What is Digg?70 Comments
- polg, on 10/10/2007, -2/+25basically: "answer is too complex, so we don't answer". Terrible PR!
- LemonManX, on 10/10/2007, -1/+23Wow. Seriously Nintendo. Don't contact him then respond to his questions with "We don't comment on these issues."
- DylanJohn, on 10/10/2007, -0/+19Surely they knew what kind of questions he was going to ask, following on from his report? Why bother to invite him to submit questions, knowing it would be something they were simply going to give a "no comment" to?
- darkphate, on 10/10/2007, -1/+19please do something soon nintendo - i'd rather not have to resort to chipping the Wii so soon....
- spikeshinizle, on 10/10/2007, -0/+15Nintendo AU could have at least replied with something a little more considerate. The "we don't comment on these matters" card just makes it look like they dont have any real answer to these questions.
- epileet, on 10/10/2007, -0/+10ive given up on waiting for nintendo aus to release games, dont put up with this crap just get a modchip
- geartype2, on 10/10/2007, -0/+10at least they'll have games to play though :)
- treelovinhippie, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8You won't believe the ***** I heard from friends a couple of days ago regarding their Wii.
3 of their nunchucks were playing up and causing characters to get stuck etc. So they sent them to Nintendo cos they were under warranty. Nintendo said that one was due to some kind of shock and so wasn't under warranty (would cost them $40 to get repaired). And the other two Nintendo said had nothing wrong with them (very odd) and that it would cost them $20 EACH just to get them sent back.
***** ridiculous. - Corqueatsz, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7..yet.
- Migwelion, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7If only they listed "gamecube style delays" on the box under "Wii sports game included", then maybe we'd have gone with a US Wii instead.
- estvir, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8With the X360 we don't get screwed over for release dates, we tend to get them the same day as America or at most, 1-2 days later.
- Ranneko, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6And this is why I imported a US Wii, we get fewer games, later and at a greater cost, and this at a time where the Australian dollar recently hit an 18 year high.
It is much cheaper to just import from the US, shipping is still a mere fraction of the price difference on games. - Promantarius, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6I always thought the delays were directly due to our tiny population.
United States: ~302 million.
Europe: ~728 million.
Australia: ~21 million.
It would seem that their priorities follow the large markets, which is entirely logical since they'd make more money in them. They aren't going to rush in the hopes of selling their AAA game to 5% of the Australian population (1 million people) when they could rush to sell it to 5% of Europe (36 million). (I'm aware 5% isn't the number that's usually sold, I'm just pointing it out for population comparisons).
I'm happy that they don't delay our release dates longer than they do, when you think about how little they gain in comparison to the bigger countries you have to be appreciative of the companies bothering to release here so early. - Jacob, on 10/10/2007, -2/+7australia = australia
australia is not part of asia it is it's own continent,, sure it's closer to asia then it is to the US or europe but it's in no way part of asia. - Lixie, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4So they gave him a personal opportunity to ask questions directly to Nintendo, and Nintendo responded with "no comment". Damn, just mail the guy your stock answer and save him the time writing all of those questions.
- ursername180, on 10/10/2007, -3/+7I love Nintendo. HOW COULD THEY DO THIS TO ME! D:
- quamb, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4I doubt that.
Nintendo has been like this in Australia for years. Super late releases, NO marketing, NO in store presence etc... It actually suprises me people even know what Nintendo is here, let alone actually sell their hardware/software. Wii had a slight media blitz at launch, and Aus Nintendo seemed to be on the right track... seems they got lazy again pretty fast. - icsbase, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5I don't know about Australian versions but here in the europe, the delays are caused by 2 things
1. Language support - those pesky French and German people have to have their own language in every game for some friggin reason and translation causes delays. Also there are several other languages to be included in the game package. For example, every official Nintendo game has the support stuff and instructions booklet included for each country's own language.Sadly the game itself is not in these languages.
2. Converting game from NTSC -> PAL system takes it's own time. Well, can't be that long since Super Mario Galaxy is to be released only 4 days after US release date. - pansapiens, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3It's true, most customers just buy the crap and take whatever they are given.
Since Nintendo is playing in a slightly different market to the Xbox 360 and PS3, it's not like the Wii has any serious competition. Sure one class of gamer chooses between Wii, Xbox 360 or PS3 (or buys all three) ... but another class of gamer (call them the "casual gamer" if you like) wouldn't really even consider the other consoles seriously ... the decision is simply buy a Wii, or don't buy a console at all. - kalidav, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Please Digg even if you aren't in Aus! This relates to releases in all regions (such as Japan, US, etc!)
- Mikau735, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3If Nintendo are going to reply with an answer like that, my mind's made up. I'm either going to modchip my Wii or import an American or a Japanese console.
- spooky07, on 10/14/2007, -0/+3How about getting region free instead.
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3remember the days when nintendo.com.au was just a big picture link to US Nintendo...weeeak
- bevrigy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3it is frustrating but i'm over it. i've been buying nintendo products here in New Zealand for the last 15 years or so and its just something we've always had to put up with.
gives me more time to enjoy our clean air and un-crowded beaches - Dracusis, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Dugg because anything that highlights how large corporations continue to ignore Australia/NZ in almost every market is a bloody good thing.
I understand that prioritising larger markets makes sense financially, but any imported goods already see huge mark-ups here and very little of it is tax. We're not stupid, we can see that you are giving almost every other region but ours plenty of love and attention, and we're pissed about it being left out and over capitalised. If someone steps up and makes a commitment to provide the same level of service to the AU/NZ markets we will notice, and we will flock to it. Sadly, no one seems to give a *****. - DylanJohn, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3It's not so much a matter of 'needing' to get it right away, rather that the delays are often without any apparant reason. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, for example, were roughly two months behind the American release, with no particular cause evident. It certainly wasn't a matter of PAL/NTSC, given that we're talking about a DS game, and it wasn't a matter of localisation, because the only 'localisation' that occured was sticking an Australian rating sticker on the front; other than that, the Australian release was identical to the American version. Maybe it was down to production difficulties, where they weren't able to make enough units to supply both markets at the same time, and that'd be fine with me, but we weren't made aware of any such issues.
You also have to realise that these aren't just two month delays we're talking about. The first Phoenix Wright game didn't get here 'til a year or so after it was released in America. - quamb, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Hah! So true.
Worst thing is, I've actually now moved overseas - and now have to wait it out and eventually IMPORT games from Australia. Even though they are already released and on the shelves here. It makes no sense to me what so ever. - mcbaggert, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2that honestly makes no sense - there is no reason that Aussie Nintendo delays the release. The reason must be what Promantarius pointed out - smaller population = lower revenue, so who gives a *****?
You can be sure any press release that says "No comment" means "We don't want to answer the question because the only reason is that we wouldn't make as much money."
Shame Nintendo. Now they'll probably complain of the large amount of people mod-ing their Wii in Aus/NZ. They deserve it. You treat your consumers like ***** and they respond in turn - mod away my fellow brethren, mod away! - inactive, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3LEAVE NINTENDO ALONE!!!!!!!!!
- DNABeast, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2It's a shame that Nintendo don't take the personable road here. That IE7 blog from Microsoft is a good demonstration of a company getting it right. At the same time, because of the tiny population in Australia I'm sure it's just not economically feasible to release a separate PAL version to the European market.
- bmarc, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2I call Boycott!
- xbw_shane, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1+1 ;-)
- LemonManX, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Because its unreasonable to know we have to wait an extra 4 or 5 months for some games to even see the light of day here. And sometimes they even still retain glitches that the NTSC versions had.
To think other regions are having fun playing all these games and you have to wait just because of a stupid region lock (which should be abolished) - MadeffeX, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I just called the mod shop. $100 to chip my wii. I'm doing it tomorrow and importing metroid. I will never buy another wii game in Australia again. ***** you Nintendo, I feel dirty!
- phillyjo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Since when does: "Nintendo Australia has no comment; Nintendo Australia does not comment on these issues" count as responding?
- Beerduck, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Ok, that might not be fair, but as an European I have no sympathy for him since I've always had to wait equally long for games to get from US to Europe. I just checked the top 10 most popular Wii games on Gamefaqs and most of the games get to Australia exactly a week later. That's not too bad considering they're not the only ones waiting. And I think the reason for the delay is cost. It's much easier for them to take the US NTSC version and translating it for Europe while at the same time making it PAL. It would be a huge cost waste if they took the NTSC version and had to make 2 different PAL versions out of it. This makes it much easier on them.
Now I don't think it's a good thing because I hate having to wait months for a good game that I know is already available on the other side of the ocean. But that's the way it's been for as long as I can remember and probably wont change. - rikwakefield, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1This is ***** about the whole PAL thing. Mario Strikers Charged Football was released in UK way before it was in Australia.
Add Paper Mario to that list too.
Bad excuse Nintendo. - grifta67, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Don't get me wrong, the wait you guys haveta deal with is just plain silly. That being said, I was pretty annoyed when I read through that entire dissertation from Mr Davies only to have the climax be "no comment."
...which I guess illustrated the whole point of this article that much more. - hinki, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1And yet Mario Galaxy is able to be released within days of other regions? So why do other games take so long??
It just makes absolutely no sense? - Kittani, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1There are no reasons for these delays - every other distributor for almost every other game, whether it be for PC or other consoles, can manage to get their goods approved and distributed over here in ready on launch day. I'm disappointed in the response, what a joke.
So if Nintendo Australia wont comment on these issues, who from Nintendo will? - Beerduck, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1What? If I understood that quote properly, australians get their games at the same time as europeans. So what the hell is he complaining about!?
- chesty139, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Come on Nintendo! You have really let me down.
- MadeffeX, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Jesus Christ Nintendo Australia are pathetic.
Step one - Sell console (check)
Step two - release some god damned games
Step three - PROFIT!
It's that simple dimtendo, pull your ***** socks up!
People hate Microsoft, but you losers are making them look like the golden child. Global release dates for their AAA titles (getting Halo 3 before America because of the time difference was sicknuts!), and bugger all delay for all other important releases. If they can do it, you can too.
You're just lucky I already bought the wii. But if you don't sort your ***** out in this console life cycle, then I will be forced to vote with my wallet the next time you try to sell me a console. - mak404matt, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1How about everyone bombards NAL's PR department with the:
What is involved in the localisation process that causes these extreme delays of software titles? Looking at the Office of Film and Literature Classification’s database, Wii software titles are often rated for release many months before they are available for sale. It is my understanding that video game software must be at a final, pressing-ready stage before it can be submitted for classification (OFLC, 2007). If the software titles are at this level of progression at the submitted time, what causes the actual release date to be pushed back so far?
Due to both Australia and Europe sharing the same PAL video standard, Australian Wii owners are generally forced into waiting for games to be translated into the various European languages before any PAL release is made available. To the best of my knowledge, there has never been an Australian–specific Wii game SKU, with all first-party Australian region Wii software releases containing the exact same discs as the fully translated European release. This is an issue that has been raised by many of my readers. Does Nintendo Australia have any plans to release its own versions of Wii software, without having to wait for the various game translations needed for the European audience?
The topic of Regional Lockout systems implemented on the Wii console has been extremely debated since the publishing of the mentioned report. Due to the wide availability of 60Hz-compatible displays within Australia, and the ability for Australian released Wii consoles to output to this format, any technical differences between regions have become nothing more than trivial. A statement was released by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission four years ago; it states “The ACCC has long believed that region coding is detrimental to consumer welfare as it severely limits consumer choice and, in some cases, access to competitively priced goods” (ZDNet, 2003). Does Nintendo Australia see how the Region Locking mechanism present in the Wii not only limits consumers’ choices in the aforementioned ways, but also forces them into putting up with the extreme software release delays?
Region Locking has also been outlined in the presented report as a form of both market manipulation and consumer bullying; Does Nintendo Australia agree with this? I feel that these are strong but very well founded accusations, and I am certain your consumers would like a response.
I bet if their inbox was full of them every day someone might actually get a response? - SpencerAdams, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1The fact of the matter is, that if we, as consumers and enthusiasts, want a change to occur, something bigger has to happen. Not just Blogs, Diggs or Forums, but something real. Try a mass boycott, bite the bullet and go for broke. If that doesn't change their position on commenting on "these matters" nothing will.
- SirVantes, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Generally we don't get Nintendo games the same day as Europeans, earliest is a week or two later. Can be a far, far longer a wait than that though. He's also complaining about the fact that Australia has to wait so long for Nintendo games due to translation needed for a continent on the other side of the planet, so would like to have just a PAL version of the English language American title sold in Australia instead of having to wait for the European version. And he's partly complaining on behalf of the Europeans as well, like why does Europe/Aus/NZ wait a month for Metroid Prime 3 (over a month in the case of Australia/NZ, which is another example of Australia waiting even longer than Europe for many games), when the PAL version of Halo 3 comes out same day as America, BioShock just a few days after America, etc. MP3 wouldn't take as long to localise as those titles, as even though there is all the scanning text to translate, there is nowhere near the same amount of voice work to be done, which surely takes longer than simply text.
- popesatan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1So why is Nintendo apparently the only big publisher of Wii games that feels the need to prioritize larger markets over Australia? None of the major third parties seem to have any problem releasing games here at close enough to the same time as everywhere else ...
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1"Nintendo has been like this in Australia for years."
Over 10 now. Mistakes going on for that long tend not to get fixed... - inactive, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1That'd be the PS3.
- jayjay79, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I think it is quite simply a numbers game. Europe does have a larger population so as I'd expect they'd get the games sooner. Unfortunately, we in NZ do have to wait a particularly longer than acceptable time to receive these great games down here. Is it any wonder people modify their systems and pirate games? I am looking forward to Mario Kart Wii though :)
And a little JAYJAY waits... -
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