Nintendo Wii

[Lyris]

Nintendo UK has confirmed to Eurogamer that the Wii's region locking will extend to GameCube games.

A company spokesperson also said that Virtual Console game releases would not be universal - in other words, European gamers will get European versions of the games.

Wow, what's not to lose by buying a PAL Wii?

[cutmymilk]

Suppose I'll just have to emulate US SNES games (well, Mario RPG) on DS then won't I Nintendo... Eh? Eh?

[sj33]

So, the Virtual Console games will be 50Hz tosh?

[spe@rmint]

not sure if this has been posted.....

Practice creating your Mii now.

http://www.joystiq.com/media/2006/10/mii.swf

[Square]

Wow, what's not to lose by buying a PAL Wii?

I've got no choice at the moment. My Philips TV won't do NTSC, and I'm guessing it will take a while for someone like Groundy to figure out how to get RGB from a Japanese Wii

[the_dude]

not sure if this has been posted.....

Practice creating your Mii now.

http://www.joystiq.com/media/2006/10/mii.swf

This is one reason i'm dodging the Wii...it really is kid stuff. I know its a cliche, but the reason its a cliche is because its true.

[Lyris]

I've got no choice at the moment. My Philips TV won't do NTSC, and I'm guessing it will take a while for someone like Groundy to figure out how to get RGB from a Japanese Wii

Can your TV handle a 60hz PAL or 60hz RGB signal? Or does everything you give the TV need to be in 50hz?

If it's the former, get a US Wii and a cheap converter to convert the colour system.

[Hidden Character]

Jesus tap-dancing Christ. You would think that Nintendo would understand how to handle the European market by now. I can't BELIEVE it is shooting itself in the foot like this. I was planning to buy a US Wii near launch, but now I will have to wait until the reports come in about whether you can access online content in the UK, along with any other incompatibility issues.

If the European VC library is just full of hobbled 50hz ports there is no way I will ever buy a PAL console, what possible advantage would it have over a US Wii and a PC full of ROMs? The comfort issue is non-existent for me because I can play emulators in bed on my laptop if I want, nevermind on the sofa. I would gladly pay small sums of money for legitimate copies, albeit digital, of my favourite classics, but it seems Nintendo don't want my money! My friends, who I grew up with playing SNES and N64 titles by the bucketload who were planning on getting a Wii will almost certainly be thinking the same thing.

I'm just hoping that some junior PR gimp has made a mistake here, or there is time for them to backtrack before the launch.

[Kevvy Metal]

I'm still firmly in the USA Wii camp. Thats the console I want to buy. I got ****ing burned by the PAL GC. I bought a PAL one with out thinking and i though id go get it chipped! this is back in '02 I always like to buy Pal consoles and mod them, make them multiregion. Was a bit dumb, you can't chip that ****, or you couldn't then. So i started buy Pal games and taking it up the ass with their abysmal release schedule. Got a USA cube (switchable to jap pf course) and started to rebuy games and all that. Was a pain in the arse.

Nintnedo-europe treatment of this region is apaulling. They might be the puppet and Nintendo-Japan the Puppet master but i need a hate scapegoat and I can't hate Nintendo-Japan

Imagine if the DS was Region lock! How much would it SUCK to have a "PAL" DS!

I think ur crazy if anyone buys a PAL Wii. Bat**** mental.

But I want to download the old games! This would be really pissing off if they where locked out somehow to us living in the UK with a USA Wii. They might not accept the credit cards. We might need to import those Wii points scratch cards in order to pay for them Its the only obsticle right now.

[Mayhem]

Well if this is true, so much for Nintendo's initial promise (and I'm almost quoting here cos this is how it sounded like it was being phrased) to "allow people to play games that weren't originally available in their territory".

In fact to make sure I wasn't going bonkers, I actually tried to look it up... and couldn't find anything definitive online. Maybe it was an annoucement at a show or something?

[AllYourBase]

But I want to download the old games! This would be really pissing off if they where locked out somehow to us living in the UK with a USA Wii. They might not accept the credit cards. We might need to import those Wii points scratch cards in order to pay for them Its the only obsticle right now.

This is the only downside, but as you said at least we can buy points cards.... who knows it may work similar to xbox live so wont be a problem for us at all

US Wii all the way for me!!

[MattyD]

I thought they said something about Virtual Console games being upgraded to 720p or something, which would surely mean they are full screen and full speed?

[Square]

Can your TV handle a 60hz PAL or 60hz RGB signal? Or does everything you give the TV need to be in 50hz?

If it's the former, get a US Wii and a cheap converter to convert the colour system.

No, it can handle 60hz just fine, as long as it's not NTSC >.<

I always thought the quality of the signal was pretty dire after going through one of those transcoders...

[Lyris]

Ah crap, yeah I was going to suggest you bought one but I'd guess the results would be all yellowed and colour-bleedy.

[sj33]

It'll do until a Scart cable is released, surely? Seems silly to go PAL just for that when a Scart will doubtless appear on the UK launch.
We don't know if Ninty will change the internals again of course.

I thought they said something about Virtual Console games being upgraded to 720p or something, which would surely mean they are full screen and full speed?

No 720p on Wii.