Region Locking is lame! Nuff said!
It's as simple as that.
It does NOT only affect 'hardcore gamers', it affects EVERY person in my position, someone working/studying/living/travelling in a foreign country for whatever reason (by choice, foreign wife, parents moving, company forcing you, military service, etc). My PS3 is Japanese, but all my games are UK/US (of course some Japanese as well).
- Are you a Japanese student in France but want to play your games in Japanese? Buy a French console and import games from Japan.
- Are you an American business man working in Japan but want to play your games in English? Buy a Japanese console and import your games.
- Did your handheld/console break while living in a foreign country? Just buy a new one immediately and play your old games without the fear of them not working!
- Are you studying Japanese/French/Spanish/English and want to use games as a way of improving? Import games without having to buy a new console from a specific region.
Don't understand what is so 'hardcore gamer' about the four examples above, but whatever. What I read in this thread is the typical 'it doesn't affect me so I don't give a damn'- mentality, which is tbh (sorry) totally retarded. There are many people who are not in the same position as you, and many people who, for a number of reasons, would like to import games from another country. Even something as trivial as a different BOXART might be a reason for some people.
Eventually, for me, this all boils down to freedom of choice/consumer freedom. I applaud every region free console, and will never support a region locked console. After PSP, DS, PS3, PS VITA and soon to be PS4, I do not support region locked consoles.
