XBox360 hardware does not enforce the region coding, it is the software that does so, which is completely down to the publisher. Look at the list for confirmation. The PS3 will work in the same way too.
Again, it comes down to developers wanting to protect themselves from copyright and trademark issues. If the UK started to sell games from the US on a regular basis and a company couldnt use the name, they would be screwed
Nintendo has already revealed that it was surprised by how many gamers were turned on (so to speak) by the lack of region encoding on the DS, but since few consoles have gone down this route so far they could end up being revolutionary (sorry for another unintended pun!) or left behind, as we know the PS3 won't have territory locking. By the way, has anybody seen the recently leaked final specifications for the Wii? Seems the "GameCube 1.5" tag was quite far from the truth, as Nintendo has created quite a powerhouse... even though it's still not enough to keep up with the HD era of consoles! Bear in mind that a lot of developers are still using tools based on the GameCube and it's easy to see we'll be getting much greater visuals in the future, with some launch titles (see Red Steel, for example) already receiving plenty of extra polish before we sample them for ourselves. From what I've been able to figure out of the long and over-complicated specification list, Superscalar (not to be confused with the old X/Y family of Sega arcade hardware) and Shader Model 3.0 compliant graphics bring Wii closer to GameCube X4 or Xbox X2, even though few will care when PS3 offers better eye candy. Personally, it is my hope the Wii can provide something truly memorable in terms of how games are played as opposed to just giving us better-looking updates from the likes of EA come every November!
Not only that, but exchange rates could make it cheaper for games stores to import rather than sell official UK copies if they weren't locked out. Sometimes publishers change between regions which would affect the developer's ability to sell to other counties too. As an example, I bought a Nintendo DS for $140 w/tax included (retails for about $165 in the UK), and several games - Feel the Magic ($10 new at Bestbuy) and Brain Age ($20). Project Rub (the name for Feel the Magic in the UK) and Brain Age retail for about 20 GBP (or $35-ish).
I THOUGHT 20 POUNDS EQUAL 20 DOLLARS!!! X) Well, the other hurdle is the NTSC/PAL barrier for home consoles. Handhelds run on a proprietary display, so it's not big deal, but in order for games to be "truly region free," then they must be completely playable across all countries. Otherwise, what's the point for Nintendo when it can just make more money selling readily converted (TV system) copies of the game across the world?
Any TV made since the 80s should support 60hz. The leaked specs I saw for Wii put it at pretty much exactly Gamecube 1.5. 729Mhz CPU, slightly faster GPU than the current one, 64Mb RAM... where did you see the specs you're talking about, and when?
I've seen the exact same specifications, and judging from what more knowledgeable members of various forums are saying it's believed that the "1.5" estimation was way short of how powerful the Wii really is. You do have to bear in mind that Nintendo's console won't need all that power for HD-quality visuals, plus ATI have created their graphics solution especially for the platform. There is definitely going to be a significant increase over the GameCube, and certainly more than enough to silence those expecting little more than something capable of just outperforming the Xbox. Of course, there's no guarantee we'll be seeing the best of Wii just yet - remember than many developers are still working on development kits sourced from the GameCube hardware, which doesn't even come close to representing the final system's potential!
Zelda's release on the wii is a bit of a let-down visualy, knowing that it's not taking advantage of the Wii's extra power. True, the transition decision was made really late in the life of the title, so changing anything, textures, models etc, would introduce new problems again. What is shameful from what I have read on ign is that the GC version of Zelda does NOT support progressive scan. 480p and 16:9 are Wii-only features. That's just lame.
If they're talking the same specs you can see here, they're pretty much wrong. A less-than 40% increase on the CPU side, a roughly 50% boost in the graphics chip speed, and last-gen RAM quantities do not make a "powerhouse" in any current sense of the term. There's nothing ambiguous about the specifications, if they're correct - it's 1.5-2.5 x Gamecube. It'll look lovely through RGB SCART, and I'm all over it at launch, but it isn't approaching either of the competition in specs (of course, what that'll equate to in aesthetic terms is another question entirely, and a highly subjective one at that). Someone feel free to wade in and tell me I'm wrong if I'm somehow misinterpretting these numbers. Yeah, I read that as an official announcement. Doesn't affect me since I'll be on the Wii version, but I'd be pretty pissed off if I was intending to get the Gamecube one instead.
I ll be getting both versions, since classic zelda mechanics and controls are ..classic. For that retro OoT feeling. the Wii version will be there in my library as well. Considering that the GC version is US-only release.. might stock up on a couple of em.
yes, it's been on the record officialy. Its all Fils-aime's fault too. He insisted that GC will get Zelda no matter what, so he had to keep his word or else he would lose his publicity somewhat. Thanks to that man we also get games like project HAMMER and DISASTER
Alchy, keep an eye out for HAMMER and DISASTER as they should be the new breed of nintendo games. They both seem to be a step in the right direction for a T rated game that actualy introduces something new franchise-wise. The reason you re not that "Excited" about them is the fact that with nintendo, everyone is after the "classic" recepies, so even internal developments that dont ring a bell seem to sit uneasily in our experienced brains
I'm getting tired of people saying that Wii isn't truly next generation because it doesn't support high definition, as if HD is the only major difference from previous consoles - what about the new ways of texturing and lighting being produced these days? Besides, there are very few screens I've found yet that can even run at the maximum 1080 resolution, so I won't be jumping on the HD bandwagon until more of these start to appear. Of course, there's also the matter of price (which I'm certain will generally drop over time along with HD-DVD/Blu-Ray hardware, dependent on whatever format survives the longest) and the fact I won't be able to use my old Saturn or Dreamcast lightguns... While that suggested 4X estimate might be slightly off the mark, take a look at these latest screenshots of Red Steel to see a more accurate representation of the final Wii power: http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/article/723/723082/red-steel-20060803094902078.jpg http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/article/723/723082/red-steel-20060803094858813.jpg Even without the benefit of HD, this still looks great to me... and that's supposedly only the tip of the proverbial icerberg, according to ATI (and if anyone should know, it's ATI)! Finally, on the subject of "prehistoric" systems, ever notice that the Saturn could run at a similar resolution to the Wii? Who said the world of technology was fast-moving?
My 486's graphics card was probably capable of 800x600, if not 1024x768 - supported resolution doesn't mean shit. To be honest, both those screenshots 1/ look to be running in a higher resolution than 480p, which the Wii will be stuck to, and 2/ don't actually look to have a much higher polygon-count than the Gamecube. Does this matter? Not to me. The Wii is "next generation" because it's the next generation. QED.
keep in mind that the screens you linked to are well above the native Wii resolution, so they arent exactly gameplay screens.:Girl:
Well you know... Resolution aside, if you watch a DVD of Shrek, Final Fantasy: Spirits Within or Advent Children, the detail on everything and the polygon count is unbelievable. So I guess it still comes down to the polygon count and how the thing is put together. Highest resolution of a normal TV is quite enough for games to look great. Sure it's nice to have the sharp HD graphics and high resolutions but that's not what makes the game look good. I can boot up a PlayStation game on an emulator in 1600 x 1200 and that doesn't change much. Red Steel looks awsome if you ask me, and if they downsample the resolution, that's fine with me. I wrote in another thread that I watched the new 360 Tony Hawk demo. Amazing details, but the framerate is crap. I've seen some videos of a Wii Tony Hawk game and even though it does have noticably simple graphics it runs amazingly smooth. Pair up that speed with Wii controller and you have one title I'd certainly play.
