Region Locking

Overview

Your Japanese cartridge won’t fit. Region locking divided the world into territories—games and consoles from one region couldn’t work together. Physical cartridge shapes differed. Lockout chips checked region codes. The result: import culture, mod chips, and frustration when desired games never received local releases.

Fast facts

Purpose: Territorial market control.
Methods: Physical shape, lockout chips.
Result: Import culture, modifications.
Modern trend: Decreasing restrictions.

Reasons for region locking

Reason	Explanation
Pricing control	Different prices per region
Release timing	Staggered launches
Content licensing	Territorial rights
Localisation	Force local versions
Parallel imports	Prevent grey market

Implementation methods

Method	Platforms
Cartridge shape	SNES, Mega Drive
Lockout chip	NES (10NES)
Disc region code	PlayStation, Saturn
Console settings	Later systems

Regional cartridge differences

Super Nintendo/Famicom

Region	Cartridge shape
Japan	Rounded, smaller
USA	Rectangular, larger
Europe	Same as USA

Mega Drive/Genesis

Region	Physical difference
Japan	Smaller cartridge
USA	Larger shell
Europe	Same as USA

Circumvention methods

Method	Application
Adapters	Physical converters
Mod chips	Bypass lockout
Console modification	Remove region check
Import consoles	Buy foreign hardware

Import gaming culture

Aspect	Detail
Specialist shops	Import retailers
Magazines	Coverage of imports
Premium prices	Higher cost for imports
Language barrier	Japanese-only games

PAL vs NTSC

Difference	Impact
Refresh rate	50Hz vs 60Hz
Speed	PAL often slower
Borders	Black bars common
Optimisation	Few properly converted

Modern evolution

Trend	Status
Physical media	Declining use
Digital stores	Often region-free
Nintendo Switch	Region-free hardware
PlayStation 4+	Games mostly region-free

Territorial restrictions