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China says it will lift ban on video game consoles
- Thread starter jaask
- Start date
HawksWinStanley
Member
Probably a stupid question but can you bring a console into China? Like if you were transferring for a job or something?
Zuhzuhzombie!!
Member
Nintendo announced they had planned on bringing the Wii to China but never followed through with it.
Of course.
You can buy them in China as well, just not formally. There won't be a "Nintendo of China", Chinese language games, and networking functions may be limited.
Of course.
You can buy them in China as well, just not formally. There won't be a "Nintendo of China", Chinese language games, and networking functions may be limited.
You are confusing Chinese with Koreans. Chinese don't discriminate Japanese electronic appliances, maybe a hair bit toward Japanese cars.
Goldenmoney
Member
This could potentially save the console industry. I don't see why Microsoft can't do well there too. People in Japan will always be loyal to Sony and Nintendo, but why should China? This is a huge market up for grabs. Go China!
As others have mentioned, Nintendo are best positioned to capitalize on this change. Cheapest hardware, family friendly focus that is more likely to get through censors.
The most likely consequence, though, will be Chinese gaming firms growing at the expense of Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony.
The most likely consequence, though, will be Chinese gaming firms growing at the expense of Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony.
Hypereides
Member
China says a lot of things. I'll believe it when I see it.
Zuhzuhzombie!!
Member
The PS Vita is an absolutely great product for the Chinese market, but your point about Nintendo is probably spot on. PS4 could be a high end system that will most likely see lots of adoption in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and New Taipei. Dunno about the Xbox One, but a slim, cheap, 360 may be able to penetrate the Chinese market.
Many Chinese can read Japanese just fine, so Japanese support for Sony and Nintendo devices will help. The lack of it will hurt MS.
I'm not sure I buy this. The PS3/360 are cheaper than the Wii U, but more alive than the Wii. Unless you're talking about the 3DS?
Fushichou187
Member
Thematically, I'm more interested in the types of stories that Chinese officials will allow to be officially pushed in their country. China may be allowing companies to sell their consoles (or make a new one specifically for that market) just as they've lessened restrictions on the types of western films that can be screened there, but it's still a big fat police state that's uber paranoid about domestic instability and the way its country is portrayed in any medium. I can't see something like Watch_Dogs getting released easily over there, or Sleeping Dogs; to say nothing of American military shooters like BF and CoD. I'd also be interested to see if they require some companies that wish to sell their games there to add in some sort of tacked on China-centric subplot or content a la the Chinese-release version of Iron Man 3 this year. It'll also be interesting to see what Chinese domestic development houses make for their audiences.
It certainly does seem like those shitty knockoff consoles you could buy in Hong Kong's Night Market.
Wat. Government-sponsored rage against Japanese products is a national past time over there. The most recent outburst was last year.
It certainly does seem like those shitty knockoff consoles you could buy in Hong Kong's Night Market.
Wat. Government-sponsored rage against Japanese products is a national past time over there. The most recent outburst was last year.
FairXchange
Member
If they turn this area into another Shenzhen, shouldn't be too difficult. China can ramp up production in a matter of weeks on certain projects, with enough investment anything is possible. Reading up on their manufacturing industry, they can do a lot because of the proximity to existing factories.
Chairmanchuck
Member
There is an official collaberation with Activison and Tencent. They released the CoD MP-mode as Call of Duty Online in China.
And you can play Crossfire or CS easily on PCs there, legally.
Its always so strange seeing people writing these things, when they dont even know how chinese society and the gaming-media there nowadays is.
So. If I give you some videos of demonstrations in eastern-germany against muslims, would you think all germans are like that?
kiunchbb
www.dictionary.com
I can't find an unhack console in China, there is a reason why Chinese-RPG went extinct even with the gigantic PC market, and RPG genre is very popular in China.
This is bullshits. Chinese gamers bought a lot of PS3 and its games. And unhacked Vita is selling better than hacked 3ds in many online stores.
Hence I mentioned Japanese cars. The insurance paid for most of the damage btw. I dare you find a picture of a Chinese trashing any Japanese electronics. You can even see people taking picture with tons of Japanese DLSR in those riot photos.
Its all a show to unofficially sanction Japanese cars without violating any international trade agreement.
Grey market imports. None of them are officially supported by the platform holder because they don't have a presence there.
All it means its that you will get "China mainland warranty" instead HK gray market warranty. AND you have to pay the 10% value added tax now.
You may get Chinese localization on some games if you are lucky.
GoodMorningPluto
Member
Wait, so you could manufacture consoles in China but not sell them?
Am i missing something?
Am i missing something?
Chairmanchuck
Member
As far as I know the reason was that it could hurt the "morale" of the children or such things.
Didnt make any sense, since on chinese PCs you have all those games like Counterstrike, Crossfire, DOTA, SC, WC3 and such.
Aad
Member
It could also mean official network support for the consoles online infrastructure and maybe buying digitally using a Chinese bank card.
Things which are pretty difficult or impossible to do at the moment.
H_Prestige
Banned
Didn't Sony already say they would start selling ps3 in China soon? I thought I read that awhile back.
Zuhzuhzombie!!
Member
Fushichou187
Member
First of all, I was specifically talking about thematic elements of these games. So no, I don't think the Chinese gaming public is going to get to play against a Chinese faction in BF4. Guess we'll wait and see, and I'll gladly eat crow if proved wrong. Bookmark it if you'd like.
And that "unprecedented partnership" with Tencent is a pile of F2P ridiculousness. Would you also like to discuss the rampant cloning and copying of IPs under Tencent's banner as well?
That's a straw man and completely unrelated to what I cited. I questioned the notion that there isn't real, government sanctioned, backlash against a wide range of Japanese products that gets whipped up whenever the words "Nanjing", "Yasukuni" or "Senkaku/Diaoyu" gets mentioned. That is a real and pressing concern for a Japanese company that wants to sell its products-- whether they be games or consoles-- in China.
Captain Tuttle
Member
I think that was part of one of Jeff Rigby's threads, he made a pretty compelling argument if I remember correctly
Chairmanchuck
Member
What is ridiculous about that? We dont know much about the MH-model yet and Xuandou Zhiwang e.g. plays great.
But the people who "eat" that up are mostly either old people or uneducated people. In my generation there is no really "hate" against japanese products. In fact, the contrary (at least in my experience) is the case. Chinese look up to japanese, because of their cleaniness and ehtic standards. The famous brands for body-products are either european or korean/japanese brands.
They love to watch their japanese animes and play Monster Hunter on their PSPs.
They rather buy a Sharp-TV than one by TCL (even though its also a good brand).
Sony especially is one of the brands "everyone" in China likes.
I know what you mean, but the "hate" for japanese products isnt as big as you might think.
Look, Chinese can afford the PS4 and can easily become the 2nd biggest market for PS4. If Sony want to take China seriously, pay the whatever money necessary too grease the wheels and bring PS4 to China.
The Chinese don't want PS3.
DS, 3DS and Wii, yes. Having lived in China, I must stress the unusual nature of the market there: The most important consideration is content; a hugely disproportionate amount of PS3/360 content will be blocked for violent content. Almost the entirety of the big AAA blockbusters on PS3/360 are rated M and will not be allowed.
Again, however, I suspect long term that none of the above will have especially strong success. They will be allowed to nibble at the edges of the market as the CCP sees fit, while Chinese firms learn and grow and take the bulk of the native market.
Chairmanchuck
Member
Im not sure how it will be checked before. I know you can access the whole steam library in China and can buy the games there in RMB. Would it be different with console-games?
I spent a good deal of time in China as recently as last year, and DotA2 betas were not available (which I noted because DotA is so popular in China generally). There were considerable restrictions on Steam in China when I was there. I accessed my library via VPN to my home in the US.
SwiftDeath
Member
The other thread that details the MS and Chinese company collaboration on a console for china makes me think Sony and MS will have a hard time selling their consoles in china
Likely face a lot of restrictions and such
Likely face a lot of restrictions and such
Chairmanchuck
Member
Yeah. DOTA2 wasnt available. Thats what I know, but I have been there in 2011 and I could access all my Games and played quite a good deal of them. Even bought some during the autumn-sale and didnt have any problems.
Maybe they changed it somehow.
No, they need to set up their operations HQ in the Shanghai FTZ, but not manufacturing. I don't think they envision the FTZ to be a manufacturing hub, but a financial/IT/corporate hub to rival Hong Kong and Singapore.
DerZuhälter
Member
How will this affect the F2P pc market? I wonder...
CryTek?
CryTek?
Fushichou187
Member
Yikes, no need to sound so insecure about it. Having a PS3 released in China doesn't mean that Chinese can't afford a PS4. China has the second largest population of billionaires in the world and one of the fastest growing middle class populations; tons of people just itching to hemorrhage that disposable income on all sorts of things, video games included. Of course middle-class Chinese can afford a PS4, but Sony will bring the console over there when it makes sense for them. The PS3, btw, is pretty fucking awesome and has an amazing library of games for it already.
Also, this:
is gross. But maybe if China is serious about doing business with console makers like Sony and NIntendo, it can demonstrate that by cracking down on grey market console manufacture in its territory and, more importantly, the modchips and flash carts manufactured in China that damage those companies directly.
I am just telling you want the Chinese will buy from the gray market.
Maybe you should read up on the news between Hollywood and China movie policy and the dealing between China Mobile and Apple before you think Beijing will accommodate the international console market.
This has nothing to do with the mod scene that was no the reason consoles were not in China.
This!! I'm laughing at the folks in the thread talking about the MS Chinese deal. As if that's going to be a bigger brand than PlayStation or Nintendo.
Zuhzuhzombie!!
Member
Yeah, the MS/Chinese console isn't going to be the Xbox One, so it won't benefit from Xbox One development. Where as if Sony pushes the TVita into China, it has a wealth of non offensive games that will require little porting.
ExigentContact
Member
There's no ban on handhelds in China, so they've known Pokemon for a while. It's also probably why the DS is the best selling console of all time (data shows that the PS2 has a slight lead, but Nintendo doesn't divulge the sales numbers from China for a variety of reasons.) Even if the DS only sold a few million more over there it would be a bit ahead of the PS2's final LTD.
Zuhzuhzombie!!
Member
Not really.
Fushichou187
Member
Then they'll keep buying from the GM until Sony or Nintendo decides to do business directly with the Chinese government. No one is saying that Chinese won't be able to buy a PS4, just that unless a company like Sony or Nintendo-- which have very different business mindsets (and some might argue, scruples) than a lot of American companies-- decides that the costs of doing business in China are negated by the potential gain, then they won't do it. Which, tbh, sounds like sound business practice.
Um, I have. There weren't very many nice things said about doing business in China. And you're right, I don't think for a second that Beijing will accommodate anybody but Beijing. They'll just continue the trend of turning a blind eye to IP theft and shoddy knockoff manufacture in lieu of trying to do actual business. If that's the case then they can fuck right off and go back to playing carts on their Polystation 3.
Zuhzuhzombie!!
Member
Not giving a shit about IP theft is the best thing about China.