Nintendo starts selling Wii U Gamepads... but not to YOU!

[Muffins]

Yes, Nintendo has finally started selling replacement gamepads (at a hefty $112).

Oh, but they've region locked the pads (because Nintendo adores region locking- they were the inventors of it in gaming, after all) so unless you're using a Japanese Wii U, you're still out of luck.

http://www.geek.com/games/nintendo-...amepads-separately-but-only-in-japan-1640409/

 

[amoulton]

Have they just now region locked gamepads? Or have they been region specific all along?

 

[Muffins]

Have they just now region locked gamepads? Or have they been region specific all along?

Always, as far as I know.

 

[Ericzander]

Yup, always been region locked. They're not selling them for much cheaper than eBay though.

 

[Taleweaver]

Ugh...I'd say "better late than never", but...region locked controllers? Why did they even START doing that in the first place?


EDIT: erm...before you start liking this post, please read the one below. It may not be a perfectly valid reason, but at least it IS a reason.

 

[stan423321]

Ugh...I'd say "better late than never", but...region locked controllers? Why did they even START doing that in the first place?

Because Wii U GamePad has a firmware (Quick Start, TV Remote etc.) that is updated concurrently with Wii U's "main" firmware, and thus shenanigans would start if they decided to desync regional firmware updates on an update containing a GamePad firmware update.

Update.

EDIT: Actually I think people were able to sync out-of-region GamePads, maybe they still are, but the things get weird when you want to update and that update affects GamePad.

 

[Taleweaver]

Because Wii U GamePad has a firmware (Quick Start, TV Remote etc.) that is updated concurrently with Wii U's "main" firmware, and thus shenanigans would start if they decided to desync regional firmware updates on an update containing a GamePad firmware update.

That's...actually a very good reason. Since nintendo has always said that the gamepad is useless without the wiiu console, I figured the thing just blindly accepted whatever data the console threw its way (and vice versa, sent data from key presses back). But there are actions you can do where the wiiu is still turned off or booting, so it HAS to be gamepad itself.

Thank you for the mentioning. I was clearly wrong.

 

[The Catboy]

Seriously Nintendo, what the fuck is up with you guys and region-locking your shit? Why are they so dead set on keeping up with this bullshit?
Maybe this one has an excuse, but other things don't.

 

[Muffins]

Seriously Nintendo, what the fuck is up with you guys and region-locking your shit? Why are they so dead set on keeping up with this bullshit?
Maybe this one has an excuse, but other things don't.

It's all about control, Crystal. Control.

Nintendo's business model has always been very control-oriented. From the very first steps into the US market, they used region lock, encryption, keys and intimidation to hold an iron grip over their domain. They invented gaming region lock, for God's sake. The stuff they did in the 80s was tyrannical, to say the least.

 

[kelbiiz]

Great!!! Thanks for information...

 

[Veho]

Next up: region locked wrist straps.

 

[Bladexdsl]

region locking is 1 of the reasons 3rd party don't want anything to do with nintendo. they can't be assed making different formats these days they just want to make 1 game and easily port it. nintendo fails to offer that every single time with their archaic region locks and shitty hardware. and all tvs can now play both pal and ntsc get with the fucking times nintendo!

 

[Sakitoshi]

I think the gamepad region locking has much more to do with radio frequencies standards on different countries, since the gamepad uses wifi to communicate with the Wii U. But they could just use a safe frequency that every country accept for the handshake and then read from the console the region and change frequency to a more convenient one.

And region locked controls aren't that new for Nintendo.

 

[weatMod]

Because Wii U GamePad has a firmware (Quick Start, TV Remote etc.) that is updated concurrently with Wii U's "main" firmware, and thus shenanigans would start if they decided to desync regional firmware updates on an update containing a GamePad firmware update.

Update.

EDIT: Actually I think people were able to sync out-of-region GamePads, maybe they still are, but the things get weird when you want to update and that update affects GamePad.

actually this bring to a question as a someone considering purchasing a wiiu on 5.3

i see a lot of wii us consoles and wii u pad sold seperately on ebay
so would it be safe(4 loadine) to buy a wii u console only if it is on 5.3 , then but a separate game pad?

what if i buy i game pad for it that was being used with a console that was updated past 5.3 ?
do the console and pad have to have matching FW?