80°

A look at the Wii U GamePad’s region-locking in action

I support Nintendo, but ''this'' is something I cannot stand for.

Email, Twitter, Skype... do whatever it takes to bring this to their attention.

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nintendoeverything.com
Baka-akaB4128d ago (Edited 4128d ago )

Simply ridiculous , and whatever excuse involved will mostly result to loss of potential money gain .

MikeMyers4128d ago

Is it possible to download the updates onto the PC? If so then it could be possible to download different region updates and just transfer it from the PC to the gamepad. If not then I'm sure somebody will find a way for a workaround.

I understand why they have regional locks but I don't think in todays times that it's no longer needed. We now live in a world where we are all connected and people are well aware that some things may not be properly translated.

Even now places like iTunes offer regional content with exclusive songs. Why?

darthv724128d ago (Edited 4128d ago )

let me see if i understand this (dont go ripping my head off now). someone has a wii-u and they try to use another gamepad that is from another region? or simply another wii-u?

I know that controllers like the wiimote and 360 and ps3 all have a sync option that lets them work on other systems. I hadnt heard anything about there being a sync option for the gamepad so i 'assumed' there would not be a NEED to have to sync it with any other wii-u than the one it comes with.

THUS preventing any cross talk if you have more than one wii-u in the house. Like having two RC cars that are on the same frequency and you find one controller is controlling both when you dont want it to.

same can be said about tv remotes if you have the same tv in the house or more specifically...the same room (but who would). So in any case, what this means is that FOR RIGHT NOW there is no way to sync another gamepad to the wii-u regardless of region.

That can all change with an update and will likely change if and when there are games/features requiring a 2nd pad.

So in my case, if i had the black one AND white one i would just have to use them on their respected consoles. No taking one to a friends house or trading them out between rooms in the house.

Yeah....I can deal with that.

rainslacker4128d ago

You do have to sync the tablet controller and pro controller to the system before they can be used, even with a new system and controller out of the same box.

Redempteur4128d ago

To think there was people in n4g yesterday that didn't believe in the first reports ..

As i said before i'm not surprised ..nintendo pretty stupid when it comes to hardware.

We're however reaching incredible levels of stupidity..
It's not a hardware problem in the first step of the video you can see that everything works and communication between the gamepad and the console works ... it's another stupid lock to prevent imports.

browngamer414128d ago

I guess I'm not understanding..why would you use a foreign Gamepad with your system again? The controllers are tied to the system anyway, so what's the big deal?

Redempteur4128d ago

he got 2 consoles ( because there is already a region lock for games )

Now for whatever reason ( because he wants it , because the first gamepad battery is low , and so on ) he wants to play on one console with the other gamepad .. he can't because there is ANOTHER region lock for hardware !

Man what is it so hard to understand ?

browngamer414128d ago

O.k. so a guy comes up with the most b.s. and complicated scenario to use the gamepad and bashes it..got ya. Like I said I don't understand and you getting angry about shows me nothing..gfy

Gohadouken4128d ago (Edited 4128d ago )

That kind of reaction makes me wonder what's gamers actual breaking point and pain threshold .

Someone tell you they just wanted to use another pad they own and your reaction is bewilderment and "whatever why not just use the pad tied to the console and deal with it" ?

At some point every tiny locks and forbidden stuff chipping away at your tiny already freedom is going to add up and make a big total sum ... you know ... but whatever ...

"He is obviously making up some complicated scenario not just trying to use stuff he bought freely " -_-

Who knows ? Maybe in his made up fairy tale , if and when at some point his forein tab breaks , you'll be there to help him import and wait for a new one .

The crux of the matter is that you guys dont care because you wouldnt import anyway , why not just say that then ?

PopRocks3594128d ago

@Gohadouken

Mine is typically when something breaks over and over or renders my games unplayable. I've gone through multiple 360s and by the time my third one (a black slim no less) started giving me technical issues, I just said "f*ck it."

I personally don't see why anyone would go to the trouble of importing a Wii U myself since there are no games exclusive to Japan right now. In fact there are no games that support two gamepads right now either, so complaining about this as of right now doesn't make much sense to me.

It's not like I don't acknowledge that region locking is a fairly annoying limitation. But when people complain about it, I feel like there should be a good reason for it. For example: I can't play 'so-and-so' games (ex: Pandora's Tower, Hatsune Miku, early VC game releases, etc.) This doesn't really seem to apply to Wii U now IMO.

Redempteur4128d ago

he doesn't want to use 2 gamepad at once , he wants to use one gamepad for his Console , not 2 , just once at a time ..there is no reason to prevent gamepad usage , like there is no reason to do so with regular controllers.

As for your statement , why import , people import because they have to , or they can or both if you know you're gonna import and teh console is region locked, of course you're gonna get that region console too .. e're not here to discuss whenever "import" of console or accessories is relevant that's another debate entirely .

here the fact is there : there is a lock in place , when it shouldn't be..

Gohadouken4128d ago (Edited 4128d ago )

"when people complain about it, I feel like there should be a good reason for it. For example: I can't play 'so-and-so' games (ex: Pandora's Tower, Hatsune Miku, early VC game releases, etc.) This doesn't really seem to apply to Wii U now IMO. "

Let's be serious , only NOW . There have always been good games to import when a lock is involved .

The lock is there right now , i don't see why i should have to wait to complain about it .

Besides at 135 dollars any new game right now on my local market , you can be certain i'd be importing even current games from the us or elsewhere for the sake of my wallet .

They wanna believe that i'd be motivated enough to go through the pain , purchase said game at local prices , instead of just waiting for a hack and saying screw it , well they are dead wrong .

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4128d ago
MasterCornholio4128d ago (Edited 4128d ago )

At first I thought it was a region lock for games but dang its for the gamepad. I honestly don't understand why Nintendo would put a region lock on the controller. As far as I know no other controller on the market has a region lock.

@browngamer

And why do you agree with Nintendo decision to do this when no other manufacturer on the market does this? I guess that according to you Nintendo is a special exception to this which is something that I don't understand because anyone who does this deserves to be criticized.

What next, imported 3DSs not working with the Wii U?

Motorola RAZR i

4128d ago Replies(4)
Show all comments (34)
80°

Nintendo's Massacre Of The 3DS And Wii U Is Finally Complete, Regrettably

Hanzala from eXputer: "The cruel hammer of Nintendo has fallen. Farewell, 3DS and Wii U, you surely brightened my life and many others; you won't be forgotten."

280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"

purple1014d ago

Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”

Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever

Nice one ☝️

Zeref3d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde3d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander19723d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville3d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff21833d ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos3d ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 3d ago
isarai4d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref3d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan3d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis0072d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander19724d ago

This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.

No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.

Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.

4d ago Replies(3)
Einhander19724d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

4d ago
3d ago
Zeref3d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde3d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander19723d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander19723d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier3d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto3d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff21833d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto3d ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 3d ago
Hofstaderman3d ago

Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?

crazyCoconuts3d ago

Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.

Xeofate3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts2d ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic2d ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

Show all comments (43)
90°

Nintendo's War Against Player-Made Content Will Hurt The Company In The End

Danish from eXputer: "Nintendo has historically gone against player-made content and emulation of its games. This has done much to harm the company's image."

XiNatsuDragnel10d ago

I agree nintendo hire some these folks to help in your games it'll help imo.

banger889d ago

They need to stop announcing these mods and fan remakes until they're finished. Finish it, upload it, and then if Nintendo dmca's it tough shit. Once it's online, people can share it around, even if the original download gets taken down.

Jingsing9d ago

True, but most modders need constant admiration during the process to motivate them.

PRIMORDUS9d ago

Yup, once it's a torrent nothing can be done Nintendo is helpless at that point. But it would be wise if they just had a site on the dark web, it's also easy to use with Tor and no one will bother you.

mastershredder9d ago

This is all coming from the mouth of short-sighted fandom and grifting madness.
No.... it wont. There is a clear defined reason why they don't. This is nothing new. Make your own shi7 from your own original ideas especially if you are trying to capitalize of it it. Duh.

Yeah, hire people that have zero respect or understanding for an established process. Wow. Yep. Totally makes sense.

shinoff21838d ago

Those guys that made that sonic game got a gig from sega or something along those lines and that game was dope as hell. One of the best sonics as of late.