Hacking Should I go ahead and buy a Japanese Wii U?

[CPTflconX]

I really want to play several japanese games like Taiko No Tatsujin or Fatal Frame. Are the possibilities of playing region locked games in the near future high? Would it be wise to wait or just go ahead and buy the Japanese Wii U?

 

[shinkodachi]

I really want to play several japanese games like Taiko No Tatsujin or Fatal Frame. Are the possibilities of playing region locked games in the near future high? Would it be wise to wait or just go ahead and buy the Japanese Wii U?

I have to agree with Kelton2 and say you should go ahead and buy a Japanese Wii U if you want to play Japanese Wii U games. (I'm assuming you've imported a console before and understand the Japanese language. If neither is true, then you should probably hold off...)

There are thus far no exploits or mods (either software or hardware) available for the Wii U that would allow region free capabilities (or even proper homebrew). So either it'll take very long for such a possibility to come out or it'll never happen. It's the reason why I have a Japanese Wii U as well to play Taiko no Tatsujin and Just Dance Wii U (Japanese version). It's a little nuisance to maintain two of the same console, but if you're determined enough and want to play locally released games as well, it shouldn't be a problem. Keep in mind that even if a local US/European release of a game exists with English text, that's often absent from the Japanese version of the same game so you must be at least a little skilled in the Japanese language. Hit me up via PM if you want to know about playing Taiko no Tatsujin on a Japanese Wii U, etc. I'd love to help out!

 

[zeldacodse]

Think of it this way, if region free does in fact happen, your JP Wii U will then be region free. You've got nothing to lose.

 

[Wolvenreign]

Think of it this way, if region free does in fact happen, your JP Wii U will then be region free. You've got nothing to lose.

Unless they already have an American Wii U.

 

[David271749]

Region free isn't going to happen with Wii U, unless it's done through modding. Maybe Nintendo will catch on before they release their next console. I'd get one if I was a fan of Japanese only releases. I actually have one, but just because I live here. I'm more into multiplayer party games or first party releases that get released globally. Anyway, I'd get the base model. It will cost you about $250 after shipping. You could get a hard drive to store downloads, but I definitely recommend getting the boxed copies instead. Nintendo of Japan doesn't opperate like Nintendo of America. They do nothing to protect your online accounts, purchases, or downloads. That's all on you. Good luck. : )

 

[shinkodachi]

The latter of those. The latter of those so much. I don't get the big appeal for region free.

There is no "big appeal". In my position I like rhythm games, which mostly see the light of day only in Japan (e.g. Taiko no Tatsujin series). Sometimes games released in my region (Europe) have vastly different content as well (e.g. "Just Dance 2015" in US/Europe vs. "Just Dance Wii U" in Japan). There may be region specific special/limited editions of games (e.g. Zelda Musou / Hyrule Warriors "Treasure Box" in Japan) or games that just never get released in your region to begin with (e.g. Fatal Frame V in Japan). If you import games from another region you may be able to play it long before it'll be available in your region (e.g. Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure, which was released in 2013 in US/Australia, but as of yet has not been released in Europe). Finally, availability varies greatly from region to region, so even if you could get a game in your region officially, it may still be easier to import it from another region (e.g. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U). Alternatively, while you may be able to get a game in your region, it may be digital only (via eShop), whereas another region may have it as a physical release (e.g. DuckTales Remastered in US or F1 Race Stars Powered Up Edition in Japan).

I can keep going and going. My initial reason to import a Japanese Wii U was to play Ryu ga Gotoku 1&2 HD (Yakuza 1&2 HD remaster) and Kamen Rider Battride War II. I'm well aware that I represent a minority and there are some challenges involved in importing games (e.g. possible language barrier) and I made the conscious decision to buy another console just for these games that I can't otherwise play on my European Wii U. If I could, I'd be free of many headaches my current set up is causing me (e.g. maintaining two of the same console in general, pairing/syncing controllers between two consoles, no support from Nintendo locally should the hardware be defective). When I had a PS3, I just bought games online without even looking what region they come from. It was actually cheaper for me to do so than buy games locally. With the Wii U that's something I can't do because it's not region free. So there you have it, no big appeal, no conspiracy theories. I'd love Nintendo to make a region free console, but since they haven't made one, I must make conscious purchasing decisions and buy multiple consoles to play the games I like. As I said before, I'm aware that I represent a minority and I acknowledge that. Nintendo doesn't owe me anything, though I can't say I'd recommend a Wii U to my circles because I'm affected by the region lock and they could possibly be as well if they owned a Wii U. (Seriously, why didn't Europe get a physical release of NES Remix 1 and 2? Japan got Famicom Remix 1+2 and US got NES Remix Pack, yet because I'm European I must settle for the eShop releases only. )

 

[WiiCube_2013]

The latter of those. The latter of those so much. I don't get the big appeal for region free.

If my European Wii U was region free I'd import Wii U games from US and Japan, starting with this:

Fuckin' assholes never released this in Europe.

 

[shinkodachi]

One additional point to region free that I left out: since we are talking about a Nintendo console and Nintendo games, you can never tell if a game is still going to be available in your region one year later or if the price hasn't gone up twofold from the original price. In cases like these, I often find games new from other regions much cheaper and more readily available than locally. Case in point, according to thorasgar, Pikmin 3 may cost up to $100 new in the US, whereas in Finland it's still being sold new for half of that.

 

[shinkodachi]

Yeah, but again Kelton2 you're only proving my point. You're not in the minority so you don't care (and probably shouldn't because you're not affected in any way). For people like me who actively import games or people like WiiCube_2013 who just want to be treated equally, the region lock on the Wii U is doing more harm than good.

 

[shinkodachi]

Most likely that's just your experience from here on the forum where people concerned about a region lock are likely to join and post. The general population certainly doesn't frequent these forums, so it may seem like a great number of people want region free (also possible), but the truth is that it affects probably less than 0,001% of all Wii U owners worldwide.

 

[WiiCube_2013]

I don't really mind eShop games, they're actually really good (silent and with fast loading) but given the opportunity to purchase a physical copy of Nintendo World Championship's sequel then yeah disc it is!

Nintendo really messed up because NES Remix Wii U in Europe would've been a really nice niche Wii U game and in case it didn't sold well, then they wouldn't make too many copies for a batch.

 

[shinkodachi]

Nintendo really messed up because NES Remix Wii U in Europe would've been a really nice niche Wii U game and in case it didn't sold well, then they wouldn't make too many copies for a batch.

Do they ever make many copies for a batch? I could swear the other week it was impossible to buy a physical release of Mario Kart 8 here and the shop sellers kept saying they're waiting for more stock from the distributor. And when I contacted the distributor (Bergsala in Finland), I was told Nintendo of Europe just hasn't shipped more copies yet. Believe it or not the rarest recently released Wii U game in Finland is Wii Sports Club. You can't buy it new in any retail shop. I have a copy and it even has Finnish text on the back, but again you can't buy it.

 

[WiiCube_2013]

Do they ever make many copies for a batch? I could swear the other week it was impossible to buy a physical release of Mario Kart 8 here and the shop sellers kept saying they're waiting for more stock from the distributor. And when I contacted the distributor (Bergsala in Finland), I was told Nintendo of Europe just hasn't shipped more copies yet. Believe it or not the rarest recently released Wii U game in Finland is Wii Sports Club. You can't buy it new in any retail shop. I have a copy and it even has Finnish text on the back, but again you can't buy it.

Wii Sports Club? That's weird.

Is this game for the Wii or the Wii U? Let me check... Oh yeah, it's that Wii Sports Club eShop on retail form now, but why the hell doesn't it have the U anywhere?!

"Wii Sports Club U" or "Wii U Sports Club" would have been more precise to which console this is.

 

[shinkodachi]

Seriously? Wii Sports Club? O_O

I'm serious. I asked all GameStop stores and was told they don't even have it in their system. No department store has it. No electronics store has it. It's impossible to obtain and if it ever was available somewhere, then it's sold out (e.g. the biggest electronics store in Finland, Verkkokauppa.com, lists availability at 2-3 weeks currently: http://www.verkkokauppa.com/fi/product/47939/dtbfs/Wii-Sports-Club-Wii-U-peli). And this game was released in July, 2014!

It is fully localized, though... :o

 

[WiiCube_2013]

It's on Amazon UK for about £30-ish but that's overpriced for a bunch of mini-games based on the original Wii Sports, not to mention that the Wiimotes aren't exactly the best for accuracy.

I remember playing Tennis and the Mii kept on jerking off instead of hitting the ball when I wanted.

 

[David271749]

Nice. I didn't realize the boxing uses two wiimotes now. People still said it was all over the place though...

 

[shinkodachi]

I don't know why it's not called "Wii U Sports Club" (admittedly sounds a little stupid), but the reason it's "Wii Sports Club" in the first place is that you play in clubs. When you start the game and create your profile, you choose the region you represent (this is your club). So I play in the "Finland club" and there are ways to earn points for your club and see overall stats. This game is probably one of the few games Nintendo has made that have full-fledged online capabilities beyond Miiverse and simple online play. (And it still sucks to play online... Haha)

Think of it as Wii Sports HD, it's very good and the sports now use MotionPlus, so accuracy is often spot on. Some games make use of the GamePad creatively, e.g. you can tee off using the GamePad in Golf. You literally place the GamePad on the floor, and you aim with the Wiimote pointed at the GamePad below. It adds a level of immersion that works. Otherwise it's a very boring collection compared to Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, but it's been refined and polished enough to warrant a new release IMO. It's just Nintendo's fault this game is barely known because they goofed it up initially with the eShop only release for each sport and selling sports passes. So I'm glad it's (somewhat) available physically.

Boxing with two Wiimotes is excellent. It takes a little practice, but it's fun. Actually makes for a nice workout. I play Wii Sports Club if I have nothing else to do (e.g. waiting for a TV show to start, household chores all done, have about 15-30 minutes to spare) because it's really good for killing time. After a while you look forward to beating your scores so playing solo isn't bad either. My only gripe is with the price. Get it cheap if you can and it's definitely a keeper for a collection.

 

[WiiCube_2013]

Wii U Sports Club is the ideal game for those who want to use the Wiimotes to the fullest because besides this one there really aren't that many, well there's Nintendo Land and Mario & Sonic at Sochi but yeah, that's all.

I've never been a fan of the Wiimote, but if Nintendo had included internal batteries to recharge (I bought some cheap rechargeable batteries a couple months ago but after a while they stopped recharging) then I'd possibly have a different opinion.

 

[TeamScriptKiddies]

Kernel exploit is due out soon, although I'm not sure if that's enough to enable region free. If region free will also require an IOSU exploit, it might not be far behind. Someone might be able to figure out how to escalate privileges from PPC kernel access to exploit the Starbuck as well.

I say, if you don't already own a Wii U, go ahead and import one. If you do own one, it would be a waste of money (imo) to buy a second console just for imports when the Wii U is on the verge of being blown wide open . But that's my 2 cents

 

[shinkodachi]

I prefer swapping batteries than waiting to recharge, hello GamePad and your 2 hour battery life.

If Nintendo had implemented something similar to Qi charging, I'd wager it'd be a much popular option than swapping batteries.