Wii to be Region Free 151
Chris Kohler is making it a point to single out the fact that, like its cousin the DS, the Wii is to be Region-free. They also discuss how Virtual Console titles will associated with a console owner, and some details on the Opera browser. From the article: "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."
Sweet! (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Just out of curiosity, are the English translations released in the UK any different from the ones released in the US?
Re: (Score:2)
I would assume that EU english and US english versions are the same but that you still have to wait in EU since they want to make italian, spanish, german, french and so on versions aswell, and I guess that if they really "dumb down" the western ver
Re: (Score:2)
Not usually. It's less noticable with rather plain translations, but with the more colourful ones it can be fairly noticable with more americanisms etc. Of course the all-pervasiveness of american cultures means most americanisms are undersood in the UK.
This means of course with voice acting we get the "pleasure" of American "man pulled off the street and into a recording studio" voice a
Re: (Score:2)
I think we have a winner (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:1)
I'm not sure if region free will provide something like that but if the Wii can give me an experience like that again I'm jumping off the PlayStation boat! Heck at the price how can I lose!? (Asides from being beaten up b
Re:I think we have a winner (Score:5, Funny)
I'm hoping it comes with a pretty pink pony!
Wait, did I just say that out loud?
Re: (Score:2)
Commercial Jingle? (Score:2)
Re:I think we have a winner (Score:4, Funny)
Re:I think we have a winner (Score:5, Funny)
I'm violating a nondisclosure agreement here by saying it, but the entire console is FULLY EDIBLE.
-Eric
Re: (Score:1, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Think of the Original XBox though! Probably big enough for a month or two if it were edible!
Re: (Score:2)
That WOULD explain those mysterious stomach cramps I've been having lately, though...
I just can't help it... I love chips
Re: (Score:2)
You american have such biiiig consore... our japanese consore very very smarr.
Re: (Score:1, Funny)
Rubbish... they always drag you back for one last job.
Re:I think we have a winner (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
See Capitalism and charity can work together.
Re: (Score:2)
The Neo-Geo home console shipped with Magician Lord, but I guess that can be considered the same generation even though they continued to make games for the hardware for a very l
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
So just because it only comes with one Wiimote control set (paddle plus wand), you should still be able to play Animal Crossing until the new one comes out.
Re:I think we have a winner (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I'll believe it when it happens... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:I'll believe it when it happens... (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Not a very good one at that.
Apparently their mod chips let you play DVD movies from any region. Pretty fancy, considering the Wii can't even play DVDs on it's own.
Oh yeah, and the Wii uses "custom optipal media" according to that site's information.
And the Nintendo Wii mod chip "was released in December 2006". There are also apparently already multiple types of modchips, including those that require soldering and those that just use positions of pins for pressure
Re: (Score:2)
But if you are serious about modchips for the wii, they will eventually come out, i'm quite sure. It's just a matter of time.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I doubt there will be a shortage (Score:2)
Might also avoid the UK getting shafted on hardware costs
Sooo, over to you Sony - how are you going to convince me to buy a PS3 when I've got my PC, my 360 and now a Wii?
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
You guys have Woolworths in the UK? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Nice to know that they are alive and well in the UK. I am kind of sorry that I didn't see any when I was there
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Which all kind of evens things out a little.
But none of this explains why technology is so much more expensive here. Canada has a similar socially-aware government, similar taxes, and sim
I have the answer to that (Score:2)
aside from hurting your own sales... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
ex: I like games, but I wouldn't buy Japanese FFXII, even though I could have gotten it months earlier, simply for the fact that I can't speak Japanese.
That would be the case with a lot of games for a lot of people, though certainly not all, the exceptions are small.
Re: (Score:2)
[1] This is more true with stuff like the Xbox 360 than older consoles, where discounts bring it back into lin
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:1)
Re:aside from hurting your own sales... (Score:5, Informative)
Not so common anymore.
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
DVDs are incredibly easy to scratch, especially in the hands of children, and you have to pay the full price for a new disc. The most legitimate defence is that you want to back the discs up, which is perfectly reasonable and not shady in the least.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
That's good news (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
What an odd thing to say...
Good (Score:2)
(Has it even been announced yet whether "Wii Play", the game with duck hunt and pong in it, is coming in America at all? That was probably the most interesting piece of information last night, and I don't think the American coverage even mentioned it.)
Smokeable nicotine stick non-smoking aides (Score:3, Insightful)
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this like telling people they can stop smoking by transitioning to smokeable nicotine sticks? If a developer can arbitrarily flip on region restrictions (which are, of course, keyed to region codes that *are* sold on this "region-free" device), then anyone who wants to restrict regions can. And before you pop a blood vessel, I think it's great that first party games will be like this, and I'm definitely getting a Wii, but this victory seems a tad hollow. I just don't think it's going to lead to "omg! I can get the Japan-only release and play it on my regular system!"
Depends on who does the coding (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
But I'll bet my faith in humanity that there will be some company that does a single-region release, with no intention of releasing anywhere else, and sets the region restriction bit. I'll bet that in the board room where this decision is made, the word "piracy" will be uttered in an urgent tone, followed by a series of serious "harumphs" from around the table and the sage noddin
Piracy? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
There may be some connection in N's mind between piracy and the console hardware mod market, which is primarily fueled by people modding their consoles to play imports. Maybe they think that if they cut out that revenue source then a Wii mod m
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Though I thought they did a pretty good job of eliminating piracy on the GC just by having a funky size of DVD (and the Wii disks are funky sized too, in between the GC disks and a normal DVD if i'm not mistaken).
Re: (Score:2)
What stoped piracy on the Gamecube more or less is probably many factors.
1) Copyright protection where broken late.
2) Since the console was probably more bought by parents for their kids than teens and grown ups noone really cared about copying games on it.
3) Nintendo fans are loyal and want their beloved company to survive and therefor buy their games.
4) Nintendo brand new items smells and feel so good
They are 12cm. (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Region codes makes you feel less bad when you pirate "Hey why should I have to wait?", "It's not released here yet anyway", "Why shall I have to pay more?", "Screw them, they don't release it here, they don't want my money".
Analogy time (Score:5, Informative)
Regular DVD players aren't region-free just because there exist DVDs suitable for all regions, right?
Mod parent up! (Score:2)
Well said.
Will gamecube games also be region free? (Score:4, Interesting)
Also, are they doing a universal power supply? I do a lot of traveling and it would be cool if all I needed was a prong adaptor.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
typing and printing (Score:3, Interesting)
What a run around Microsoft - I bet there are chairs flying today.
Re: (Score:2)
And run iTunes.
And connect to their digital camera.
And.. uh... HAD A HARD DRIVE.
Re: (Score:2)
Seriously, if you want a computer and you only have $300 to spend, get a cheapo Dell. In fact, a Dell and a Wii combined cost less than a PlayStation 3 (MOD UP BECAUSE I SAID SOMETHING COST LESS THAN A PLAYSTATION 3).
Region Free... AND (Score:1)
It's all well and good not imposing arbitrary restrictions on the playing of software, but if it's not actually physically compatible with certain televisions, then that could present some problems.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
My TV is 3 years old, but it does NTSC and PAL bot flawlessly.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
250 bucks, region free, and lots of games! (Score:3, Insightful)
FPS and Sports might be nice for some, but I find them ultra-boring. Probably because both were so much a part of my life, having spent so many years in the Army and playing sports since I was a kid.
Game consoles are so you can get away from what you know.
Re: (Score:1)
I also plan on buying one ASAP, but without any games for a few months until they start to go down a little.
Re: (Score:2)
Let's see... Lik-Sang, Yes Asia, and Play Asia come to mind.
Re: (Score:2)
Well I'll look forward to it for those kinds of games
No USB Hard Drive support? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Which do you think is fairer?
#1 Opera is default and everyone effectively pays for it?
#2 Opera is cheaply available to those who will use it (based on game prices say 5$-10$) and the console was effectively CHEAPER because of this.
Personally I'd rather the option to pay for what I use, instead of paying for others to have something i might never use.
Default language? (Score:2)
This also removes just about any excuse for the installation of modchips (which tend to be viewed as always allowing play for "backup" games, but also have modchips
Re: (Score:2)
No, but thier Japanese and US regions are the same. Rules for US, sucks for Europe.
Re: (Score:2)
I mean, they wouldn't take *away* useful features, would they? What self respecting technology company would do such a crazy thing....
Good for us Europeans! (Score:2)
Maybe we can import a few consoles from you Americans then, huh? I hope you don't mind. The thing is, if Nintendo is up to its usual shenanigans, it'll be february 07 until we get any Wii love over here. So I'll probably import one or two for me and my pals.
The Wii is looking better and better :-)
heh (Score:2)
This is a plus for me (Score:3, Interesting)
Missing from the summary: Controller prices (Score:3, Informative)
$40 for additional Wii Remotes and $20 for additional Wii Nunchucks
Well, thats not really cheap, especially the Remote+Nunchuck Combo, but about what I expected. It will be quite expensive to buy the full set for four players, I guess...
How long has Nintendo been region free? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Looking forward to just (hopefully) being to able to play imported games out of the box though.