Xbox 360 games, DVDs will be regionally locked

IN A PRESS briefing just before the Tokyo Game Show 2005 started, Volish spinners put the world on notice with the news that the Xbox 360 will be region locked, not just for DVD movies but for games, too.

There will be no more "imported games" sections in stores, since Microsoft prefers to sell the same title for different prices.

If we go back a bit in time, Hollywood decided to divide the world into five zones with totally logical combinations, such as placing Iceland, Ol' Mother Europe, Japan and South Africa in a single region, named Two. I never understood the Japan part, but that move really carved a way for anime sub-culture gaining ground in Europe.

However, regionalisation never works, since there is always more ways than one to skin a cat. DVD regionalisation also failed - first DVD Jon, then Amazon.Com and other US-centric e-tailers sending stuff to all parts of the world and Pioneer/Samsung making DVD players unlockable with a nice combination of three buttons on a remote.

Sony shows no such regionalism with its PlayStation Portable console, but it remains unclear whether the same principle applies to the PlayStation 3.

The last proof that regionalisation does not work is the fact than then there would not be MMORPG sweatshops in Asia making virtual money and exchanging it for real currency. On US servers. And oh - on European servers as well. µ

L'INQ
Teambox