Nintendo 3DS

[Raydeus]

Re: Nintendo 3DS

They hardware maker more than likely consulted the publishers on this matter before deciding that the games would be region-locked.

The creators of the intellectual property HAVE A RIGHT to decide how their content is distributed. And if you look at the game releases, for the most part, they're worldwide simultainious releases, with the exception of games like Professor Layton, which are a bit more translation-heavy.

Devil Survivor Overclocked is an RPG, its coming out like a week apart from Japan. So UNLESS you're just that weeaboo, you're waiting a few more days. That's a make-or-break for you?

Saying the developer, saying the publisher doesn't have a right to protect their IP via region lock is complete and utter bullshit. And you do realize there are far more nefarious and invasive ways of controlling content, right? Region lock is pretty lightweight when you stack it against online-only DRMs and Securom.

There are many reasons for importing games that range from actually wanting to avoid localizations to simply not having the option at all to buy the game in your region.

Importing already costs a hefty premium, so there's no need to block content for the people who are willing to spend the extra money to get games from other places.

So, if legit publishers don't want to take costumers' money there will always be someone else who will. The era of region locks and regionally controlled distribution has been over pretty much since it started. So trying to make it sound like importers are just a bunch of impatient weebos is silly and unrealistic.

And like I said, if they (devs, publishers) want to understand the situation or not is up to them, players will play the games one way or the other.

So better profit from it if they can, don't you think?


PS > DRMs are a joke, and also one of the strongest piracy promoters out there. Really, only Valve seems to get it.

[Mezlo]

Re: Nintendo 3DS

So trying to make it sound like importers are just a bunch of impatient weebos .

I might take umbrage if i knew what a weebo was...

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Nintendo 3DS

Weeaboos are the more annoying version of japanophiles. They're the people that complain about English dubs in games and anime even when they're superbly done (see: Raydeus)

You can show them the English versions of Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell and they will turn their noses up at it, claiming some contextual or emotional meaning was lost in the translation, even though it really wasn't. And the English acting is "bad" though they've never been immersed in the culture to know what bad Japanese acting sounds like. Their idea of immersion is just reading manga and watching anime, not talking to actual Japanese people on a regular basis

So the Japanese recording could actually be worse, they'll just think its better because ignorance is bliss. I do remember once running to a Japanese dub in a game because the English one was horrid. But when I realized the alternative was the women turning into wailing banshees, I changed it back. I stuck with the bad English dub.

Anyway, back to the 3DS

Optometrists: Nintendo 3DS could ID vision issues | R&D Mag

Seems Nintendo was making a big deal about nothing when it comes to this thing affecting the eyes of kids negatively, it could actually help spot vision issues for children sooner.

[Raydeus]

Re: Nintendo 3DS

It's nice seeing BBQ isn't butthurt anymore because there are people out there who prefer original language over half-assed dubs.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Nintendo 3DS

It's nice seeing BBQ isn't butthurt anymore because there are people out there who prefer original language over half-assed dubs.

You're allowed your preference, as snobby as it may be. I doubt you'd know what good acting sounded like in your own language.

I just don't see how it makes anything better. All I'm going to glean from it is the basic yes, no, I see, thank you, hello and good-bye. Otherwise I'm being made to read the language I could have just been listening to.

Personally, i wish there were no voice overs in games at all - that way you'd have nothing to complain about. I mean, how about that Zelda: Twilight Princess acting? Or the acting in Radiant Historia and Tactics Ogre: LUCT?

Thankfully, there isn't any. On top of that, the games get out faster and have better chance coming to the west since no money was spent on numerous actors. And I'm afforded some agency in what these characters sound like via imagination .Win/win/win in my book!

[Raydeus]

Re: Nintendo 3DS

To put it into context allow me to post,

This

That's how dubs sound in ANY language. Which is why I hate them with a passion.*

Other than that I wouldn't mind no voiceovers at all, but they've become the standard in recent years and are in fact only growing stronger (can you imagine The Old Republic dubbed in Chinese? The horror... )

*And for anyone wondering after seeing all this discussion. No, this is not an english vs japanese discussion, it's an original audio vs dubs one.

---------------

And just to be on-topic for once, what's with all the fuss about eye damage and stuff due to playing the 3DS?

Don't tell it's going down the path of the Virtual Boy. <_<;

[Kailea]

Re: Nintendo 3DS

Hell some games are just saying screw English voice, and leaving the Japanese with English text. I just played Record of Argust War, and thats what they did ;p

I am starting to see more games like Hyper Dimension, and Record of AW along with a few others that are being sent over here, I am glad because I love those types of games ;p

...eerr back on topic, the vision warning is really only for anyone 6 and below, it has to do with the 3d effect and "developing eyes"

[Raydeus]

Re: Nintendo 3DS

It always bugs me seeing the sort of gimmicky advertising BBQ posted about.

You know there will be people out there stupid enough to buy the 3DS (instead of you know, doing some parenting and taking their kids to the ophthalmologist) because it will "also help find any problems in the kid's vision!â„¢". orz

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Nintendo 3DS

That's how dubs sound in ANY language. Which is why I hate them with a passion.*

I get that you are going to maintain your bias by whatever means necessary.

It always bugs me seeing the sort of gimmicky advertising BBQ posted about.

While I find the AP newswire to be a bit tainted politically, they don't write up news stories to advertise products. However, 3DS launches in the US next week, that's newsworthy and some doctors spoke up on the subject. If fact, they even go so far as to say that Nintendo is sending an inherently false message with the system's health warning in regards to the 3D.

We know its there to cover Nintendo's ass in case some lawsuit happens, but given Nintendo of all companies has actually been the most forward-thinking with their implementation of 3D, it doesn't seem necessary. You can turn the 3D off if it bothers you - the option is there and any judge with brains would have to cite that fact if Nintendo got taken to court

Additionally, Japanese optometrists also debunked Nintendo's warnings. I guess American optometrists doing the same is somewhat redundant, but news is news.

[Feba]

Re: Nintendo 3DS

The creators of the intellectual property HAVE A RIGHT to decide how their content is distributed.

Distributed on a commercial scale? Perhaps.

Do they have a right to decide where you are allowed to enjoy content?

Let's say there's a book you want. It's only on sale in England. You import a copy, perfectly legally. Should they then be allowed to deny you access to the book you bought, because it's outsde of its intended country? Or music, let's say you're REALLY into underground Russo-synth-housecore. You go to one of their concerts, and buy the CD (or hell, let's say you buy it on vinyl, simply because you're that deep). You get home and it doesn't work. Do you honestly have no problem with this?

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Nintendo 3DS

Feba the difference between games and the examples you gave is that video games are distributed for play on very specific, proprietary hardware. And that hardware is in direct competition with other proprietary hardware.

[Malacite]

Re: Nintendo 3DS

And thus began WW3.

[Etra]

Re: Nintendo 3DS

Feba the difference between games and the examples you gave is that video games are distributed for play on very specific, proprietary hardware. And that hardware is in direct competition with other proprietary hardware.

...No?

I don't see how the same exact device that has the OS (if you want to call it that) in a different language "very specific, proprietary hardware."

[Feba]

Re: Nintendo 3DS

Feba the difference between games and the examples you gave is that video games are distributed for play on very specific, proprietary hardware.

...so?

Let's say underground Russo-synth-housecore only wanted you to listen to their music on a CD player by Panasonic. Would you really give a shit if you didn't own a Panasonic player? Would you sooner spend another $250 to listen to that one CD than pirate it, honestly? Even if you already owned a Panasonic player from another region to boot?

Obviously, platform exclusivity sucks, but can't be helped. Lack of release in a region has its reasons; it simply costs money. Region locking has absolutely zero basis, unless the hardware across regions is different (which it isn't in any console I am aware of). Region locking hurts the industry by disallowing people from purchasing the hardware and software that they want. A lack of region controls does nothing to encourage piracy-- the PS3 has had mostly region free gaming for years, and when piracy finally came up as a potential issue for it, it was again because of needless hardware locking down, not opening up. The lack of region free is encouraging me, and probably many others, to hold off for price drops and later revisions, as we are clearly aware we will be forced to either buy two, or hack the console. This is hurting Nintendo, and hurting publishers. The lack of region free forces people to, at best, mod consoles to get around that, which then at the same time opens those consoles up to pirated games which would not be possible otherwise. As the PS3 has shown, when you give people access to the hardware as far as they need to run software they have bought legally, and run their own code they have written for it, you are remarkably safe against piracy. Once you take that away, people begin to look for cracks they can exploit in your security, so they can gain these features-- and once gained, they open the door to pirates as well.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Nintendo 3DS

Obviously, platform exclusivity sucks, but can't be helped.

Platform exlucivity means a game is built specifically for a certain console. If that sucks, I don't know why. I'm getting a game made to make the most of the hardware rather than a game focused on using other hardware as a fallback. You think Star Wars: The Force Unleashed might have been a more focused, polished game had it not been developed for six platforms?

Maybe if it had just been a 360 game we would have been a lot better off. Sure, Lucasarts might not agree, but I think it would have sold a lot more copies as a system exclusive than a watered-down port for six platforms.

Region locking has absolutely zero basis, unless the hardware across regions is different (which it isn't in any console I am aware of). Region locking hurts the industry by disallowing people from purchasing the hardware and software that they want.

I think you fail to realize how small a number of people import games here and how much larger of a number of people pirate them for whatever number of "reasons" they want to make up

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth was being pirated in Europe well before its release. DS and DS Lite were not region locked, but over 200,000 downloads of it had been made before the EU launch.

Nintendo didn't change their firmware (which was only applicable to DSi and happened like twice), nor did they force the region locked DSi on these people. The option was clear - if you want to play imported games DS Lite was the way to go. Nintendo also has kept DS Lite in production, so a lack of DS Lites could not be the reason.

So what was it?

"Capcom should have released it here sooner!"

Well, let's assume that was really it. If it amounted to a few more weeks or months of waiting, couldn't one just wait it out? I mean, sure, its frustrating to know something is out there in English and you can't have it yet, but that's not a reason to steal something. They knew it was coming.

I doubt they went out and bought it when it finally came out.

Additionally, how many copies of Dissidia: Final Fantasy were pirated as soon the JP version was out? Again, hundreds of thousands and this system is region-free. People could have just imported or signed up for a Japanese PSN account and got it that way.

They didn't. They just pirated it

Being region-free never did PSP any favors. People were hacking that one as soon as it was out. Pretty hardware = New Challenge for hackers. People were even saying it before the found out about region locking for the 3DS. So you can keep on making up "reasons" here. Region-free never helped anyone but a minority of gamers import without a hassle, except for that PAL/NTSC thing.

People have shown Sony and Nintendo what they get for being region free - mass piracy. This has been more than sufficiently proven and it is why there have been lockdowns and firmware updates - but you would deny it anyway.