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Wii: Region-free...or NOT?

Polari said:
Definitely wasn't expecting this but as a New Zealander, I'm super pleased. No more paying out the ass for games!
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I wised up last generation and imported, but it'll be great to be able to hire games and buy second-hand over here again.
 
Blackace said:
from what I hear.. there will be regions for games just the regions are now bigger... but that could change easily...
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If one region encompasses US and JP, I`ll take either scenario.
 
snaildog said:
I wised up last generation and imported, but it'll be great to be able to hire games and buy second-hand over here again.
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I wish Sayswap work here :/ at the moment stick with TradeMe.
 
snaildog said:
I wised up last generation and imported, but it'll be great to be able to hire games and buy second-hand over here again.
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I don't import because I lend games to and from friends and because it sort of rules out impulse purchases, so I'm happy to get the best of both worlds.
 
hopefully things kick off well enough so unlimiteddvd/fatso will pick it up for rental. It'll probably be the only way I can justfiy keeping my account soon.
 
As has already been said, biggest question remains. VC and GC compatability across regions. I missed out on a lot of GC games and I could pick up loads of them for dirt cheap in the UK but I want a US Wii. Pretty much guaranteed not to work though.
 
Wii: Region-free.
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or not...

posted?
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=19686
Wii is region-locked - Nintendo UK

Tom Bramwell 09:45 15/09/2006

Also rules out DVD playback module

Nintendo UK has admitted that the Wii console is region-locked after all, despite comments from Nintendo of America to the contrary.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz in London this afternoon, a spokesperson admitted, "We are region-locked," and said the US arm of the company had made a mistake in saying otherwise.

Earlier we reported on a piece by Wired News, which spoke to Nintendo vice president of marketing Perrin Kaplan during yesterday's showcase event in New York, during which they were told that Nintendo would not impose regional restrictions on game software.

That situation would have been comparable to that of Xbox 360, where some games are region-free but others are not, and gamers are generally left to find out for themselves whether an import is viable.
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Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz in London this afternoon, a spokesperson admitted, "We are region-locked," and said the US arm of the company had made a mistake in saying otherwise.
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Oooh God... I can´t believe NOE is going to screw it. Everyone in NOA is saying is not region locked, what type of mystake is that?

I was thinking in buying an european Wii in a shop, that would be nice, go down and get a nice box with my hands... I have almost forogotten that feeling... and seems it will keep stuck in my nostalgic memories. If the system is region locked, NOE can say bye bye to my money.
 
Is stupid thinking Kaplan said something like "is like the DS" and it was a mistake. I mean, NOE correcting NOA?, the guys that doen´t know crap of the ways of its company until the last moment correcting Nintendo America?

That is crazy, and here is a theory. Is certain that NTSC Wiii will be region compatible, so it will accept USA and Japanese titles, something that the "PAL" won´t be able to do. It would be crazy, but it´s on the realm of the possible.

In any case, I don´t care, I was ready to get a PAL Wii even if my 25 GCs games are american/japanse. Not anymore after that.
 
Oh bollox. We need confirmation one way or the other. I'd be more inclined to believe that NoE are idiots and don't know what's up. If it is locked then there's no way I'll get the Euro version, import all the way again.
 
pkaplan.jpg


god damnit
 
jarosh said:
sad.gif
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...

wanna bet guys, pal games will probably not support 480p AGAIN. i'll import.
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well, we need confirmation on this now... but yeah i'd not be surprised if PAL games don't support 480p again due to the whole 50hz/60hz dealio... but here's hoping that it's not the case for you.

they should just make the Wii 60hz only and tell people to deal. most uk sets can take a 60hz signal these days.
 
Why the hell would someone even consider buying a PAL Wii after news like this.

FYI, NoE (and Sony and MS too), there are also some poorer countries in Europe who wouldn't have to resort to piracy if it weren't for your bendover.99 prices.
 
you know.. since Nintendo is screwing Europe over on the price, it would make sense if it was just PAL games and systems that couldn't play the other regions' games.. to keep the europeans from importing from the US or Japan for less
 
The last three days has been nothing but vague news and confusion. It almost feels like we know less now than before the conferences. Someone needs to interview Iwata and ask him what's up, but I guess he'll only give interviews to Grandma Magazines lately.
 
This mistake is far too big to be true. Comparing the Wii to the DS, only for it to be wrong? Something must be up...

If not: seems like I'll be importing my Wii afterall. Well done NoE!
 
If JP and US wiis are region free, but PAL has its own region, I will totally expect it. TOTALLY.
 
Yeah I'd say it's a case of NoE just not knowing to be honest. Kaplan isn't an idiot and she even mentioned specifics about there being an optional region switch. Surely somebody interviewed Iwata and asked him.
 
TheTrin said:
If JP and US wiis are region free, but PAL has its own region, I will totally expect it. TOTALLY.
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yeah, it's always been a pretty simple thing to play japanese games on na machines and vice versa. i remember filing down the inside of the cartridge slot on the snes and iirc japanese games just plugged into the na n64(?), at the least it was a relatively easy process, and gc was a simple switch.

i'd guess she's been told japanese games will play on a na machine and vice versa.
 
I've read her comment again and no way is that a mistake...

Will the Wii be region-free?

Yes. Like the Nintendo DS, the Wii will be able to play games from other regions, such as Japan, without any restriction. Kaplan implied there might be a region lock that publishers would be able to flip on, but it doesn't sound like the first-party titles from Nintendo will be restricted.
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o_O
 
Just about any version of any console is physical able to do NTSC and PAL out of the box. It took 2 wires to mod my mega drive with a switch you could even flip at runtime.

I can force my modded ps2 to NTSC/PAL50/PAL60 whatever.
 
The plot thickens. Bloody hell, I have a bad feeling that only the European one being locked might come true. :(
http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/732/732982p1.html

UK, September 15, 2006 - Wii games will not be region-free according to Nintendo UK's General Manager David Yarnton. Speaking exclusively with IGN at Nintendo's European Wii press event in London, Yarnton confirmed that Wii games and online content will be region-encoded, meaning European gamers won't be able to play titles from the US and Japan and vice-versa.

The news follows comments made by Perrin Kaplan, Nintendo of America's Vice President of Marketing and Affairs, which IGN reported on yesterday.
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And you wonder why PC gaming is big in europe. We love buying overpriced 15% slower non adjusted pal versions half a year later.
 
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