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Oh noes: Wii JP/US Region Lock Confirmed :(

J

Juice

Member
Thanks; It was confirmed up and down the wall months ago, though. For Perrin to retract a statement (that it was region-free) publicly, it probably sealed the deal (that it isn't region-free).

Sucks for people who want a better line-up of not only discs but VC games. If the Wii wavers in America but takes off in Japan (sure thing), I don't want to have to buy another Wii to play imports.
 
D

Duderz

Banned
Is region lock confirmed for the Virtual Console?

Can I go and log in to the Japanese store and purchase Fire Emblem on my US Wii?
 
L

Lyte Edge

All I got for the Vernal Equinox was this stupid tag
Duderz said:
Is region lock confirmed for the Virtual Console?

Can I go and log in to the Japanese store and purchase Fire Emblem on my US Wii?
Click to expand...

EVERYTHING is region-locked, so no, you can't. According to Play-Asia, you can't even change the language on a Japanese Wii to English.
 
P

Pellham

Banned
Duderz said:
Is region lock confirmed for the Virtual Console?

Can I go and log in to the Japanese store and purchase Fire Emblem on my US Wii?
Click to expand...

Europeans who imported the american Wii have been able to access the american virtual console, so logically speaking a Japanese Wii can access the Japanese VC regardless of territory.
 
T

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
Yes. It`s imperative that we find that jumper!
 
L

lethial

Reeeeeeee
kiryogi said:
**** you nintendo.
Click to expand...

reggie_shrug.jpg
 
D

Dragona Akehi

Retired
TheTrin said:
Yes. It`s imperative that we find that jumper!
Click to expand...

I have a feeling the firmware is universal just like with GC. Find the jumper, HELLO JPN VC! (Two SD cards required to back up different region data/VC downloads).
 
U

underfooter

Banned
Is there any FINANCIAL reason to even do that?



I mean, a game imported from Japan is still a game sold; every company from Nintendo to the publisher to the store owner makes money.
 
P

Pellham

Banned
underfooter said:
Is there any FINANCIAL reason to even do that?



I mean, a game imported from Japan is still a game sold; every company from Nintendo to the publisher to the store owner makes money.
Click to expand...

There's absolutely no reason why Nintendo should do this, especially when their competitors have opted not to (not only that but they themselves don't do it for their handhelds), but for some stupid reason they have.
 
Z

ZombieSupaStar

Member
underfooter said:
Is there any FINANCIAL reason to even do that?



I mean, a game imported from Japan is still a game sold; every company from Nintendo to the publisher to the store owner makes money.
Click to expand...



well sometimes copyrights / licenses are different in different countries.
 
S

Suikoguy

I whinny my fervor lowly, for his length is not as great as those of the Hylian war stallions
nevermind... image is dead

It was a pic of PR Training..
 
E

Ecrofirt

Member
Dragona Akehi said:
I have a feeling the firmware is universal just like with GC. Find the jumper, HELLO JPN VC! (Two SD cards required to back up different region data/VC downloads).
Click to expand...

Checking to see if the firmware is universal might be easy enough if you just go to the Wii menu. Mine says I'm running 2.0U, as I recall. I'd imagine that means firmware 2.0, USA, but I could be wrong.
 
Mr Nash

Mr Nash

square pies = communism
ZombieSupaStar said:
well sometimes copyrights / licenses are different in different countries.
Click to expand...

"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."

~ Henry VI (Part 2)
 
M

medrew

Member
underfooter said:
Is there any FINANCIAL reason to even do that?



I mean, a game imported from Japan is still a game sold; every company from Nintendo to the publisher to the store owner makes money.
Click to expand...

A lot of it is still tied into publishers. For example: Activistion recently took over the rights to publish Capcom games in New Zealand and Australia. Allowing free-trade would veto the agreements of that deal.
It also makes the tracking of sales per region hard to quantify. Along with various tax issues.
 
A

akachan ningen

Member
I thought this was confirmed forever ago? It's a shitty reminder of how no company, no matter how loved they are by fanboys, cares about the gamer.
 
T

The End

Member
akachan ningen said:
I thought this was confirmed forever ago? It's a shitty reminder of how no company, no matter how loved they are by fanboys, cares about the gamer.
Click to expand...

Except for, you know, Sony :lol
 
F

Fantasmo

Member
1) $250
2) 480p, no shader tech
3) promising the world (Zelda, Mario, Metroid at launch!), then staggering releases
4) Slow, deliberate, terrible VC releases
5) VC expensive and tied to machine
6) VC Region lock
7) Drought of games
8) Official component cables only available online
9) $60 controllers (don't kid yourself)
10) Classic controller tethered to wiimote
11) ALL OF THE ABOVE SEEMS TO BE FOLLOWING THE GAMECUBE PATH, PROBABLY WORSE

Nintendo is like the abusive parent of gaming: "I'm gonna rape you and you're gonna like it! No KY 4 U!"

I wish I hated their games so I didn't have to deal with this crap.
 
T

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
Dragona Akehi said:
I have a feeling the firmware is universal just like with GC. Find the jumper, HELLO JPN VC! (Two SD cards required to back up different region data/VC downloads).
Click to expand...

I would not be surprised at all. The architecture is similar to GC, so it`s not too farfetched to assume modding it would be just as easy.
 
B

Baryn

Banned
junkster said:
1) $250
2) 480p, no shader tech
3) promising the world (Zelda, Mario, Metroid at launch!), then staggering releases
4) Slow, deliberate, terrible VC releases
5) VC expensive and tied to machine
6) VC Region lock
7) Drought of games
8) Official component cables only available online
9) $60 controllers (don't kid yourself)
10) Classic controller tethered to wiimote
11) ALL OF THE ABOVE SEEMS TO BE FOLLOWING THE GAMECUBE PATH, PROBABLY WORSE

Nintendo is like the abusive parent of gaming: "I'm gonna rape you and you're gonna like it! No KY 4 U!"

I wish I hated their games so I didn't have to deal with this crap.
Click to expand...
Christ, he's right.

:goes back to playing ExciteTruck:
 
S

Srider

Banned
TheTrin said:
I would not be surprised at all. The architecture is similar to GC, so it`s not too farfetched to assume modding it would be just as easy.
Click to expand...

And then we find out that Wiiconnect24 bricks modded systems.....
 
D

DECK'ARD

The Amiga Brotherhood
I think it's far more likely they are being flashed with region-specific firmware rather than a hardware modification like the GC.
 
H

HisshouBuraiKen

Member
Srider said:
And then we find out that Wiiconnect24 bricks modded systems.....
Click to expand...

It'd probably be more like you'd have to re-download the latest firmware every time you switched regions. Which, if Bleach Wii is as good as it looks, will be worth it.
 
K

Kodiak

Not an asshole.
junkster said:
1) $250
2) 480p, no shader tech
3) promising the world (Zelda, Mario, Metroid at launch!), then staggering releases
4) Slow, deliberate, terrible VC releases
5) VC expensive and tied to machine
6) VC Region lock
7) Drought of games
8) Official component cables only available online
9) $60 controllers (don't kid yourself)
10) Classic controller tethered to wiimote
11) ALL OF THE ABOVE SEEMS TO BE FOLLOWING THE GAMECUBE PATH, PROBABLY WORSE

Nintendo is like the abusive parent of gaming: "I'm gonna rape you and you're gonna like it! No KY 4 U!"

I wish I hated their games so I didn't have to deal with this crap.
Click to expand...

jesus christ do you even have a wii? the rest of us are busy having fun.
 
Z

ZombieSupaStar

Member
Kodiak said:
jesus christ do you even have a wii? the rest of us are busy having fun.
Click to expand...


you must be new at gaf


Wii
360
PS3


could all have 200 AAA games


and gaf would still be filled with people playing "message boards LOL"
 
K

Kodiak

Not an asshole.
ZombieSupaStar said:
you must be new at gaf


Wii
360
PS3


could all have 200 AAA games


and gaf would still be filled with people playing "message boards LOL"
Click to expand...


I'm very familiar with GAF and that guys bitching still strikes me as unusually whiney.
 
T

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
I definitely won`t be lining up tonight. All the titles I want for Wii are on US Wii, which I have waiting for me on Christmas Day. I`ll pick up a JP Wii when the libraries start to diverge more.
 
Burger

Burger

Member
john tv said:
I don't care about PAL, I care about Japan. :) But thanks for the pics and info nonetheless! Very jealous you guys got a legit Wii Sports case!
Click to expand...

1up news department doesn't care about PAL people :(
 
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