Hardware Wii U gamepad region Trade

[KingBlank]

Hello all, I have a bit of a dilemma,
I have a NTSC Wii U and a PAL gamepad, This was not a problem until I did the system update and nintendo decided I had to have a NTSC gamepad for my Wii U.

I had a PAL gamepad because I had a PAL wii U until it got bricked, it was not covered by warranty because I got it from trademe ( like New Zealand Ebay )

So I bought a NTSC Wii U (console only) from ebay thinking it would not be a problem, it was.

It seems pretty unlikely but if you are in a situation where you want a PAL gamepad and would trade a NTSC gamepad for it, It would make things easier for both of us.

If you are not wanting to trade, any pointers to where I could buy a NTSC gamepad cheap would be great.

I'm not sure if this is against the forum rules, I apologize if it is.

 

[worm28]

Do different region wii u pro controllers still work?

 

[TeamScriptKiddies]

Do different region wii u pro controllers still work?

thats an interesting question... I wonder if Nintendo bothered to region lock those too or not. I mean they're just standard xbox style controllers. Not much room to spare in that small case for region protection hardware, but then again who knows....

 

[stomp_442]

why is the gamepad region protected? does the pal region have a different wifi standard than that of the of the ntsc region?

 

[TeamScriptKiddies]

why is the gamepad region protected? does the pal region have a different wifi standard than that of the of the ntsc region?

I have no idea, but for w/e reason Nintendo region locked it. Perhaps it is a wifi standard issue

 

[AzizSidky]

I have the exact opposite problem. My Wii U GamePad for my PAL system stopped working all of a sudden, so I sent it for repairs to Nintendo in the US. They just mailed me an entirely new wii U USA gamepad, and it doesn't work because of region locking I keep getting this annoying Error code 165-9901 that says that us can't update the GamePad if it is a different region.

I stumbled across this thread while looking for a fix for my own predicament.
I guess, I'll contact them (Nintendo USA) today and see what can be done.

KIngBlank, I don't know how we could exchange the GamePads as I live in Cairo, Egypt now and u are apparently in Australia.
Will keep u posted though if Nintendo give me a workaround to bypass this update error BS.

 

[Madridi]

I have the exact opposite problem. My Wii U GamePad for my PAL system stopped working all of a sudden, so I sent it for repairs to Nintendo in the US. They just mailed me an entirely new wii U USA gamepad, and it doesn't work because of region locking I keep getting this annoying Error code 165-9901 that says that us can't update the GamePad if it is a different region.

I stumbled across this thread while looking for a fix for my own predicament.
I guess, I'll contact them (Nintendo USA) today and see what can be done.

KIngBlank, I don't know how we could exchange the GamePads as I live in Cairo, Egypt now and u are apparently in Australia.
Will keep u posted though if Nintendo give me a workaround to bypass this update error BS.

Ship them to each other.. Problem solved and everyone is happy

 

[Slartibartfast42]

I have the exact opposite problem. My Wii U GamePad for my PAL system stopped working all of a sudden, so I sent it for repairs to Nintendo in the US. They just mailed me an entirely new wii U USA gamepad, and it doesn't work because of region locking I keep getting this annoying Error code 165-9901 that says that us can't update the GamePad if it is a different region.

I stumbled across this thread while looking for a fix for my own predicament.
I guess, I'll contact them (Nintendo USA) today and see what can be done.

KIngBlank, I don't know how we could exchange the GamePads as I live in Cairo, Egypt now and u are apparently in Australia.
Will keep u posted though if Nintendo give me a workaround to bypass this update error BS.

There is this thing called "mail", and even places like Egypt and Australia have it.

 

[KingBlank]

I have the exact opposite problem. My Wii U GamePad for my PAL system stopped working all of a sudden, so I sent it for repairs to Nintendo in the US. They just mailed me an entirely new wii U USA gamepad, and it doesn't work because of region locking I keep getting this annoying Error code 165-9901 that says that us can't update the GamePad if it is a different region.

I stumbled across this thread while looking for a fix for my own predicament.
I guess, I'll contact them (Nintendo USA) today and see what can be done.

KIngBlank, I don't know how we could exchange the GamePads as I live in Cairo, Egypt now and u are apparently in Australia.
Will keep u posted though if Nintendo give me a workaround to bypass this update error BS.

If Nintendo cant provide you with a workaround/PAL controller Im sure we could work out a way to trade gamepads, I live In New Zealand not Australia by the way.

Also just to confirm, thats the same error Im getting although thankfully you can get to the home screen if you turn the gamepad off so I've still been able to play some Mario Kart 8 .

I was just browsing ebay and it turns out If I wanted to buy a working NTSC gamepad there it would cost me over $180 NZD with something like $20-60 shipping (more than I paid for my Wii U)

 

[AzizSidky]

If Nintendo cant provide you with a workaround/PAL controller Im sure we could work out a way to trade gamepads, I live In New Zealand not Australia by the way.

Also just to confirm, thats the same error Im getting although thankfully you can get to the home screen if you turn the gamepad off so I've still been able to play some Mario Kart 8 .

I was just browsing ebay and it turns out If I wanted to buy a working NTSC gamepad there it would cost me over $180 NZD with something like $20-60 shipping (more than I paid for my Wii U)

no workaround unfortunately
& Nintendo US need a couple weeks to "investigate" how they accepted to fix a PAL Wii U gamepad in the first place before they can contact Nintendo Europe to potentially solve this conundrum.
So, the GOOD NEWS is I am up for exchanging Gamepads I'll send u a PM with my contacts.

 

[AzizSidky]

Do different region wii u pro controllers still work?

Yes they do, I bought a Nikon Wii U controller from the States and it works fine on my PAL system & I hear its the same for Nintendo's Pro controller.
It seems that only the Gamepads and systems are region locked & I don't think its a wifi standard issue, because my gamepad actually connects to my Wii U, but then it just prompts u to update (with no other option) and then gives u a CODE EROR.

Nintendo should really get along with the times on this issue. Neither Sony nor Microsoft use antiquated region locking any more (and its a real pain in the ass for frequent traveler like myself). I actually would have bought more of the original Wii's games had it not been region locked. I don't know what potential benefits it brings; it won't fight potential piracy (especially because Nintendo use a propriety bluraylike disc for Wii U anyways)...so I guess they are just doing it to have region specific pricing. That policy doesn't make any sense for the wii U because their number one priority should be getting Wii U systems off the shelves and selling more games.

 

[TeamScriptKiddies]

Yes they do, I bought a Nikon Wii U controller from the States and it works fine on my PAL system & I hear its the same for Nintendo's Pro controller.
It seems that only the Gamepads and systems are region locked & I don't think its a wifi standard issue, because my gamepad actually connects to my Wii U, but then it just prompts u to update (with no other option) and then gives u a CODE EROR.

Nintendo should really get along with the times on this issue. Neither Sony nor Microsoft use antiquated region locking any more (and its a real pain in the ass for frequent traveler like myself). I actually would have bought more of the original Wii's games had it not been region locked. I don't know what potential benefits it brings; it won't fight potential piracy (especially because Nintendo use a propriety bluraylike disc for Wii U anyways)...so I guess they are just doing it to have region specific pricing. That policy doesn't make any sense for the wii U because their number one priority should be getting Wii U systems off the shelves and selling more games.

Amen! lol

 

[WiiCube_2013]

Wait, the GamePad is region locked? Just what the hell Nintendo that's so fucking retarded.

I'm guessing the Wii U GameCube adapter is region free because I don't see how a thing like that could possibly be region locked.

 

[jowan]

I can confirm Pro controller is not region locked, I have a NTSC console and PAL pro controller and works like a charm!

 

[cearp]

There is this thing called "mail", and even places like Egypt and Australia have it.

'even places'?, no need to be rude.

it would be safest to send them to the trusted middle man here, who will then ship them on.
i hope they don't get lost in the post etc, good luck guys

 

[bowser]

Region locking is a good thing because Iwata says so. It's also a good marketing strategy to increase sales. People will buy 3 Wii U's (one from each region) to play different region games.

/sarcasm (this line is required for those who think I'm serious)

 

[shinkodachi]

Wi-Fi being the reason for region locked GamePads isn't out of the ordinary. We know the Wii U uses the 5Ghz band for communication with the GamePad. It's also a very regulated frequency range, likely fixed on every unit in each region for good performance.

For what it's worth, Wii U Pro Controllers are region-free. I just ordered two from Play-Asia because they're dirt cheap (around 25 euros vs. 60-70 euros at retail).