Wii Region Free?

[Wii] Could the new console follow the DS setup?

Thursday 27 July 2006
Nintendo is considering the option of making Wii region-free and therefore allowing Japanese and US versions of Wii games to play on UK consoles.

Nintendo will "share a lot of ways people can play globally, regionally, without boundaries," Perrin Kaplan, vice president of marketing and corporate communications at Nintendo of America, revealed in an online interview, when quizzed about the possibility of a region-free console.

She also admitted that Nintendo could learn a lot from the success of the region-free DS, saying that it showed them what works in the marketplace and then said that Nintendo "intends to keep [its] fans satisfied".

While the answers were intentionally vague, it's interesting that the notion was not dismissed out of hand.

It must be noted that Nintendo handhelds Game Boy and Game Boy Advance were both region-free, while the Nintendo consoles that were out at the same time were not; so the fact that DS is region-free isn't the sign of a new trend. But it does seem that Nintendo is registering that a region-free format can make for a more successful format. from gamesradar.com

Very Interesting, So the PS3 would not be the only region free console..
Also another great reason for european gamers to buy the Wii Including myself. It means if you want some japanese games for the Wii that wont or isn't yet out over here(which happens with alot of great asian games) you still have a option of getting it with little hassle.

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I'll Also stick these in as no point in starting more threads...

[Wii] Energy saving policy may interfere with WiiConnect24

Nintendo's plans for Wii to be left in standby mode overnight in order to receive game content downloads via WiiConnect24 may be scuppered by a government initiative to encourage consumers to switch off their electrical goods properly.

A recent Energy Review revealed that 8% of all UK domestic energy is used on keeping such appliances as TVs, DVD players and computers on standby, which adds up to around £650 million worth of electricity per year.

The government will be spending £20 million on the initiative which will also target retailers. The idea is to get electrical appliance suppliers to educate buyers and recommend goods that don't have a standby function.

While the government isn't currently planning to ban the use of standby, as some reports have claimed, it will be interesting to see if it takes any action against companies that encourage its use in their products - such as Nintendo and Wii.

More details of Nintendo's revolutionary Wii controller have come to light after developer notes were leaked recently. Nintendo has always been secretive about the technology behind the Wii remote and has promised more revelations before the console's autumn release, but this latest info has made the picture a little clear.

The remote will be powered by two AA batteries which will allow for 60 hours of game time if only the motion-sensing accelerometer function is used. If the precision aim functionality is used at the same time, however, the game time will be halved to 30 hours.

Bluetooth technology is used by the remote to communicate with the console via a 2.4GHz band, and the sensor bar that picks up the remote's movement is 20cm in length, has a sensor at each end and must be placed above or below the TV. The remote must mark these two sensors as coordinates in order to prevent interference from light sources and mirrors.

With 6KB of non-volatile memory available in the Wii-mote, it seems that gamers could well be able to store gamer-specific button configuration - other possible uses aren't known at the moment.

The remote and the console must synchronise using the 'synchro' buttons found on each device. This assigns an ID number to each controller - a process that can be done by holding down the 1 and 2 buttons together. All buttons on the controller are digital.

The four lights at the base of the remote will have two functions, firstly to indicate which player number the remote is - player one, two, three or four - and secondly to illustrate how much battery life the controller has when the console is being booted up.

[Wii] Nintendo lets slip a few WiFi titbits

Nintendo has accidentally let slip a few WiiConnect24 secrets after part of its official website went live detailing some Wii WiFi facts. The page was taken down soon after it went live, but not before some details could be salvaged from it.

The site confirmed that Wii will be online-ready straight out of the box, that the WiiConnect24 online service will be free and that friend codes will be needed for many online activities, as is the case with DS. All you need is a broadband connection and a wireless router and you'll be away.

Interestingly, two games were specifically mentioned: Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam and Super Smash Bros Dojo - could this be a new name for Super Smash Bros Brawl?

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If Wii is region-free, that would be fan-tastic, particularly seeing as the USA and Japan get more games than the UK.

I'll be sure to pick up some Wii games when I go to Florida next year

[Don_Rico]

Yes, yes, yes!!! I'm going to import alot of games from Japan if so ^_^