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NA Wii Region Unlock?

JediNightJediNight Registered User regular
edited December 2007 in Games and Technology
I've tried googling info, but only seem to find articles about things in the works, and searching these forums is hard when Wii is too short a search term ;x

Does anyone know if there are any modchips or bootloaders to allow NA Wii consoles to play JP import Wii games?

JediNight on

Posts

  • Scott_CameronScott_Cameron Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=43526

    There are modchips, but we cannot discuss them in this forum.

    Scott_Cameron on
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  • DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    In general, discussing modchips for importing (and homebrew) is usually accepted here.

    That said, the current batch of Wii chips allow neither imports nor homebrew and as such aren't going to help anyone here, at least for now.

    Daedalus on
  • Scott_CameronScott_Cameron Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Daedalus wrote: »
    In general, discussing modchips for importing (and homebrew) is usually accepted here.

    That said, the current batch of Wii chips allow neither imports nor homebrew and as such aren't going to help anyone here, at least for now.

    That, and Nintendo's Wii updates pretty much destroy every import exploit the mod chips would use, and thus render them useless (they even tell you in the system update!). This is especially bad for chip users because the latest games apparently require the updates.

    Anyway, yeah, this isn't the best place to discuss it...

    Scott_Cameron on
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  • DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Daedalus wrote: »
    In general, discussing modchips for importing (and homebrew) is usually accepted here.

    That said, the current batch of Wii chips allow neither imports nor homebrew and as such aren't going to help anyone here, at least for now.

    That, and Nintendo's Wii updates pretty much destroy every import exploit the mod chips would use, and thus render them useless (they even tell you in the system update!). This is especially bad for chip users because the latest games apparently require the updates.

    Anyway, yeah, this isn't the best place to discuss it...

    Oh, and the best part: if you pirate a game from the wrong region, and it contains an update on the disc (as MP3 and Mario Galaxy did), and the Wii tries to apply that update, your console magically transforms into a paperweight. Do not pass go, do not collect your warranty replacement.

    Daedalus on
  • langfor6langfor6 Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Daedalus wrote: »
    Daedalus wrote: »
    In general, discussing modchips for importing (and homebrew) is usually accepted here.

    That said, the current batch of Wii chips allow neither imports nor homebrew and as such aren't going to help anyone here, at least for now.

    That, and Nintendo's Wii updates pretty much destroy every import exploit the mod chips would use, and thus render them useless (they even tell you in the system update!). This is especially bad for chip users because the latest games apparently require the updates.

    Anyway, yeah, this isn't the best place to discuss it...

    Oh, and the best part: if you pirate a game from the wrong region, and it contains an update on the disc (as MP3 and Mario Galaxy did), and the Wii tries to apply that update, your console magically transforms into a paperweight. Do not pass go, do not collect your warranty replacement.

    This isn't exactly accurate. I could only get a Japanese Wii here in Korea, so I have a Wiikey installed to allow me to play American games. As long as you keep your firmware up to date you won't have any problem. If you apply a newer firmware update from a different region than the one you have on your console, you cannot enter your settings, and you sometimes get duplicate channels. To fix it you have to get a copy of a game from your region with a newer firmware than the one on your system. Last summer I played Mario Strikers Charged without updating my Wii firmware, and I had to wait until Super Mario Galaxy came out to fix the issue. I was able to play games just fine the whole time, I just couldn't adjust the settings.

    Also, there are some games that just flat out won't work. I can't play the US version of Mario Galaxy, so I had to buy the Japanese one. It wasn't a big deal to me, because I don't need the text to enjoy the game, and I needed the firmware update.

    The downside to having a Japanese Wii is that I don't have access to the American Virtual Console. I don't know if you can change the settings like you can with the PS3 to access stores from different regions.

    langfor6 on
  • JediNightJediNight Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    That's unfortunate :( FFC: Crystal Bearers is coming out in Japan in a few weeks and I wanted to import it to play on my friend's new Wii he just bought, but I guess that's looking like a slim chance now. And I don't really feel like dishing out $250 for another Wii just to play JP import games >.>

    JediNight on
  • tardcoretardcore Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    I never understood why someone would want to import an RPG title, knowing they won't be able to understand what any of the characters are saying.

    tardcore on
  • Mmmm... Cocks...Mmmm... Cocks... Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    tardcore wrote: »
    I never understood why someone would want to import an RPG title, knowing they won't be able to understand what any of the characters are saying.
    Well the first game had just about no story at all - in fact I really drop it in the party game category(IE I'd never play that shit alone). This second one looks like it actually has a bit so I'd be worried a tad, but it also looks insane and I'd love to play it NOW.

    Mmmm... Cocks... on
  • UberEvUberEv Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    tardcore wrote: »
    I never understood why someone would want to import an RPG title, knowing they won't be able to understand what any of the characters are saying.

    There are some of us who do understand what the characters are saying though and we are the ones who want to import.

    UberEv on
  • tardcoretardcore Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Ok, got it.

    tardcore on
  • apotheosapotheos Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited December 2007
    UberEv wrote: »
    tardcore wrote: »
    I never understood why someone would want to import an RPG title, knowing they won't be able to understand what any of the characters are saying.

    There are some of us who do understand what the characters are saying though and we are the ones who want to import.

    I've been around the block more than a few times, and the number of RPG importers who can understand written Japanese is in the vast minority compared to impatient fanboys. I think tardcores' point is valid.

    apotheos on


    猿も木から落ちる
  • apotheosapotheos Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited December 2007
    Everyone who wants to discuss mod chip solutions had damn well better understand our zero tolerance policy on piracy. If you want to discuss the general nature of mod chips to play import games, thats fine. Please don't link to any purveyors of mod chips though, as 90% of them seem to be very proud about how it lets you shit all over the game developers.

    apotheos on


    猿も木から落ちる
  • King RiptorKing Riptor Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    langfor6 wrote: »
    The downside to having a Japanese Wii is that I don't have access to the American Virtual Console. I don't know if you can change the settings like you can with the PS3 to access stores from different regions.

    This is a bit off topic but isn't the Japanese VC like 100 times better than the North american counterpart?

    King Riptor on
    I have a podcast now. It's about video games and anime!Find it here.
  • JediNightJediNight Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    I took 6 semesters of Japanese in college, so yes I can more-or-less read it. And it helps to keep me in practice as well. Nintendo also tends to lax pretty far behind on the NA releases, so I'd rather import than wait another year.

    JediNight on
  • UberEvUberEv Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    JediNight wrote: »
    That's unfortunate :( FFC: Crystal Bearers is coming out in Japan in a few weeks and I wanted to import it to play on my friend's new Wii he just bought, but I guess that's looking like a slim chance now. And I don't really feel like dishing out $250 for another Wii just to play JP import games >.>

    Whoa how did I miss that Crystal bearers is coming out in mere weeks? I'll have to grab that. I hope you just need Wiimotes and Nunchucks and nothing else though.

    UberEv on
  • AbsoluteZeroAbsoluteZero The new film by Quentin Koopantino Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    I would think Datel had a Freeloader in the works for Wii, but I doubt it'll ever come to fruition now that Nintendo has made it clear they will squash any such device with firmware updates.

    AbsoluteZero on
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  • Xenogears of BoreXenogears of Bore Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    UberEv wrote: »
    JediNight wrote: »
    That's unfortunate :( FFC: Crystal Bearers is coming out in Japan in a few weeks and I wanted to import it to play on my friend's new Wii he just bought, but I guess that's looking like a slim chance now. And I don't really feel like dishing out $250 for another Wii just to play JP import games >.>

    Whoa how did I miss that Crystal bearers is coming out in mere weeks? I'll have to grab that. I hope you just need Wiimotes and Nunchucks and nothing else though.

    If it actually comes out next week, I'll pull a Mikami.
    It's not coming out next week

    Xenogears of Bore on
    3DS CODE: 3093-7068-3576
  • UberEvUberEv Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    UberEv wrote: »
    JediNight wrote: »
    That's unfortunate :( FFC: Crystal Bearers is coming out in Japan in a few weeks and I wanted to import it to play on my friend's new Wii he just bought, but I guess that's looking like a slim chance now. And I don't really feel like dishing out $250 for another Wii just to play JP import games >.>

    Whoa how did I miss that Crystal bearers is coming out in mere weeks? I'll have to grab that. I hope you just need Wiimotes and Nunchucks and nothing else though.

    If it actually comes out next week, I'll pull a Mikami.
    It's not coming out next week

    Yeah I just checked around and cannot find a release date, so I guess I'll go back to thinking it is never coming out.

    UberEv on
  • whitey9whitey9 Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Daedalus wrote: »
    In general, discussing modchips for importing (and homebrew) is usually accepted here.

    That said, the current batch of Wii chips allow neither imports nor homebrew and as such aren't going to help anyone here, at least for now.

    That, and Nintendo's Wii updates pretty much destroy every import exploit the mod chips would use, and thus render them useless (they even tell you in the system update!). This is especially bad for chip users because the latest games apparently require the updates.

    Anyway, yeah, this isn't the best place to discuss it...

    Yeah.. this isn't true at all. Current Wii modchips do indeed allow for imports to work, just not all of them. Japanese games usually play on USA Wii's (come to think of it, I don't know any that don't work from Jap->USA), but USA games only play on PAL sporadically. While Nintendo patches the Wii via their online update, none of these have had effects on the modchip's ability, to my knowledge. As far as Wii bricking, that usually happens when a import game with an update on it is put into a Wii of another region, but I even think their are ways around this.

    Long story short, you can use a modchip to play import games, but I would never say it's reliable enough that I would want to crack my Wii open to do so. Their is a wiki somewhere that has tested games with different region's wii's and reported their findings, but I can't remember what it is.

    whitey9 on
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  • JediNightJediNight Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    So JP games should work in NA Wii's without a modchip or bootloader you're saying?

    JediNight on
  • whitey9whitey9 Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    JediNight wrote: »
    So JP games should work in NA Wii's without a modchip or bootloader you're saying?

    Oh. No, not at all. But as far as I know, JP games work on NA modded Wii's with a pretty decent success rate, but you usually have to rip the game to an ISO and then run the game through a program that changes it's region.

    I think it's much more work than it's worth.

    whitey9 on
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  • bombcarbombcar Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    It might almost be worth it to just buy a Japanese Wii!

    bombcar on
  • JediNightJediNight Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    $50 game -- $250 game console to play it. Sweet deal! ;)

    JediNight on
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