Parallel importing in video games

Import gamers are a subset of the video game player community that take part in the practice of playing video games from another region, usually from Japan where the majority of games for certain systems originate.

Reasons for importing

There is no uniform motivation among import gamers, but some common reasons for importing include:

Region-free consoles

While many games consoles do not allow games from other countries to be played on them (mainly due to voltage, localization and licensing issues), some consoles (often handheld, due to the universal nature of batteries) are not necessarily restricted to a certain locale. Some of these include:

Note: Pre-third generation consoles are not listed because at the time there was little to no importing and consequently there was little reason to introduce regional lock-out. Sometime importing difficulties may still arise (e.g. Atari 2600 games from regions the console is not from may introduce some glitches, such as missing colors).

Most handheld video game systems are region free due to most of them having a built in screen, run on batteries and being much cheaper to produce if they do not have a region lock on the system or games.

Disk-based protected systems

The majority of disk-based home consoles released in more than one region feature regional lockout, the main exceptions being the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer and the Sony PlayStation 3.

Modchips are a popular choice for many of these consoles as they are generally the easiest to use; however a poorly installed chip could permanently break the console. Some modern consoles, such as Xbox, cannot be used for Online play if chipped.

Boot disks are another common choice, as they are generally reliable and do not require risky installation methods. These disks are loaded as though they are local game disks, then prompt the user to swap them for an imported game, allowing it to run. A Wii "Freeloader" boot disk was launched by Codejunkies. However, the Freeloader boot disk was rendered unusable with the release of Firmware 3.3 for the Wii. Most Wii users have since turned to "hacking" their Wii instead using the "Twilight Hack", and when Nintendo patched the bug that allowed the exploit to take place in Firmware 4.0, users soon discovered another method, aptly called the "BannerBomb Hack". This, when combined with the Homebrew channel and a disk loader application, allows users to bypass region checks for Wii games. Aside from the Freeloader series, other boot disks include the Action Replay, the Utopia boot disk, Bleemcast!, and numerous other softmod disks.[8]

The Sega Saturn has a fairly unusual workaround; while a disk-based console, it has a cartridge slot generally used for backup memory, cheat cards, and other utilities. This same slot can also be used for cartridges that allow imported games to run. Some of these cartridges include regional bypass, extra memory, RAM expansion(s), and cheat devices all in one, while others feature only regional bypass and cannot play certain Japanese Saturn games that require RAM expansion cartridges.

The Xbox is not very restrictive due to the console being capable of "softmods" which can do things such as make the console region-free, allowing for burned games to be used and homebrew and multimedia functionality

All three major game console makers refuse to repair any system that has been modded or if boot disks are used.

Single-region consoles

Some consoles are only released in one region, and therefore have no protection. These include:

PC-based import gaming

The PC is a popular platform for import gaming as well. While some operating systems are unable to run games designed for other language versions of the same operating system, others, such as Windows XP and Windows Vista are capable of being set to run Japanese (and/or other non-local) games and other software. Another method of importing is using a region-free disk drive.

See also

Notes

  1. While the 3DO does not feature regional lockout, a few Japanese 3DO games can only be played on a Japanese console due to special kanji data not being present on non-Japanese 3DO. At the 3DO company's suggestion, the majority of game developers added these files to the game CDs so that they could be played on foreign consoles.
  2. The Game Gear contains an I/O port that allows the software to detect whether or not it is a Japanese console. However, it is not known to have been used for region-locking purposes.[4]
  3. However, the successor to the Nintendo DS Lite, the Nintendo DSi, is region locked for DSi and newer DS games, although it will still play older DS games of any region. Also, games for the Chinese iQue version of the DS/DS Lite do not run on non-Chinese Nintendo DS systems due to the more complicated firmware chip required to compensate the large Chinese alphabets.
  4. The Master System is not region-locked directly, however there are several differences that create compatibility issues between Japanese and western consoles. Japanese consoles (released in different variations as the Sega Mark III and the Master System) use differently-sized cartridges. Western consoles have bi-directional controller ports, while Japanese do not. Some software will check this functionality to determine if it is running on a Japanese console or not. Some games will display a different title screen, and Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap is known to refuse to play the FM soundtrack on a western console (even if a hobbyist-produced western FM sound unit is installed). Also, the BIOS in western consoles will check the game code to see if a Sega-defined header is found. This is done to check which of the Master System's media slots have a game inserted, and which to boot. Japanese consoles do not have this requirement, so Japanese games do not contain a header, so a western Master System will not be able to detect inserted Japanese software.[5]
  5. While the PlayStation Portable is usually region-free, regional lockout is used to an extent in the console, and it is up to the producer of the game to implement it. For example, some have claimed that the PSP version of Battlezone in some countries are region-locked. Likewise, UMD movies are also region-locked. Additionally, the firmware is programmed to detect the region of the console and only display some features in consoles released in certain countries. For example, the Asian version of the PlayStation Portable series will not display the Extras option in the XMB despite the user upgrading the console using a copy of Firmware 6.20 that is obtained from the US site. Sony disables the function on Asian consoles because non-game applications for the PSP has yet to be released in the region despite applications being already available for download in other regions. Likewise, the US version of the PlayStation Portable will not enable the TV option to allow live streaming of TV channels from PlayStation 3s that are equipped with the optional USB tuner accessory that is only sold in Japan and the UK.
  6. The PlayStation 3 is region free for all but one PS3 game, however it will honor the region-coding of Blu-ray movies, DVD movies, and PS1 and PS2 games. The PlayStation 3 also supports regional lockout using a system based on the region-coding of Blu-ray movies. Also, many games for the PS3 enforce server-side lockout for online play and additional content download. At the moment the only game that enforces a console regional lockout is Persona 4 Arena. Additionally, each PSN store is region-locked so that it will only accept local credit cards or gift cards, and is tied to the region of the user's PSN account. However, with a few exceptions (Notably, Joysound Dive, which is only available on the Japanese PSN and refuses to work if downloaded onto a North American PS3 from a Japanese user PSN account), most content on all PSN stores, including PSOne and PS2 classics, are region free.

References

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