Possible Region-Free Wii?

During an interview with IGN, Nintendo’s Perrin Kaplan, VP of Marketing and Corporate Affaris, was asked whether we could expect the Wii to be region-free. She replied:

“Clearly, the success of Nintendo DS has offered a lot of lessons about what works in the marketplace - and we certainly intend to keep our fans satisfied. For the Wii system, we are finalizing all the relevant details and will be making announcements in the coming months.”

Nintendo would certainly benefit from a region-free console, the region-free DS is quite popular when you think about the amount of games that are being imported from Japan. Gamers don’t have to wait several months before a certain title appears in the Western part of the world. Kaplan continues:

“You’re right that the region-free approach has proved to be a successful and attractive feature for Nintendo WiFi Connection on Nintendo DS we have even blown the doors off our own anticipated numbers! Cost, ease-of-use and player privacy are the three things that were a focus for us with Nintendo WiFi Connection. Those priorities also will apply to the Wii system.”

So we can say with 99% accuracy that the Wii will be region-free, simply because it’s a proven concept and makes sense, both financially for Nintendo and for the gamers.