#27593 - sgeos - Sat Oct 16, 2004 5:48 am
I'm assuming that the Japanese and US versions of the DS are going to run different firmware. My reason for believing this is the bundled chat program. Why would a US release console contain a Japanese IME? The unit could use unicode internally. I don't think it would be a big deal for them to include the IME, but I think that would confuse people.
Imagine what would happen if some kid accidentally activates the IME. BAM! Kana. 'What in the name of holy Moses is going on here?! What's up with all these China letters?!'
Also, what about other foreign releases? I imagine that they are all going to have localized input methods. (Using ASCII everywhere doesn't strike me as acceptable.) Including all of them seems like it would be goofy. Releasing localized units sounds like a good exuse to implement region lockout on DS games. Just my thoughts.
-Brendan
#27595 - MumblyJoe - Sat Oct 16, 2004 9:53 am
From what I have read, pictochat has support for several languages on all the units people have used, so I'm guessing no region lockout (or at least I hope so because I have one on order from overseas).
_________________
www.hungrydeveloper.com
Version 2.0 now up - guaranteed at least 100% more pleasing!
#27598 - mymateo - Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:16 am
Don't ask me where I heard this, 'cause I don't remember right now (I should be in bed), and it may just be a rumor anyways, but I read on the 'net somewhere that the DS is going to be region free. Now, I don't know if this means ALL DS' will be region free, or just North America's, but it wouldn't make sense for us to play Jap games and the Japanese only get to play their games and no Eng imports. Mind you, those guys on those great floating islands get the best games, almost always before we do! So I don't think they'd really care that much, except for the people who think english is really cool, which may be a lot, possibly the majority, so maybe they would think it's a big deal... hmmmzuh... snrkt..... bluffamunumuh...... bed... calling... zzzzzz.....
If I didn't make any sense ignore me. I don't know why I bother going onto forums late at night, I end up causing more confusion than it' worth...
but you can take it from here... the DS may be region free...
#27602 - wintermute - Sat Oct 16, 2004 6:49 pm
Nintendo have a policy of region free handhelds, I find it hard to imagine them changing that now.
#27606 - Abscissa - Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:13 pm
| wintermute wrote: |
| Nintendo have a policy of region free handhelds, I find it hard to imagine them changing that now. |
I love them for that. :)
#27608 - phonymike - Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:51 pm
I figure they could just have an all language bios, and have jumpers on the board to change the region.
#27613 - dagamer34 - Sun Oct 17, 2004 2:14 am
| phonymike wrote: |
| I figure they could just have an all language bios, and have jumpers on the board to change the region. |
With no region lockouts, the system won't really have to be tailored for a specific system.
Besides, I only think region lockout are applicable when putting a PAL game into a NTSC system and vice versa due to the display format. I don't understand why they restrict it even further when it comes to US games and Japanese games. It's like torture when you have to wait for a game from Japan!!!
_________________
Little kids and Playstation 2's don't mix. :(
#27614 - tepples - Sun Oct 17, 2004 2:49 am
Worst case scenario: Even the register layouts are different for (J), (U), and (E) systems.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.
#27615 - originalself - Sun Oct 17, 2004 3:58 am
it has been confirmed as region free. But we already knew that as nintendo always thinks of travelers for their handheld right? source: http://www.cube-europe.com/news.php?nid=7086
_________________
<---Waiting for somthing clever....
#27624 - dagamer34 - Sun Oct 17, 2004 3:56 pm
| tepples wrote: |
| Worst case scenario: Even the register layouts are different for (J), (U), and (E) systems. |
That would make it somewhat harder to port a game from one region to another. It's not a good idea to create barriers for developers when they don't need to be there in the first place.
_________________
Little kids and Playstation 2's don't mix. :(
#27626 - Touchstone - Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:06 pm
| dagamer34 wrote: |
| tepples wrote: | | Worst case scenario: Even the register layouts are different for (J), (U), and (E) systems. |
That would make it somewhat harder to port a game from one region to another. It's not a good idea to create barriers for developers when they don't need to be there in the first place. |
It wouldn't really make it that much harder. Just have a different header file that define the registers to other areas of the memory. When creating games for different regions the actual code is often the smallest problem, it's the content that is bothersome.
Edit: I was hoping Nintendo had already confirmed the DS being region free but I can't find any reliable info on that. However, I doubt it will have region lock-out, looking back on their previous hand-helds.
_________________
You can't beat our meat
#27628 - originalself - Sun Oct 17, 2004 5:56 pm
why are people still doubting no region lock out? It has been confirmed on many ocasions and i believe ign was even told so in an interview awhile back.
_________________
<---Waiting for somthing clever....
#27631 - Abscissa - Sun Oct 17, 2004 6:20 pm
| dagamer34 wrote: |
| I don't understand why they restrict it even further when it comes to US games and Japanese games. It's like torture when you have to wait for a game from Japan!!! |
What really bothers me is when there's a lockout on a Japanese game I want, and nobody ever bothers to release a local version. There's so many good games that never make it over here, Errnngghh!!
#27637 - tepples - Sun Oct 17, 2004 9:29 pm
That's why you're supposed to buy two of each console so that the console maker makes more money. Of all consoles, only the Saturn and Dreamcast were ever sold at a loss per unit; the rest either broke even or made a profit.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.
#27639 - dagamer34 - Sun Oct 17, 2004 10:18 pm
That's why you're supposed to buy two of each console so that the console maker makes more money. Of all consoles, only the Saturn and Dreamcast were ever sold at a loss per unit; the rest either broke even or made a profit in their entire lifetime.
Important that that was added. The PS2 and Xbox have been sold at a loss before.
_________________
Little kids and Playstation 2's don't mix. :(
#27641 - tepples - Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:25 pm
Of course, the first console off the assembly line will always be sold at a multi-million-dollar loss, as it takes money to pay the engineers who designed the system. As I understand it, the PS2 and the Xbox broke even on the marginal cost per unit of hardware. The console makers swallowed a temporary loss on the R&D and promotion to launch the consoles.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.
#27642 - Touchstone - Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:52 pm
When Microsoft lowered the cost of their Xbox from $499 to $299 (or whatever the US price was at the time, I live in europe) they supposedly lost alot of money on each unit sold. They where kind of prepared that they would lose a lot of money on the Xbox just to get a big enough slice of the market so they have a running start for the Xbox 2.
Anyways, back to the origial topic. Don't worry about region lock-outs. Nintendo haven't given any reason why there should be a lock-out and historically they haven't had it on their hand helds.
_________________
You can't beat our meat
#27643 - Abscissa - Mon Oct 18, 2004 3:24 am
| Touchstone wrote: |
| Anyways, back to the origial topic. Don't worry about region lock-outs. Nintendo haven't given any reason why there should be a lock-out and historically they haven't had it on their hand helds. |
I agree. They've always been the most liberal console manufacturer when it comes to regional lockouts. Remember the N64's lockout system? A little piece of plastic :)
#27793 - PhoenixSoft - Thu Oct 21, 2004 7:09 am
| Abscissa wrote: |
| Touchstone wrote: | | Anyways, back to the origial topic. Don't worry about region lock-outs. Nintendo haven't given any reason why there should be a lock-out and historically they haven't had it on their hand helds. |
I agree. They've always been the most liberal console manufacturer when it comes to regional lockouts. Remember the N64's lockout system? A little piece of plastic :) |
And the GameCube's regional lockout consists of two points on the MoBo which either are or aren't soldered together depending on the region, lol.