Parallel importing in video games

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Reasons for importing


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


Wider selection of titles. A large fraction of games are never released outside of Japan. This is especially true of the visual novel medium, or many games based on licensed anime/live TV series where very few titles have ever been given overseas releases. Those who are interested in these games but do not live in Japan can only enjoy them through importing. This also applies to Anglophone European gamers who purchase North American game releases, as it offers an extended selection of English titles. Japan is not the only region to have exclusive games which attract importers, simply the most common.
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Localization issues. Many import gamers do not want games that feature edited dialogue, changed names, re-dubbed audio tracks, removal(and/or censorship) of content, and/or other similar changes which often appear in translated editions.
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Collector's value. Sometimes, a die-hard fan of a series that is released in their local region will buy both the local and the Japanese copies. This is also sometimes done for special print or premium box versions which are more common in Japanese releases than those from other regions and come with special extras.


Language factor. Import gaming is common among students looking to improve their language skills, as well as native speakers of Japanese who do not live in Japan. This is also occasionally done with games in other languages, though less commonly. However, some non-student import gamers would learn foreign languages (English and Japanese) just to be able to play these games.


Advance release. Some do not wish to wait for a game to be released in their local region, and import the Japanese (non-local) copies to obtain the game sooner. This is very common in English-speaking countries (i.e. UK and Oceania) where games are often released later than in the USA. This is also sometimes done with consoles; shops offering advance PSP imports recently made news when Sony took action against them.


Financial reasons. Due to inflated release-prices, it is often considerably cheaper for gamers to buy foreign versions of popular games that have already passed out of the "new release" phase of their marketing in the foreign country. Furthermore, because of variations in international exchange rates and international video game market demand, import gamers may save money by importing games instead of buying localized versions, even when shipping and handling costs and import tax are taken into consideration. This is also true within the used games market offering used import games way cheaper than local new games due to the localization delay. Before the recent introduction of the Euro, new import games were commonly sold 40% more expensive by import shops than the European local edition. Similar price disparities exist between American and Asian markets.


Technical issues. US and Japanese games are developed with NTSC television specs (480 lines, 60 Hz) in mind. PAL specs (576 lines, 50 Hz) used in the EU (except France) require changes to the source code of these games. While some games are rewritten accordingly, some aren't (or are done so only partially). Issues include black bars on top and bottom of the picture to make up for the 96 missing lines, resulting in a distorted image. Due to the different refresh ratio, some PAL games are about 17% slower than their NTSC counterpart. An infamous example would be the entire SquareEnix lineup on Sony systems, as well as other RPGs of different make. Users could often override these effects by applying their own software or hardware modifications to their setup (thus forcing the PAL software back into its native 480i/60Hz resolution), but this may be out of the scope of some users, could potentially invalidate the system warranty (as opening up older cartridge-based machines was necessary to force 60Hz), and in some instances could disrupt "PAL optimisations" that the coder applied (such as PAL-optimised video or 576i menu screens - even where the game itself was not PAL-optimised). Another factor to consider is that certain features are inherently included with software in some territories (such as the 480p option on NTSC Nintendo GameCube consoles), but not on others. As HDTV hardware is spreading however, games for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are typically being programmed in 720p or 1080p (which are standard across all territories), thus eliminating the TV specs hurdle. Also - starting with the Dreamcast - most software in PAL territories included the option to play PAL software in its original 480i/60Hz format.


Difficulties of importing


Many game consoles feature varying degrees of regional lockout to discourage import gaming. Nevertheless, determined individuals find ways to enjoy their hobby. Some purchase Japanese (or non-local) game consoles to avoid the need to struggle with protection methods (though these are generally not able to play local games, in the event the user wishes to play both without modchips), while others prefer to have modchips installed inside of their machines. There are yet others who prefer non-permanent alteration methods such as boot disks, GameSharks, swap tricks, converters or other methods. Some purchase import games only for region-free consoles.


Voltage ranges


Additionally, the power ratings of the console's originating country might come into the picture. Some Pacific countries use a 240v 60 Hz feed and most Asian, European and African countries run off a 230v 50 Hz feed, while Japan uses a 100v 50/60Hz feed and the US uses a 110v 60 Hz feed. These factors are usually overcome with the use of a step-down (or step-up) transformer if the power supply of the console is built right into the console itself, or a replacement power block/charger if the power supply of the console comes from an AC-to-DC power block/charger.


The TV system of the console's originating country might also come into the picture. Even if a console's power issue is solved through a transformer/power block in the importer's country, the TV system might be incompatible. For example, If the console is a PAL machine, it would produce rolling pictures or no color when plugged into an NTSC display. Older system using RF output will also produce a loud hum, white noise or no sound in addition to the abovementioned picture problems when plugged in. While this problem never affects American importers bringing in Japanese consoles and vice-versa (due to both countries using NTSC), importers in PAL countries bringing in consoles from the US or Japan and vice-versa face this issue regularly. A couple of ways to work around this issue exists as well:


Use of a world-multi-system TV set (although most modern PAL TVs support both PAL and NTSC input)


Use of a system converter that specifically converts the console's output system to the importer's native TV system, or a multi-purpose system converter


Import compatible display with the console.


Additionally, on a modchipped console, certain games can be forced into displaying graphics in a different system using cheat devices.


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:


3DO Interactive Multiplayer1


Game Boy/GB Pocket/GB Light


Game Boy Color


Game Boy Advance/GBA SP/GB Micro


Sega Game Gear


Neo Geo


Neo Geo CD/CDZ


Neo Geo Pocket Color


Nintendo DS/DS Lite2


NEC TurboGrafx-CD/PC Engine CD-ROM2


Sony PlayStation Portable/PSP-2000/PSP-30003


Sony PlayStation 34


Virtual Boy


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 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.


3 While the PlayStation Portable is usually region-free, regional lockout is used to an extent in the console, and it's 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.


4 The PlayStation 3 is region free for all PS3 games, 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, but Sony has no intention to region lock PlayStation 3 games. Also, many games for the PS3 enforce server-side lockout for online play and additional content download.


Note: All pre-third generation consoles are not listed because at the time there was little to no importing and therefore are mostly region-free, however sometimes if an Atari 2600 game from a region the console is not from, there may be 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.


Cartridge-based protected systems


Consoles that feature regional differences in cartridge sizes or slots:


Sega Master System: North American, South American, Australian and European machines can run games from each others regions, but Japanese/Korean cartridges are incompatible, having the same shape and pinout as the Master System's Japanese predecessor, the Sega Mark III. This serves the purpose of backwards-compatibility with Sega SG-1000 games in Japan, as well as a form of regional lockout.


Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: The Genesis and European Mega Drive have a cartridge slot which is mutually incompatible with the Japanese Mega Drive, but the same pinout. The cartridges can be interchanged if either the cartridge slot is squared off, or a simple converter is placed on the bottom of the cartridge. Later in the Mega Drive/Genesis's life, some publishers, including Sega, produced games which would refuse to run outside the region they were marketed in. These games would require a more complex device such a Game Genie or an Action Replay, or a modification in order to play in a different region.


Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom in Japan): An NES can run Famicom games by use of a converter placed on the end of the Famicom cartridge. Some North American NES games released in the winter of 1985 use Famicom game boards with converters; it is possible to disassemble these games and use their converters, or simply purchase third-party ones. Its also possible to disable the lockout function completely, by doing very minor modifications to the circuit itself. The redesigned NES, unlike the front-loading console, has no region-lockout chip. North American and PAL region cartridges will not fit in Japanese Famicom systems, but can be played using a cartridge converter.


Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super Famicom in Japan): A North American Super Nintendo can run Super Famicom cartridges if two tabs are removed from its cartridge slot. PAL Super Nintendo consoles, while sharing the same cartridge size as the Japanese Super Famicom, require an adapter cartridge to work with Japanese or North American games due to a lockout chip that differentiates between PAL and NTSC versions of a game.


Nintendo 64: A Nintendo 64 can run games from another region by use of a device such as the Passport 64 which reads the regional data from one cartridge and game data from another. The North American Nintendo 64 could be modified to accept Japanese games by cutting out two plastic tabs at the bottom of the dust guard. US modification.


NEC TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine: The TurboGrafx-16 and PC Engine each have a slightly different pinout but internally are basically identical and only need a simple converter to play each others games. However, PC Engine consoles require a small modification in order to use a converter.


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.


The Sega Saturn has a fairly unique workaround; while a disk-based console, it has a cartridge slot generally used for backup memory, cheat cards, Gamesharks 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:


NEC PC-FX


Bandai WonderSwan


Bandai WonderSwan Color/SwanCrystal


Fujitsu FM Towns


Fujitsu FM Towns Marty


Casio Loopy


Daewoo Zemmix


Sega SG-1000 Mark I


Sega SG-1000 Mark II


Sega SC-3000


SNK Neo Geo Pocket


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


PAL-E


NTSC-C


NTSC-J


NTSC-U/C


References


^ a b c d e Ashcraft, Brian. The Import Gaming Gift Guide. Kotaku. 27 November 2008.


^ Bozon, Mark. Japan's Most Wanted: We dive into the world of import gaming, and return with some Japan-only gems. IGN. 2008-05-06.


^ a b c d Newman, James (2007-03-16). Videogames. Routledge. p. 52-54. ISBN 0-415-28191-1. http://books.google.com/books?&id=yGzcOB2iEigC&pg=PA52#v=onepage. 


^ The PSP FAQ: The facts and the future of PlayStation's portable. IGN. 2004-05-28.


^ Wiley, M. Action Replay for GameCube. IGN. 2003-03-19.


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