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Hawkeye_a · Jan 15, 2003, 09:07 PM

Someone mentioned that the discs for these consoles have some kind of regin codes , kinda like DVD, is that true ? are there any limitations to these consoles that involve geography ?

Cubeoid · Jan 15, 2003, 09:14 PM

By default consoles from the US can play US discs, not Japanese or AU or EU discs, and vice versa versa. PS2 and XBox can be fitted with a mod chip, which cracks this and allows any disc. I'm not sure about modding a GC though. I don't own any consoles at the moment, but If I had $800AU ($400US) to slap away, I'd so get a fully modded PS2.

ratlater · Jan 15, 2003, 09:17 PM

Originally posted by Cubeoid:
By default consoles from the US can play US discs, not Japanese or AU or EU discs, and vice versa versa. PS2 and XBox can be fitted with a mod chip, which cracks this and allows any disc. I'm not sure about modding a GC though. I don't own any consoles at the moment, but If I had $800AU ($400US) to slap away, I'd so get a fully modded PS2.

GameCube is easily modable. The only gaming machine that doesn't have region restrictions is the GameBoy Advance.

-matt

Hawkeye_a · 09:40 PM

what do u mean by GameCube is easily modable ? i do not want a gameboy advance. (i got my powerbook for gaming on the go

). so if i buy a gamecube here i wont be able to play games sold abroad (cause i play to travel for a while).

This leads me to my next question...is it possible to buy games like off of amazon and get the U.S. version delivered anywhere else ?

So what are the different 'regions' for game consoles ?

Cubeoid · Jan 15, 2003, 09:40 PM

Forget Amazon, there are hundreds of online speciality game stores which will ship anywhere in the world. www.burn.com.au in Australia is very good, they have the newest games for all consoles from all regions and ship everywhere.

Hawkeye_a · Jan 15, 2003, 09:42 PM

I'll probably need a US region game cause this im gonna buy a system here. so what are the different regions anyway ? why the hell do ppl make it so complicated. for world travellers like myself it's so rediculious to even have to consider this kind of stuff... sheeshhh.

Cubeoid · Jan 15, 2003, 09:59 PM

I don't think games companies have identified the growing class of world travelers whose greatest need while traveling are video games.

But.. there's EU, US, AU, and JP, as far as i know. I wonder what they use in China, Middle East etc.

Millennium · Jan 15, 2003, 10:29 PM

Originally posted by Cubeoid:
I don't think games companies have identified the growing class of world travelers whose greatest need while traveling are video games.

But.. there's EU, US, AU, and JP, as far as i know. I wonder what they use in China, Middle East etc.

Generally, China gets a region code all its own. The idea is that since piracy is already so rampant there (China doesn't honor most international copyrights), they can at least try and contain it.

Adam Betts · Jan 15, 2003, 11:09 PM

Originally posted by Cubeoid:
But.. there's EU, US, AU, and JP, as far as i know. I wonder what they use in China, Middle East etc.

From Nintendo's President:

"We want to sell hardware and software products in China within a year or two. Due to piracy problems, we are studying several marketing methods, such as selling machines several generations old, rather than the latest models."

As far as I know, they don't sell XBOX, GameCube, GBA, and many PC softwares there yet. I'm not sure about PS2.

BlackGriffen · Jan 16, 2003, 01:02 AM

Originally posted by Hawkeye_a:
what do u mean by GameCube is easily modable ?

At least for the Japanese and U.S. regions, there is one (or maybe two) zero ohm resistors present in the U.S. version that aren't present in the Japanese version, so it is easy to wire a switch up to the Japanese version (modding the U.S. version would require removing the resistor). I don't know if something similar can be done for the PAL territories, though.

I also don't know specifics beyond that.

BlackGriffen

Thrax · Jan 16, 2003, 03:02 AM

Or better yet, get one of these. No soldering; no voided warranty.

And no, there isn't anything similar available for the PS2 or Xbox. You'll just have to get out a screwdriver if you want to play imports on those.

But there are similar products available for the Dreamcast. I've had great luck with the DC-X boot disk. How could I ever live without Puyo Puyo 4, Space Channel 5 Part 2, and King of Fighters 2000 and 2001?

Hawkeye_a · Jan 16, 2003, 12:52 PM

wow. thats what im looking for. one question though, does this only work for japaneeses discs ? or ANY region ?

Hawkeye_a · Jan 16, 2003, 01:12 PM

ive been reading about it, and apparently it can play ANY gameCube disc from anywhere in the world. i got a PAL/NTSC TV so im set in that respect. could you confirm ? This is truely outstanding(if it gets released), i see a gamecube in my very near future, and this is definately a HUGE plus for me since i travel quite a bit.

...im a student not a buisness traveller.

NormPhillips · Jan 16, 2003, 01:17 PM

Why do even have these regoin discs? Why can't game companies just sell regoin free discs? (except in the case of China, which I can understand)

ratlater · Jan 16, 2003, 01:56 PM

Originally posted by NormPhillips:
Why do even have these regoin discs? Why can't game companies just sell regoin free discs? (except in the case of China, which I can understand)

I believe themain reason for region discs is piracy prevention, but as the world economy generally opens up I think we'll see region locking die down. Although, AU and EU won't be compatible with Japan/North America because of PAL/NTSC issues.

-matt

daimoni · 03:14 AM

.

Hawkeye_a · 03:05 PM

i like the GBA, but $100 ... hehehe ...as i said im a student, i do have an SNES enulator on my PowerBook.

...but yeah i get ur point. ive been out of gaming since the Genesis/Mega-Drive. i didnt know/play much of the PS , N64 or dreamcasts, and im just now looking to get back to gaming.

Im hooked on the NGC....especially the games..... Zelda(never played any zelda ever), Metroid Prime(never played any metroid either), Rogue Leader, Dragon's Lair 3D.... they all look so georgeous and immersive.

Im sick of first person shooters, like Quake 3, UT, etc,etc.... i think im gonna enjoy owning a gamecube. plus looking on amazon... they have battery packs, and porable screens..... hmmmm.........yum.

daimoni · 03:14 AM

.

Axo1ot1 · Jan 16, 2003, 04:30 PM

As I understand it, it is nearly impossible to pirate GameCube discs for a couple reasons:

a) Small disc siz (doesn't make things impossible, just inconvenient)

b) The discs spin the opposite direction from all other CD/DVD type discs and thus can only be burned on proprietary burners that only nintendo has. It probably wouldn't be worth it to reverse engineer that...

angelmb · Jan 16, 2003, 04:36 PM

and the new GBA SP!!!???, oh, that rules!!!

Axo1ot1 · Jan 16, 2003, 04:56 PM

What does the SP stand for?

daimoni · 03:14 AM

.

babble · Jan 16, 2003, 05:17 PM

Originally posted by Hawkeye_a:
i like the GBA, but $100 ... hehehe ...as i said im a student, i do have an SNES enulator on my PowerBook. ...but yeah i get ur point. ive been out of gaming since the Genesis/Mega-Drive. i didnt know/play much of the PS , N64 or dreamcasts, and im just now looking to get back to gaming.

Im hooked on the NGC....especially the games..... Zelda(never played any zelda ever), Metroid Prime(never played any metroid either), Rogue Leader, Dragon's Lair 3D.... they all look so georgeous and immersive.

Im sick of first person shooters, like Quake 3, UT, etc,etc.... i think im gonna enjoy owning a gamecube. plus looking on amazon... they have battery packs, and porable screens..... hmmmm.........yum.

Don't get Dragon's Lair 3D! Rent it first, all the critics I read on this game are poor.

wataru · Jan 16, 2003, 05:35 PM

Originally posted by Axo1ot1:
What does the SP stand for?

Sucker Punch

Thrax · Jan 16, 2003, 06:13 PM

Originally posted by ratlater:
I believe themain reason for region discs is piracy prevention, but as the world economy generally opens up I think we'll see region locking die down. Although, AU and EU won't be compatible with Japan/North America because of PAL/NTSC issues.

It's more than piracy prevention. If that were the case, they could simply place bad sectors on the discs to make it impossible for consumers to make their own copies. (They already do this, but the bad sectors are in different places for different regions.)

The region codes are there because buying an import game means that the division of Sony or Nintendo or Microsoft in your part of the world makes no money.

Cubeoid · Jan 16, 2003, 07:18 PM

Sucker Punch..

risingforsunset · Jan 16, 2003, 10:23 PM

Originally posted by Thrax:
The region codes are there because buying an import game means that the division of Sony or Nintendo or Microsoft in your part of the world makes no money.

Yes, this is right on the mark. I live in Southeast Asia, so in order to keep up with whatever games come out for the PS2 or NGC I have to make sure I buy the right region designated for my machine. This goes for regular DVDs as well. What happens is game companies (EA, Sega, etc.) tackle the pirating issue by pricing products according to country/region economic standing. Where I live (in the Philippines) I can actually grab a legit version of The Sims from my local dealer at about $20 (net, including tax), give or take, or buy The Fellowship of the Rings for about $12 (net, including tax). Included on the box is a huge sticker clearly stating "FOR SALE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ONLY" These prices are somewhat cheaper than US (region 1) or EU (region 2 or 4 I think). And I think this goes the world over.

All in all, there are about 16 region specifications for movie DVDs and 4 or 5 regions for game DVDs. I suppose it works out so that region specific branches of a company makes money where it is based. If that were not the case, then we'd have say alotta Americans buying DVDs at around half the cost from Southeast Asia, where product is cheaper, but then that company wouldn't make jack in the U.S. region .

Of course, the selection is limited (since the market is smaller), so I choose to import all kinds of stuff. Which costs me an arm and a leg, but if I want the good stuff I gotta pay up.