Looks like Wii U GamePads are region-locked as well

Games aren't the only region-locking aspect of the Wii U - it looks like the GamePad itself is region-locked as well.

[PopRocks359]

Seems odd that they would region lock the controller (given it cannot function without the already region locked console) but I suppose it really doesn't matter since the controller is just a controller.

Just another in a long line of weird decisions by the Big N it seems.

[NYC_Gamer]

It's because a person from EU could order one from the states for cheaper..That would take away profit that Nintendo could have made in that market..

[Blank]

Yup you explained it in a nutshell kinda suxs because what if in the future I see an awesome unique colored wii u gamepad from another region?? I swear im a sucker for different colored consoles and accessories especially collector ones like the japanese oftenly get

[-Mika-]

So why didn't sony reigon lock the vita? Stop making excuses for them. Nintendo is a really anti-consumer company and people really shouldn't be defending this

[n4f]

yeah yeah watever mika and her/his/its second account you know your opinion is not welcome

[ChickeyCantor]

Oh look it's Hatsune repeating the same crap over and over:

Wii U is rubbish > Ps3 is better > Can't wait for PS4.

I'm sure if Miku and Mika fused together, it wouldn't be their final form.

[Yi-Long]

... many people now travel the world and pick something up for themselfs or their kids or whatever. Be it games, controllers, consoles, whatever.

Right now, I'm in Hong Kong for a year. After a year I'll be back in Holland. This kinda news just means we certainly won't be picking up a WiiU here, cause it will be useless once we go back.

I usually pick up controllers here in Hong Kong for the 360 and PS3, cause they're very exensive in Holland. If that wouldn't be an option, we'd probably opt for 3rd party controllers instead of 1st party controllers.

This whole region-locking thing is just beyond stupid.

[miyamoto]

Good thing PS3 is not region locked...or elze we wont be enjoying Mobile Suit Gundam: Battle Operation and Unicorn.

[corrus]

Big and stupid decisions of little stupid n HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA the stupidity of Nintendo not have end first voice chat after that trophies and now this they are very very stupid

[Salamander]

Your comment seems even more stupider.

[Welshy]

Coming next to a Wii U near you: Region locked analog sticks?

Visiting family in the UK flying from the US and want to take you Wii U for a fun night with a few beers?

As of FW2.55, when the Wii U gamepad crosses the atlantic border between US and UK, the sticks will lock out and then release on your return home.

Happy Xmas from Nintendo!

[BlackWolf]

Well, that sucks. Nintendo should be a little more permissive in this matters. They tend to be too much cautious.

[dazzrazz]

Whats next ? Region locked cables ? lol 0_o

[adorie]

Well, that is entirely possible, seeing as how cables are becoming more "smart" and may have chips in them at either end.

[animegamingnerd]

well metal gear solid rising demo is region locked so this doesn't surprise me

[t0mmyb0y]

Are you serious a DEMO is locked!!

[sloth3395]

power cables are different in other countries

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

"In the video game industry, Nintendo was the originator of regional lockout. "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

No one does it better than the originator!

[rainslacker]

Region locking was the reason I learned to do modding on systems. Didn't want to pay someone an obscene amount of money just to throw in a switch into my Saturn to play imports. I went on to mod over 200 PS2's about 100 PS1's, and some Saturn's, along with repairing systems from time to time. I later got heavy into pirating games, but came to realize it was wrong and had a change of heart. Take that for what it's worth.

[Blank]

Wow so thats where this trend come from thanks for the info I was always curious damn this region lock stuff and having the gaming populace seperate in regions along with no network integration between all consoles and pc seems so old we have the tech and the next natural huge step in gaming is destroying these border buuut by the way the big 3 replied to this issue which is the same response from sony, MS, and nintendo is simply "no wont happen" a business influenced answer only in a perfect utopia will i be able to play with all my gaming bretheren

[sitharrefus]

thats just silly, shame on you Nintendo

[Qrphe]

It makes sense, prices may vary greatly from region to region.

[SkullBlade169]

No, Nintendo are just shameless money grabbers, similar to how they release two versions of the same damn game at the same time with small changes every generation (Pokemon)

[Bereaver]

People also probably don't realize that there's region locking to protect shortages in supply.

[Chrono1e]

I have no idea why this comment have 14 disagrees, like are people stupid?

[Baka-akaB]

what shortages lol ? the thing is readily available

[showtimefolks]

that's one thing i love about ps3 that its region free. is wii-u system region free? i believe all systems should be region free so some games that don't end up releasing in the west we can buy and play.

hopefully next xbox and ps will be region free

[rainslacker]

The Wii U is region locked. Not sure about the Xbox. The PS3 leaves it up to the publishers to decide, only one I know for sure about is Persona 4 Arena being locked, but it's a software thing.

Agree with you about region free, even though I know why they do it, it is annoying.

[showtimefolks]

yeah but its bad for some of us who are actually looking to buy games from over seas which won't be released here in the west. I hope ms and sony go for region free systems. most of the games on ps3 have been region free

for someone like me i know its a big buying point

[GenericNameHere]

Only PS3 is region-free, yet a lot of people hate on it? Why not hate on Nintendo and Microsoft for having region-lock?

About P4A, it's the ONLY region-locked game so far in the entire 6 years the PS3 has been out.

[rainslacker]

I understand. I was really big on Japanese games up until the middle of the PS1 era. At that time some really cool anime games never made it over seas. But then the anime boom happened and more games in those genre's started getting localized, so I didn't really have a need to get my fix in that way. Now it's more that I'd only import JRPG's that don't make it stateside, but since I play those for the story, it didn't really make sense to import them anymore.

[fermcr]

Another reason not to purchase a WiiU. Wii U GamePads region-locked ... what a joke.

[PopRocks359]

Having to buy a controller from your own region is a reason not to buy the console? That... doesn't make a lick of sense to me. Especially when the console in question only supports one gamepad right now.

[Redempteur]

region lock in any kind of form is a valid reason to not buya product no matter how you spin it ...

Region lock , in this day and age shouldn't exist ..

[PopRocks359]

I'm not spinning anything. I just think it is pretty extreme. I don't usually import anything from overseas, so it really is not an issue for me. I understand it is indeed a very needless limitation, but I hardly see it as a reason not to buy a gaming product that has games I like.

[Summons75]

Yes because not having a gamepad with Japanese on the black completely ruins the fun of the system that games provide. Get a life fanboy, not liking a system for a valid reason is one thing but to hate it because of something a very small minority do is such a dumb reason to not like something.

[rainslacker]

There are certainly some cool things that Japanese gamers get in the way of colors or limited editions that are nice to have if your a collector, but a reason not to buy the system? That's just grasping at straws.

[fermcr]

I didn't say i I'm not purchasing the WiiU because Wii U GamePads are region-locked... i said that's another reason to not purchase the WiiU.

[PopRocks359]

No offense here, but I think you're just splitting hairs at this point.

[rainslacker]

Maybe you can explain why you would buy a gamepad from another region, and how not being to do so would influence your purchase.

[fermcr]

"Maybe you can explain why you would buy a gamepad from another region"

I live in Europe (Euros) and everything is more expensive then other regions. I could purchase a gamepad from the US (dollars) probably at half price i purchase where i live... basically, monetary reasons.

@PopRocks359
"No offense here, but I think you're just splitting hairs at this point. "
You clearly don't understand what I'm saying. A few reasons why i probably won't purchase the WiiU: games region locked, gamepad region locked, have little interest in Nintendo exclusives (out of all the exclusives presented for WiiU, i would only play one or two), gamepad very awkward to play with, console is as powerful as a 6-7 year console (this should of been the Wii 6 years ago), USB 2.0 (seriously ??? why not USB 3.0 ?)... and have little interest in a tablet from the gamepad (don't have a tablet and honestly not really interested in one).
Are these reasons enough for you ... or am i just splitting hairs at this point?

[Baka-akaB]

seriously stop pretending to be dense . It's obvious it's not the reason but adds up to the rest of the negative points for HIM .

[ZombieNinjaPanda]

@Fermcr

Tests have shown that there is a minute difference between USB 3.0 and USB 2.0. Not nearly enough of a difference to warrant using 3.0. And believe me I was rather angry when I heard this.

[PopRocks359]

@Baka-akaB

Next time he should form his argument better.

@fermcr

Well actually, I think your reasons are rather unfounded, but that's just me. It's your life, you live it. Good day to you.

[cero55]

Then this leads to a "valid" excuse for hacks. seriously i had to soft mod my wii to play my imported copy of fatal frame 4

[lilbroRx]

You would have needed to do the same on the 360 or any other console, Sony or otherwise, before the PS3.

No one makes a big deal about other companies doing it and they didn't make one before. Its just another irrelevant excuse to bash Nintendo for most of the people on this site and that is all they really want.

Its the entire point of articles like this.

More than likely, The Durango will be region locked. Lets see if people bash it the same way.

[cero55]

ps2: swap magic says hi
360: japan says bye
but seriously there is no need to import for 360 if ps3 has the same game collection if not more

[r21]

Actually most PS3 games are region free and will work on any PS3 :D Probably the only console this gen to have this nice feature.

[lilbroRx]

Did either of you read what I wrote?

Cero, Swap Magic was in no way endorsed by Sony and it was primarily made and used for playing burned games. How does that in anyway invalidate anything I said?

r21, can you read? "before the PS3". I'm well aware that the PS3 allows you play games from other regions most of the time(there are still region locked games). I never questioned it.

Fact still remains that 99% of gamers don't by games from foreign countries and I doubt most of the people trash talking Nintendo on here do either.

Their only interest in this news is the negativity it directs at the company.

Funny thing is, Nintendo was the first of the big 3 to release a system that "wasn't region locked(the DS). People are in here complaining and don't even have legitimate reason for it. They just want to bash Nintendo.

[Baka-akaB]

Actually Nintendo started with non locked consoles on gameboy . Wich is why the 3ds lock is idiotic .

"Fact still remains that 99% of gamers don't by games from foreign countries and I doubt most of the people trash talking Nintendo on here do either. "

Dear lord , what's it to you which % of people feel excluded by that stance ?

It is a matter of grief for customers that's all that matter .

And actually if you check around , you'll see that the amount of people importing games has gone up quite a whole lot in the past 15 years .

A wide array of import only shops , online or not , didnt just magically appear for a non existing market ...

[Thepcz]

you all bitch about it but if you owned a company who were loosing millions because people were importing a product at a cheaper price than the same product that is readily available in your own territory, im sure you would take action too.

[ThePsychoGamer]

You mean like giving an option to region lock games if a publisher is sure there game will be released in all regions won't have to worry about it while still allowing companies that know their games won't be localized in any other region to go region free both increasing how much these companies get from their games while keeping gamers happy?

Kinda like what Sony is doing...

Or maybe giving an option to allow these publishers to go region free instead of forcing the decision on to them?

Kinda like what Microsoft does.

Sorry but you need to just admit it, in this day and age, there is no excuse for fully region locking a system.

[akaakaaka]

you don't get it do you?
we live in a open jail already and we want things to be open and ours ..

Nintendo is not a human it's a corporation, sadly corp. have rights like we do lol
nobody owns Nintendo, the Iluminaty own it all and is been made to brainwash us, make keep us entertainment and busy and make us waste our money in silly things and not do in good quality food and not think about important things ..

the sad part is we all fall for any kind of useless entertainment and is more sad when someone defend a corporation over a human.

[Thepcz]

im certainly not defending nintendo. of course in a utopian society we would all have everything for free, there would be no copywrite laws and nintendo would simply being making games purely for the love of it.

but, this is the real world. its business. simply stating a FACT, that these measures are to keep a product profitable in its territory, is not defending the company, its merely plain fact.

i have an idea, why dont nintendo just close all their international HQ's and simply oporate from japan. if anyone wants the product, simply import it! who cares if the product is too expensive, or not presented in your native language, or maybe even legal in your territory.

wake up, its the real world, there are measures of control that companies must take to control their product. dont like that fact? tough, but it is still fact.

[akaakaaka]

you going from one xtream to another ..
corporations could stop making region lock and let consumers decide.. in the end they are buying their product no meter what they are making money from them how was meant to be..

but yeah we live in a world where we pay for cable just to get propaganda "commercials" (it should be commercial free)and we are stupid enough to let that happen but is not because we are is because we are made been stupid enough and we do let them make us stupid enough.. sadly

that is why there is so much hate for this tree or any corporations, its because they are evil and are here with a bad intention..

[DivineAssault]

figures... Not a huge deal but still stupid..

[guitarded77]

Ohhhh Noooo!!! This doesn't affect me.

[PS4isKing_82]

Hopefully Nintendo has some big guns left to show soon otherwise they're gunna be overshadowed soon by the coming ps4 and 720 reveals this year if rumors are true. It's gunna take more than monster hunter and bayonetta 2 to drive sells in the face of the next gen graphics were gunna be seeing soon.

[deletingthis34675334]

Except graphics don't automatically make a game good. Look at Uncharted 2, a run of the mill third person shooter/platformer that didn't break any sales records despite its "amazing" graphics. Graphics whores like yourself make up a very small percentage of all gamers worldwide, sad to say.

[PS4isKing_82]

Who said I was a graphics whore? I'm simply stating the obvious that ps4 and 720 will be more impressive from a graphical standpoint than what the wiiU offers. I bought my wiiU on launch day and love the hell out of it, but most 3rd parties will likely prefer the more powerful hardware that Sony and Microsoft will provide.

Same thing we had this gen we're about to be done with soon.

[Rodney25]

Uncharted 2? sure you aren't thinking of another game?

[RFornillos4]

on the contrary. if the development cost of making games increases, Wii U may just be the fall-back console for smaller dev companies. this is also the reason why there are more mobile game developers, since dev costs for mobile games is smaller, and they'd have a broader access to more users; with Nintendo eShop's significant improvement over the old eShop, the same reason why Wii U is increasingly getting attention from the indie game devs.

Epic games did predict a significant increase in development cost, and John Carmack mentioned that devs will still target 30fps. and if Wii U follows the trend of sales of the Wii, even if it does not surpass Wii U sales, the installed base of the console will merit enough attention from devs to consider multiplat games that include Wii U.

yes, ps4 and 720 may have better graphics and all, but it may not be that "high" of an increase. this would mean Wii U will have a fair share of 3rd party games. not to mention 2 new consoles that may only be as powerful as the Wii U, so again, more reason for devs to go multiplat.

[ElectricKaibutsu]

Whenever I hear the word "region lock" I just get really mad for some reason. Here's hoping Sony continues to ignore Nintendo and MS and keeps everything region free.

[KrisButtar]

one reason is money of course and they also sell them on there own in japan but do want the rest of the world to have 2 gamepads per system yet

http://www.polygon.com/gami...

[axisofweevils]

So why does this matter?

Number of games that require a second pad: 0

Even if a game did require a second pad, why would you pay all the extra money to ship one from a different country, when it's cheaper and more convenient to get it from your own country - especially as a lot of stuff can go wrong with a controller with a screen built in?

[GoldenElf]

Erm... is anyone going to actually TRY this to see what happens before jumping to conclusions?

The article even says;

"News floating around Japanese blogs indicates that a GamePad purchased overseas won’t work on a Japanese Wii U. This is almost certainly the case for other territories as well."

"Almost certainly" is far from "confirmed fact".

[Redempteur]

because nintendo previous annoying efforts to lock everything are going into that direction ?

Would you be surprised if this news is true ? i certainly won't given nintendo's stupid when it comes to hardware specs

[GoldenElf]

If it were true (and I highly doubt it is), it MIGHT have something to do with wireless frequencies. I'm no expert on the subject, but from what I can tell they're pretty highly regulated throughout the world.

And Wii U doesn't just use Bluetooth to connect to the console.

So it might have something to do with it. But seriously, if it was true (which, again, I doubt), why would it matter? You get a GamePad with your console. Why in the glory hell do you want to import a 2nd hand GamePad from Japan?

And before you start harping on about multiplayer, please kindly name one game that uses two or more GamePads.

[Redempteur]

you're missing my point.
That isn't what i'm talking in my first reply at all .

But regarding your "new" points
There are plenty of ways to get around this problemby using a modulable set of frequencies for example..but i highly doubt they would use different components ( inside the wii u gamepad) for different territories. Why ? Because it would cause unexpected problems when a game is made with some hardware in mind..a basic rule is to not do that( for compatibility ).

It does matter because a consummer want to get his hardware where it cost less for him .
You don't even need 2 gamepads to have this problem..what if your first one have a problem, get stolen or is broken ? in that case won't you go to the net and buy another ?If true , you can't even buy hardware for your console at the price you want nor at the places you want .

It sucks.
And what about people who travel ? i would looooooove to be forced to sell all my hardware and my games everytime i move between territories.

[TemplarDante]

Region locked gamepads? lol
Thats absurd.

[Shok]

Um really people......let's be real here......

How many of you here would actually be affected by this? None? Ok, I thought so lol.

Lol I mean yea it's weird but if you actually STOP and think about it you realize there's nothing to bitch about.

[Adolph Fitler]

I love Zombi-U, but after buying my Wii-U & Mario & Zombi-U for Xmas, (Nintendoland is good, but a freebie worthy short term distraction), there really is nothing that I can't get elsewhere. Rayman Origins is actually better than New Mario Wii-U, so I hope Rayman Legend is a totally new game. I mean all the rest mostly are ports with very limited extra gamepad specific features, but I already own them on PS3, & probably came from Playasia as an Asian or US copy, due to the awesome region free gaming PS3 offers.

Nintendo does this ALL the time with there machines, they give consumers very little value for money as opposed to Sony & what Sega used to when they were in the console biz. And even though MS are almost as greedy as Nintendo, they at least allow you to buy peripherals from outside your country, that will actually work with your machine.

It would be nice if Sony's PS4 released with a stripped back version of the Vita, that was more like the Wii-U gamepad in the way it couples up with the system working so effectively as the main controller, & they could cut features like 3G, gamecard slot (yes, so it no longer plays Vita hardcopy games).
Sony would have to take a huge risk, & huge losses on PS4's sold at 1st, but where PS4's controller would 1, 2 & 3 up the Wii-U pad is that because we can use it as a proper portable still as we'd just have to d/load the games onto the Vita proprietry memory cards, also Sony's touchscreen is the better tech, as Nintendo opted for a cheaper, older, less accurate touchscreen technology, & then you have Vita's rear touchpad tech that can be implemented into games awesomely, adding another option for variation in gameplay for developers.

I was a detractor of Wii-U's latest "gimmick", as I once called it, in fact, I still find it's a gimmick somewhat & have only changed my harsh stance to a degree, because I have JUST GOT a Wii-U & it's still has that "new car smell", but I will say, even though I think it;s still a gimmick,.....it is a far better, more useful, diverse & deep gimmick than the original Wii's.

I just wish Nintendo would stop being such scumbags with this type of thing, like region locking......I mean, only hardcore gamers buy there games from overseas anyhow, as the astronomically larger casual fanbase don't buy enough games for a system to warrant cheaper purchases.

[wiiulee]

what did you expect...its part of the system....and it helps protect nintendo agains all forms of illegal activities

[KrisButtar]

what illegal activities? i think the region-locking would get more people to hack their system to play imports, and then that would lead to pirating

[Baka-akaB]

That's a ridiculous idea . It is a matter of fact that whenever a console was region locked , the first few attempt to crack/hack/mod were because people wanted free regions and werent ready to buy 2 or 3 sets of the same console instead .

Wii U is maybe shaping up to be the fastest hacked home console yet .

[Adolph Fitler]

What illegal activities??????? The Wii-U is a great little machine when held up next to PS3 & 360. So it seems that it is pretty much level with 7 & 8yr old tech, when comparing just the main actual unit, but Wii-U has that added benefit of the tablet-esque pad, for now......I don't think the Wii-U is gonna look to good when Xbox Next & PS Orbis arrive on the scene though.

And although Nintendo are claiming they want the Wii-U to appeal to the hardcore gamer, they are doing there utmost to make hardcore gamers go any other way. I mean, Gamepad region lock, game region lock, the fact the controller is useless as a mobile gaming device, & a seperate 3DS is required, updates that take far longer than even PS3's took 7yrs ago, when it 1st launched (my 1st update Xmas night took over 2hrs & I have quite quick internet).
I don't think Nintendo give a crap about hardcore gamers, as they are not where the money comes from, Nintendo just want to rake in the cash from the masses of casuals that dominated there 90million Wii sales.
I have Mario Wii-U, & man, that game is no better (from a gameplay & innovative standpoint) than the original Mario on NES, in fact NES Mario was a 1000 times better game, for it's time. Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 were the same, as opposed to the ground breaking Mario64.
Nintendo have been going downhill since they lost Rare as a exclusive developer, that much is fact, Rare also have gone downhill bigtime since running to MS........and after investing in 2 machines in N64 & GC that had power equal to the rival machines of the day, & getting there butt handed to them by Sony, they decided to opt out of fighting in that weight division & employed other tactics involving attacking the less game savvy crowds with there ridiculous notions & gimmicks that gaming is a fitness tool. Sad part is, it worked. Now, this latest gimmick is far better & would be more likely to appeal to hardcore gamers, if only it was somebody other than Nintendo doing it.....as hardcore gamers know that Nintendo's latest gimmick has barely any better great 3rd party support in both exclusives & multiplats, than the N64 did. Plus, Miyamota is still stuck, bored making Mario after f$#king Mario, after Mario,.........& like Wii, this gimmick will be riddled with shovelware that doesn't properly utilize the pads features.
Those are the most important detractors from a hardcore gamers standpoint, but also & not far behind on importance (of at all), is the fact that if PS4 or 720 releases in the last quarter of 2013 (as expected), then Wii-U is all of a sudden an 8-9yr out of date machine.........This has been the longest console generation ever I believe, so I can't see longuevity in Nintendo's latest offering.
On saying that, I didn't expect Wii to sell 90mill units, so what do I know.

[Rodney25]

@Mika I don't see why you got disagrees the Wii U is just another gimmick console just like the original PS3 is doing the same thing with the Vita and so is Xbox with smart glass so what the hell. Its stupid I really don't see the point of defending it.

[Deku-Johnny]

Gimmicks aren't necessarily a bad thing though. If you actually played a Wii U I'm pretty sure you'd change your mind.

[Rodney25]

I have and gimmicks are the worst it makes them think if we have a flashy new feature our console can be extremely outdate *cough Wii and Wii U cough*

[Deku-Johnny]

A lot of games and consoles are region locked, I really don't see the problem. So I can't buy games or gamepads from another country what can I possibly do about that? Maybe buy them from my own country?

[Baka-akaB]

Why is is so hard to understand that everyone's mileage may vary ?

I know you dont care , but when i'll be needing to travel between 3 different countries in the next 10 months , do you believe i'll be buying a set of consoles , accessories and games for each zone then ?

No i'll just say screw it , or wait for a region hack

[InTheLab]

The list of reasons to avoid a WiiU is long enough without silly reasons like region lock controllers...

[dkgshiz]

Since its the first Nintendo console where they actually lose money for each unit sold. They had to do something...and boy are they doing it wrong.

[Phil32]

This should not concern most people here unless you really need to buy a controller from another country, which makes little sense. Are we just coming up any reason to slam the Wii U and say we don't want one now? Looks like it, and this is from someone who has plenty of problems with the system.

[Erdrick]

aren't pretty much all dvds region locked? this is common practice, been so for like 20 years...

[Baka-akaB]

Except Dvd region locks never worked , were circumvented right at release of dvd players and with method included from the constructors themselves .

[KornishDan]

My prob is the Japanese get some really cool stuff what we will want but never get unless we import(Europe,U.S)and just say they bring out a limited edition pad like a gold Zelda version,Final Fantasy version or even a red mario kart version. Then im defo going to want to import one (who wouldn't if your a Nintendo fan) but now we can't :(.

Now to me that's why it's stupid