrew Channel, which means the ability to run your or someone elses code.
Hackers only had to get that one single key and were able to modify one single saved game per region to get their code running on all consoles.
This method simply wouldn't work on 3DS/Wii U, because every single console has its own key to encrypt/decrypt saved games.
Its actually been done with the Cubic Ninja hack on the 3DS. It works for every version of the game (US, Europe, Japan). I also believe that Gateway works on every 3DS regardless of region (as long as the firmware version is low enough that is), so it should be possible. I'm unsure about the WiiU, but i would assume that the same things apply there. Every PS3 has its own unique key as well, but the system was still hacked. Its a safer method for sure compared to have the same encryption key for every single system, but its not necessarily hack proof.
By selling the PS3 as a "region free" console, buying games from other regions should work. Always. Which simply isn't the case.
Was it really sold and advertised as being region free officially by Sony? I dont think i ever saw that, and i also find it very weird why the PS3 has the ability to region lock games, which apparently every publisher could choose as they like, if the PS3 was sold as being completely region free. That wouldnt make any sense to me.
That fact is still wrong even when it's getting repeated over and over.
It's at least 2 games. Persona 4 Arena + Joysound Drive are explicitly region locked on PS3. And various others are not fully playable depending on the region of the console, which I have to see as region locked as well. There is not a lot difference between a game getting blocked and a game not being playable on a console from a specific region.
And at least the Metal Gear Rising demo was even IP region locked to the JP store.
I think you misunderstood what i was saying, but maybe i could have worded it differently. I didnt say that only one PS3 game is region locked. I said that one game being region locked is enough to prove that the PS3 isnt 100% region free. Even if it was just one game or hundred games, we would only need one game as an example to show that the PS3 isnt 100% region free.
So yeah, as you mentioned earlier, it is indeed a lie to say that the PS3 is completely region free. That is why im saying that everyone that has read up on this wont claim that the PS3 is completely region free. If you mean that Sony has claimed that, then i would be very interested in seeing where they said that, honestly.
So now it's my problem to figure out if a game works on the so called "region free" PS3 or if it doesn't? That's not what "region free" is supposed to be.
The games should simply WORK. All of them.
If Sony claimed that the PS3 was completely region free, then it shouldnt be your problem, no. But i was just saying that you could check up on it before buying because you are clearly aware of the situation, that some games might have issues. Then you wouldnt necessarily have to gamble about what you're buying. I was also talking in regards between the choice of being partially region free and not being region free at all. You said that you would prefer a system not being region free at all to avoid these issues. Personally, i would rather have a partial region free system even if it had some issues, because i could most likely read up which games that did work or not.
I have noticed tons of button prompt issues in all sorts of games. Sure, I could have made some blog about it. But why should I put in even more effort, when those companies including Sony give a shit about it? They won't fix it anyway, because they don't care.
One reason to do it is the one that you mentioned yourself:
"
If those were actually well documented, it wouldn't be such a nightmare, because there would be a list, that you could simply check before buying."
Check
-> this list <- regarding games for PS3 custom firmware for example. The list might not be 100% complete, but its still a really well documented list thanks to community effort.
Its up to each person to decide what they want to do of course, but since the companies might not change it like you mentioned, and if complaining about it wont change anything, at least making a list would make the situation easier.
You're also right that most people dont care about these things, but that also goes for custom firmware on PS3, yet such a detailed list were compiled. It doesnt necessarily takes that many people to make such a list.
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As for all the other, i think we have a different opinion about how the PS3 was sold. If your arugments are based around that Sony did advertise the PS3 as being 100% region free, then i see all your points and i would completely agree that Sony should have enforced compability, no doubt. However, i dont think that is the case, especially since Sony included a region lock feature in the PS3. That makes me believe that the choice was left at the developers/publishers primarily.
If Sony could make it easier, like the SDK stuff that you mentioned and that the X/O changes can be done without any problems, i would of course be all for that. I'm not arguing against that just to make that clear. I'm just saying that i dont think that Sony is obligated to make sure that this is happening, and i feel that the responsibility is mostly on the developers themself, but of course it would be nice if Sony did it easier or had more strict requirements around this. And yeah, i've heard about the hardware button thing on the PS3. I was thinking about a solution that would fix this when i mentioned what i mentioned earlier
But my main point in this whole discussion was to say that region free is a huge part of Sony's latest systems. You're only giving examples on how it is on PS3, how is it on Vita and PS4? Honest question. I think that the Vita and the PS4 is more relevant in this regards because those are the systems that will go forward, while the PS3 is on its way out. I think its fine to point out the flaws and wish that it worked better, but i think its important to not let this to overshadow all the cases where it actually works fine, especially concider when the majority of games actually works. I dont know if that is the intention here, i'm just generally speaking.
I also cant blame anyone for being under the impression for thinking that the PS3 was region free. If i remember correctly, i was also under that impression myself for a long time. But unless i see some evidence where Sony promoted the PS3 as being completely region free regarding all games, i will continue to be under the impression that Sony didnt advertise this because i cant recall having seen it myself.
EDIT: I added some text.
