Which region Wii to get?

[Number45]

I'm looking at picking up a Wii again (Mainly for my girls, but I'll use it as well for certain games), but I'm really not sure which region to pick up. Mrs. 45 wants me to pick up a UK version because it's straightforward (And because it's easier to get bargains for), which I can understand, but I'm reluctant based on past experience of PAL Nintendo hardware/releases.

What I'd really like to know, is if I can pick up a US Wii and be 100% guaranteed to be able to play all PAL releases? There seem to be a lot of 'hacks' that enable region free play on the console, but I really want to make sure that a: they're 100% compatible with all regions and b: they'll STAY that way.

If I can't make that guarantee, I'll have no choice but to stick with PAL and skip any ****ty/unoptimised ports and the Virtual Console. Ta.

[egparadigm]

One thing you can do is actually switch the console to a different region permanently using AnyRegion Changer (can be switch back, though!) So even if you choose one and regret the choice it can be changed in software.

There is some issue with locking of the Wii Shop Channel (i.e. it locks when you log into the shop). However, Charles managed to unlock his shop and return it to the original region, so there must be a workaround. Either way you can set the shop region independently of the console, so you could log into the US shop to avoid bordering/speed issues.

You can use Gecko OS to boot games from any region, although I'm not sure that it works with all games and I don't think anyone can offer any sort of guarantee now or in the future. I might be wrong, though.

TBH, if I was in your position, I'd get a PAL console for the kids/wife and import games for your personal collection and boot them using GeckoOS, as doing it the other way round would cause hassle for your family.

[Number45]

TBH, if I was in your position, I'd get a PAL console for the kids/wife and import games for your personal collection and boot them using GeckoOS, as doing it the other way round would cause hassle for your family.

Yeah, this is where I'm leaning at the moment. I suspect they're going to use it more than I am in the long run, so it makes sense to make sure they're catered for.

If I'd have kept my US one in the first place I could just have bought a second one now to cover my bases (I keep telling myself never to sell hardware, but I keep ignoring myself). Going to get a 2nd PS3 when the slim/price drop happens to cover failure/the other region BR anyway.