Global E-store v.s no region lock

[kilenem]

I always thought the Main reason for Region Lock was to combat piracy. When I read stuff about people trying crack the 3DS one of the major hurdles is the region lock. I always wondered what if Nintendo and Sony just opened a global E-Store. Would that be better? One thing I always hated about importing games were the price. Some times its like 60 dollars American for a PSP game before shipping. It would make me so mad a as a kid that I could Change the country on my PSP to Japan and see these awesome games on PSN but couldn't download them because I need a Japanese address. Older me would've just used a Japanese University address so I could buy the games.

Do you think a Global E-Shop could make Region Lock pointless

 

[KeyMaster45]

Region locks are already pointless and are only there currently because companies want to be able to charge different prices for the same product. Originally regions were necessary because of things like the NTSC and PAL standards, however, any hurdles those presented were dismantled decades ago before the dawn of consumer home video. Your TV will not explode if you try to play a game for the NTSC-J region on a PAL device, but the device will refuse to play it regardless.

I had a friend by a region spoofing kit for his PS2 so he could play KH2 Final Mix+. It comprised of a disc that loaded the PS2 past the point where it checks for region, and a plastic do-hicky you used to manually pull out the disc tray and replace the region disc with the game.

Region locking has never been about stopping piracy, and it has never been effective at stopping piracy. It's all about corporate control, and it's really only now that companies are starting to realize that it actually increases the profit margins to make a game or console region free; players essentially take care of the international distribution for them.

Would a global e-shop make such a process more accessible? Of course it would, but it would not make region locking pointless since such a practice already is pointless.

 

[Sack of Cheese]

I think this practice only benefits publishers.

Some games are published by different companies depend on the region they're released in, and price them accordingly too. In some areas, games are priced higher than others, such as Europe or Oceania. (due to a lot of factors like demand, cost of translating, distribution fee, warehouse maintenance fee...)
If everyone buys games off a specific publisher, the other won't earn any profit despite paying for the licensing.

 

[TheRaider]

I always thought it was to allow release to staggered nowasays, so they could release in one before another without fear of the internet.

This isn't the best strategy since people often end up turning to piracy here when the US counterparts already have it, especially TV programs.

 

[UnnDunn]

As usual, the situation is much more complicated than most people here will admit or acknowledge. While region-free consoles might be a thing, there will never be a single digital store to serve all regions. Laws and markets differ throughout the world, and no single store is going to be able to reconcile all of that. Regional publishing subsidiaries handle things like localization and local promotion, both of which are vital to a game's success in various regions, and those subsidiaries often work on different schedules from each other, necessitating different release dates. As long as this situation exists (which it will for the foreseeable future), digital stores will always be split into regions.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Region locks are pointless already and I despise them, and a global store would be nice, but ultimately not every game has localisation everywhere, EU laws may create a further divide in the future, and sometimes you want to charge some countries twice as much as others.

 

[kilenem]

Region locks are pointless already and I despise them, and a global store would be nice, but ultimately not every game has localisation everywhere, EU laws may create a further divide in the future, and sometimes you want to charge some countries twice as much as others.

I thought this would games that have no chance of getting Localized for certain reasons. Like if you lived In Australia you could by pass the importing banned games a little easier. I know they got a new rating system but they still won't allow Saints row 4 there and a XBLA title.

 

[kilenem]

Region locks are pointless already and I despise them, and a global store would be nice, but ultimately not every game has localisation everywhere, EU laws may create a further divide in the future, and sometimes you want to charge some countries twice as much as others.

I know a couple things might come into play because of that like taxes and basic economics allows you to charge cheaper for a product if more people are going ot buy it. I know that's why everything is cheaper in the U.S usually we are the Largest consumers of Products. People will make their money back at a quicker rate even if the product they sell price is lowered. I know stuff in Canada is more expensive then the U.S and Canada's dollar is stronger but California has more people then Canada.

 

[kilenem]

As usual, the situation is much more complicated than most people here will admit or acknowledge. While region-free consoles might be a thing, there will never be a single digital store to serve all regions. Laws and markets differ throughout the world, and no single store is going to be able to reconcile all of that. Regional publishing subsidiaries handle things like localization and local promotion, both of which are vital to a game's success in various regions, and those subsidiaries often work on different schedules from each other, necessitating different release dates. As long as this situation exists (which it will for the foreseeable future), digital stores will always be split into regions.

Wouldn't it help Publishers if they say that their game was selling well in one Area they didn't support. Now they Know if they market their product in that area it would sell. Instead of Nintendo releasing like five copies of Animal Crossing or Fire Emblem because those were their B-team Franchises and they didn't know if they would sell well. Then their were shortages, Mainly with Fire Emblem. Yeah Nintendo they were going to sell well their was a drought of great games. Their were good games on the 3DS but Fire Emblem and Animal crossing have a cult like following.

 

[kilenem]

I always thought it was to allow release to staggered nowasays, so they could release in one before another without fear of the internet.

This isn't the best strategy since people often end up turning to piracy here when the US counterparts already have it, especially TV programs.

Usually I don't believe in Piracy but I'm like Fudge that crap when a New Pokemon game comes out. I ain't waiting three months for that game to get localized. Thank God they Finally are doing a simultaneous release date X and Y. Don't get me wrong I buy the pokemon Games even if I run them on a emulator because its about being social. For people who only run Pokemon gameson Emulators I just picture the forever alone guy because he doesn't have friends to trade

 

[Phrozenflame500]

I know a couple things might come into play because of that like taxes and basic economics allows you to charge cheaper for a product if more people are going ot buy it. I know that's why everything is cheaper in the U.S usually we are the Largest consumers of Products. People will make their money back at a quicker rate even if the product they sell price is lowered. I know stuff in Canada is more expensive then the U.S and Canada's dollar is stronger but California has more people then Canada.

That only really works for physical copies though, a strictly digital system could bypass this due to the lack of a need for shipping. Take the US/Canada example, a server hosted in the US likely would be able to serve Canadian consumers at about the same ease as American consumers due to how most Canadians have the same level of internet as their American counterparts. Because of this digital products tend to cost the same in Canada as they do in the US.

 

[Bellvedere]

A global e-shop would make region locking pointless since not only would it undo any potential benefit of choosing to region lock a console but it would also be insanely more problematic than region free.

Different pricing models - A global e-store would mean that everyone is buying for the same price. This would mean that either the store would be prohibitively expensive for many countries and/or it would kill local sales for other countries.

Classifications - Either every game would have to comply with the strictest classification codes or particular games wouldn't be available at all on the e-store.

Localisation - Would be practically impossible for games that have different publishers for different regions. Why would anyone spend money to promote or localise a game that's already easily available through the e-store.

Staggered launches - A global e-store would either cripple local retailers or games wouldn't be available on the store until it had been released everywhere that it will be released (thus providing no benefit to those wishing to get the game earlier).

Piracy - Not much idea how it affects piracy (other than providing additional motivation to pirate) but if the separate regions complicate piracy efforts than surely introducing games sold through the e-store that can be played on any region console would counter any positive effect that region locking would provide in that regard.

 

[gyroscopeboy]

Classifications - Either every game would have to comply with the strictest classification codes or particular games wouldn't be available at all on the e-store.

This is probably the main one. We'd all have to adhere to Germany's batshit insane gaming laws.
]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_gaming_in_Germany#The_USK_and_censorship [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_gaming_in_Germany#The_USK_and_censorship]

 

[kilenem]

I know a couple things might come into play because of that like taxes and basic economics allows you to charge cheaper for a product if more people are going ot buy it. I know that's why everything is cheaper in the U.S usually we are the Largest consumers of Products. People will make their money back at a quicker rate even if the product they sell price is lowered. I know stuff in Canada is more expensive then the U.S and Canada's dollar is stronger but California has more people then Canada.

That only really works for physical copies though, a strictly digital system could bypass this due to the lack of a need for shipping. Take the US/Canada example, a server hosted in the US likely would be able to serve Canadian consumers at about the same ease as American consumers due to how most Canadians have the same level of internet as their American counterparts. Because of this digital products tend to cost the same in Canada as they do in the US.

That is why I was thinking a global eshop would be better then just getting rid of Region lock because you don't have the other cost with buying a physical copy.

 

[kilenem]

Classifications - Either every game would have to comply with the strictest classification codes or particular games wouldn't be available at all on the e-store.

This is probably the main one. We'd all have to adhere to Germany's batshit insane gaming laws.
]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_gaming_in_Germany#The_USK_and_censorship [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_gaming_in_Germany#The_USK_and_censorship]

How do digital classifications work exactly, because its not like every game on Steam has a classification because a large chunk of them are indie and might not be able to afford to get a classification rating. I imagine they charge for classification ratings. Correct me if I'm wrong

 

[kilenem]

A global e-shop would make region locking pointless since not only would it undo any potential benefit of choosing to region lock a console but it would also be insanely more problematic than region free.

Different pricing models - A global e-store would mean that everyone is buying for the same price. This would mean that either the store would be prohibitively expensive for many countries and/or it would kill local sales for other countries.

Classifications - Either every game would have to comply with the strictest classification codes or particular games wouldn't be available at all on the e-store.

Localisation - Would be practically impossible for games that have different publishers for different regions. Why would anyone spend money to promote or localise a game that's already easily available through the e-store.

Staggered launches - A global e-store would either cripple local retailers or games wouldn't be available on the store until it had been released everywhere that it will be released (thus providing no benefit to those wishing to get the game earlier).

Piracy - Not much idea how it affects piracy (other than providing additional motivation to pirate) but if the separate regions complicate piracy efforts than surely introducing games sold through the e-store that can be played on any region console would counter any positive effect that region locking would provide in that regard.

I mention pricing before in my first part of my argument. it doesn't make sense for a older PSP games to be 60 American before shipping when your trying to import a game from Japan. I think the global eshop will turn into a free market. Games that are cheaper will sell but games form trusted Publishers will cost more. It would be similar to steam. Not every game isn't 60$ American or 5$

I don't understand how digital classifications work because not all steam games have classifications or even MMO'S. The people buying the games would more then likely be 18 plus and you could just put a 18+ rating for games outside of your region. I am basing this on being American.

I think the global e-chop would help localization. If you notice a particular region has down loaded your game many times you know you would make your money back when you advertise and Localize it. Most sells are still Physical. Most of the people who would've bought your untranslated game would probably are the same people would've paid 20 to 40dollars extra to ship your game to the U.S. They aren't the average consumer who go pick up the game because they saw a add on tv. The guy who imported saw a leaked trailer on a Japanese website two years before the game came out.

I think I covered retailers in the sentences above.

I think their are different reason why people Pirate. Somepeople you can't convince not to pirate even though they are the reason for Always on and Region locks. While others might Pirate because they don't have access to a product by legal means. I think if you can make the product more available without risking the integrity of your product you should