Nintendo has confirmed that the next-gen Wii U console set for release in just over two months - on November 18th - will be region locked, in line with previous generations.
This news will put a sad smile on the faces of import fans, that were hoping to be able to easily get Japanese exclusives working on their US machines. However it now appears that if you want to play those games not released in the West, you'll need to own a Japanese version of the console too. This also prevents people taking advantage of price differences in different regions, or getting games early if released elsewhere.
Perhaps this will lead to Nintendo not staggering release dates across the globe? Unlikely, but we can hope right?
The translated quote from the latest issue of magazine Famitsu that makes the claim is: "What can be played on the Wii U is restricted by a region-lock feature; software not sold in the same region cannot be played."
Of course it probably won't be that long before someone comes up with a clever little hack chip of some kind to allow for region unlocking and a variety of other functions, but that might restrict available online actions.
Does region locking bother you guys?