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In a shock announcement today, Nintendo hinted that future home consoles (ie. The successor to GameCube) will not feature regional lock out. Quite how it will be implemented is anyone’s guess, but it is strongly rumoured that to cut down on manufacturing costs Nintendo will simply release their next console as NTSC only in Europe. This will mean the console will not have to be modified from the US version, since practically all modern TVs are NTSC compatible anyway. This also suggests Nintendo taking a serious leap away from their shady past of price fixing in Europe, and giving users the freedom to import games from the USA, which could well lead to dramatic pricing changes for games in the UK. Who will pay full price for a game when it gets a UK release date if they can get it earlier (and quite likely cheaper) from the USA?
One suggested solution is that major retailers will begin to stock import games, to get titles on the shelves earlier than their official release date. Independent games stores do this already, but how Nintendo will view imports in most high street stores is unpredictable. After all, the old Nintendo would have done everything in its power to prevent everyone importing, but these hints point towards a more tolerant Nintendo, with a lot less segregation between regions.
Of course, the above two paragraphs consist of total lies. There has been no ‘Shock announcement’. But imagine if it was true. NTSC machines in the high street stores. Games released (well, available to gamers anyway) simultaneously both sides of the Atlantic. Because here in the UK we speak English (I know this may come as a shock to some on here), there wouldn’t have to be any time taken up by translating the game. And even though high street stores would probably charge just as much for the games as they do now, it would be even easier to import games.
Since most people now have NTSC compatible TVs, should there soon be a gaming revolution (for areas like Europe and Australia anyway) where we are able to import games with no hassle? Even if the manufacturers didn’t go quietly and insisted on regional lock outs (like DVDs) these would be overcome quite easily. After all, most DVD players (and VCR players too) now play all regions anyway, so without the difference in format, it seems regional lock outs are relatively easily overcome. But I think it will be inevitable. There’s no regional difference in PC games. So I believe eventually we’ll all be playing NTSC machines. And if there are still regional lock outs, they could become nothing more than a formality to overcome.
So what are your views. In, say a decade, will we all be playing NTSC machines? Will we all be able to import from the USA cheaply and easily? Will high street stores be stocking import games? And most importantly, would a change to NTSC effect release dates and prices in the UK?
One suggested solution is that major retailers will begin to stock import games, to get titles on the shelves earlier than their official release date. Independent games stores do this already, but how Nintendo will view imports in most high street stores is unpredictable. After all, the old Nintendo would have done everything in its power to prevent everyone importing, but these hints point towards a more tolerant Nintendo, with a lot less segregation between regions.
Of course, the above two paragraphs consist of total lies. There has been no ‘Shock announcement’. But imagine if it was true. NTSC machines in the high street stores. Games released (well, available to gamers anyway) simultaneously both sides of the Atlantic. Because here in the UK we speak English (I know this may come as a shock to some on here), there wouldn’t have to be any time taken up by translating the game. And even though high street stores would probably charge just as much for the games as they do now, it would be even easier to import games.
Since most people now have NTSC compatible TVs, should there soon be a gaming revolution (for areas like Europe and Australia anyway) where we are able to import games with no hassle? Even if the manufacturers didn’t go quietly and insisted on regional lock outs (like DVDs) these would be overcome quite easily. After all, most DVD players (and VCR players too) now play all regions anyway, so without the difference in format, it seems regional lock outs are relatively easily overcome. But I think it will be inevitable. There’s no regional difference in PC games. So I believe eventually we’ll all be playing NTSC machines. And if there are still regional lock outs, they could become nothing more than a formality to overcome.
So what are your views. In, say a decade, will we all be playing NTSC machines? Will we all be able to import from the USA cheaply and easily? Will high street stores be stocking import games? And most importantly, would a change to NTSC effect release dates and prices in the UK?
Sibs wrote:
> So what are your views. In, say a decade, will we all be playing NTSC
> machines? Will we all be able to import from the USA cheaply and
> easily? Will high street stores be stocking import games? And most
> importantly, would a change to NTSC effect release dates and prices in
> the UK?
I'd love to have NTSC consoles released over here. Then I wouldn't have to wait months for something like Metroid Prime for example. I think if it doesn't happen when it quite easily could then it would be pretty stupid, but we as the UK come under 'Europe' and so other countrys will have to adjust - dodgy.
In the future though it could become true.
But as you said, it may not even matter as importing from the US will be cheaper then ever and so we could buy NTSC no problem. With the internet and all people can go onlien now and order pretty cheaply and it's bound to get cheaper. Items do coem up cheaper over there and the exhange rate doesn't change that but it's when you add on shipping and customs stuff that makes it all expensive. I wanted to get my iPod from the US and get it sent over here, I could of got a 10gb instead of a 5gb from the US from the same price but nope, the shipping etc made it more.
> So what are your views. In, say a decade, will we all be playing NTSC
> machines? Will we all be able to import from the USA cheaply and
> easily? Will high street stores be stocking import games? And most
> importantly, would a change to NTSC effect release dates and prices in
> the UK?
I'd love to have NTSC consoles released over here. Then I wouldn't have to wait months for something like Metroid Prime for example. I think if it doesn't happen when it quite easily could then it would be pretty stupid, but we as the UK come under 'Europe' and so other countrys will have to adjust - dodgy.
In the future though it could become true.
But as you said, it may not even matter as importing from the US will be cheaper then ever and so we could buy NTSC no problem. With the internet and all people can go onlien now and order pretty cheaply and it's bound to get cheaper. Items do coem up cheaper over there and the exhange rate doesn't change that but it's when you add on shipping and customs stuff that makes it all expensive. I wanted to get my iPod from the US and get it sent over here, I could of got a 10gb instead of a 5gb from the US from the same price but nope, the shipping etc made it more.
In a shock announcement today, Nintendo hinted that future home consoles (ie. The successor to GameCube) will not feature regional lock out. Quite how it will be implemented is anyone’s guess, but it is strongly rumoured that to cut down on manufacturing costs Nintendo will simply release their next console as NTSC only in Europe. This will mean the console will not have to be modified from the US version, since practically all modern TVs are NTSC compatible anyway. This also suggests Nintendo taking a serious leap away from their shady past of price fixing in Europe, and giving users the freedom to import games from the USA, which could well lead to dramatic pricing changes for games in the UK. Who will pay full price for a game when it gets a UK release date if they can get it earlier (and quite likely cheaper) from the USA?
One suggested solution is that major retailers will begin to stock import games, to get titles on the shelves earlier than their official release date. Independent games stores do this already, but how Nintendo will view imports in most high street stores is unpredictable. After all, the old Nintendo would have done everything in its power to prevent everyone importing, but these hints point towards a more tolerant Nintendo, with a lot less segregation between regions.
Of course, the above two paragraphs consist of total lies. There has been no ‘Shock announcement’. But imagine if it was true. NTSC machines in the high street stores. Games released (well, available to gamers anyway) simultaneously both sides of the Atlantic. Because here in the UK we speak English (I know this may come as a shock to some on here), there wouldn’t have to be any time taken up by translating the game. And even though high street stores would probably charge just as much for the games as they do now, it would be even easier to import games.
Since most people now have NTSC compatible TVs, should there soon be a gaming revolution (for areas like Europe and Australia anyway) where we are able to import games with no hassle? Even if the manufacturers didn’t go quietly and insisted on regional lock outs (like DVDs) these would be overcome quite easily. After all, most DVD players (and VCR players too) now play all regions anyway, so without the difference in format, it seems regional lock outs are relatively easily overcome. But I think it will be inevitable. There’s no regional difference in PC games. So I believe eventually we’ll all be playing NTSC machines. And if there are still regional lock outs, they could become nothing more than a formality to overcome.
So what are your views. In, say a decade, will we all be playing NTSC machines? Will we all be able to import from the USA cheaply and easily? Will high street stores be stocking import games? And most importantly, would a change to NTSC effect release dates and prices in the UK?
One suggested solution is that major retailers will begin to stock import games, to get titles on the shelves earlier than their official release date. Independent games stores do this already, but how Nintendo will view imports in most high street stores is unpredictable. After all, the old Nintendo would have done everything in its power to prevent everyone importing, but these hints point towards a more tolerant Nintendo, with a lot less segregation between regions.
Of course, the above two paragraphs consist of total lies. There has been no ‘Shock announcement’. But imagine if it was true. NTSC machines in the high street stores. Games released (well, available to gamers anyway) simultaneously both sides of the Atlantic. Because here in the UK we speak English (I know this may come as a shock to some on here), there wouldn’t have to be any time taken up by translating the game. And even though high street stores would probably charge just as much for the games as they do now, it would be even easier to import games.
Since most people now have NTSC compatible TVs, should there soon be a gaming revolution (for areas like Europe and Australia anyway) where we are able to import games with no hassle? Even if the manufacturers didn’t go quietly and insisted on regional lock outs (like DVDs) these would be overcome quite easily. After all, most DVD players (and VCR players too) now play all regions anyway, so without the difference in format, it seems regional lock outs are relatively easily overcome. But I think it will be inevitable. There’s no regional difference in PC games. So I believe eventually we’ll all be playing NTSC machines. And if there are still regional lock outs, they could become nothing more than a formality to overcome.
So what are your views. In, say a decade, will we all be playing NTSC machines? Will we all be able to import from the USA cheaply and easily? Will high street stores be stocking import games? And most importantly, would a change to NTSC effect release dates and prices in the UK?