Note: I'm mainly a retro fan with my library vastly dominated by NTSC-J formats and I thought I wouldn't go beyond the Dreamcast or DS regarding newer consoles. Generally speaking I greatly prefer the design and styles of the classics and it's also the era before DRM and dependencies on online services. I've been entagled with Japanese language for a few years now; I chat with natives in their tongue and am so accustomed to RPGs being in original Japanese format that I feel mentally confused or misguided when things appear in English (like a live stream or Youtube video etc.) Renaming of things due to localisation drives me up the fucking wall - long story short I'd rather stick to JP formats even for the modern stuff. I even run my PCs and phone in Japanese. >_>

That having been said I'm surprised that I'm considering getting a Wii U. I've been seeing a handful of players showing Mario Maker online and it's absolutely brilliant. Classic 2D Mario is great and having those elements come back with an infinite supply of challenges made by level creators worldwide is simply awesome. Despite how much fun this game looks I will never buy a console for one game. Especially a current gen console that has a big price tag still hanging from it. I've been reading wiki to get an idea about the Wii U hardware, particularly the game pad, and the list of games from Wii and Wii U. Shockingly I jotted down about 40 Wii game titles and 20 Wii U titles that looked interesting to me or will probably be things my girlfriend would also enjoy. I doubt I would ever own that many games for PC Engine yet I do have the Duo-R. I'd have trouble naming even 10 Wii games I would have wanted to play until today when I took a good look at what it had to offer. I never got the Wii because of input lag, not because it lacked fun games to buy for it; more comments on that below.

Major demotivating aspects: Nintendo is still region locking their stuff - even the 3DS which was a heartbreaker considering I bought a DS domestically knowing it runs JP games without modification... To my knowledge the Wii U hasn't been "jailbroken" yet but that's my first question. Can the Wii U be region unlocked at this time or am I stuck importing the console to get NTSC-J? I also hear that the language of the system interface is based on the region i.e. a US console does not offer Japanese mode. (This is lame, even Xbox 360 offers all languages, c'mon!) Other demotivator - Nintendo's bad rep with digital downloads and purchases. I don't trust them and I hate DRM with a passion (I will never use Steam for better or for worse) so I will probably refrain from WiiWare and VC completely. Only games printed on physical discs would be considered. That way in 20+ years I just need my discs kept safely and a properly working console to play what I bought. I play games over *30* years old so yes it's not so unreasonable that I might still want to enjoy a Wii U in 20 years' time. (Wasn't there a rumour that NoJ wanted to patch the Wii U firmware to lift the region locks in effort to improve business i.e. try to drive game sales up? Why has this not happened yet for fuck's sake!)

I don't know what to expect with a Japanese Wii U in America. How does it behave online? Does it connect to NoJ's servers or does it detect where on Earth I am and connect to NoA? What about service support such as Netflix? Basically what surprises are in store and what drawbacks are in store with this console? I don't mind how it connects one way or another as long as I can interact with the rest of the world as though I was using the domestically regioned console. Oh, how about this: will NoA honour warranty on an NTSC-J system or am I shit out of luck there? They have like a 20-year plan for service on their hardware but I've never considered making use of their services with any consoles since my stuff is not North American... Plus the classic consoles generally don't fail since their machinery is much simpler with few moving parts. Ah, I remember the infamous EULA update that Nintendo issues to all Wiis that you MUST accept or you cannot use your console anymore, period. And within that EULA was a disclaimer that Nintendo reserves the right to access and modify your console's memory and contents at will, without notice or consent, at any time at their sole discretion. This, DRM, and region locking piss me off to no end and will have to be acceptable "losses" if I choose to get a console. It's creepy that they COULD send remote commands via the Internet and brick my console if they felt like it. Another reason why I like to cozy up next to a SFC that evil NoA can never pry from my fingers. Now I'm just being silly.

Next question goes for Wii support. Allegedly Wii software is not 100% supported... but according to a random thread on GameFAQs (not so credible right lol) everything works aside from 1 random WiiWare game and DDR due to lack of controller inputs. Don't care about those exclusions, but I do care about INPUT LAG. It's what drove me insane trying to play the original Wii. I think before Wii U launched Iwata announced the input lag problem would be solved for Wii U. What can I expect with a Wiimote and the sensor bar via the Wii U? I tried Wii U for about 5 minutes for the very first time at a demo station at the store in town, and I used the gamepad with Mario Maker. I didn't perceive input lag but it's not a motion sensitive controller so that is expected.

Speaking of compatibility I assume all hardware that connects to the system such as ALL controllers (U pad, classic controller, wiimotes) and basics like the video output (I'd need s-video, or I could try HDMI with my new trinitron WEGA.... but I'd want s-video to keep this thing with the rest of my collection!) If all hardware is compatible, I could try to import the console by itself to reduce shipping costs and just buy the rest of the pieces domestically. Fucking region locking.

Models: U has 8GB and 32GB. Wiki says in June 2015 the 8GB basic console was discontinued in Japan. Granted I don't want to mess with WiiWare and such, do I care about internal flash memory? I'm sure I will fill it with Mario Maker downloads eventually lol. Wiki also states SD cards are supported and external HDDs are supported. If these external media are supported equally as internal flash, I couldn't care less about going with 32GB, and save a few bucks snagging the 8GB version.

Any surprises or recalls on hardware craftsmanship? The original Famicom with square buttons comes to mind. Software firmware issues perhaps? I saw a used Wii U on a japanese auction where the seller states the fan is making strange noises. Xbox RRoD and PS3 yellow light issues come to mind as well. Seems like modern consoles tend to have catastrophic failures early in their lifespans. If Wii U failure rate is very low then I can feel better importing it should I decide to buy it.

Speculative questions: how long can we expect online support to be provided? What is the state of Wii's online support, as a frame of reference? Most titles I would buy should not rely on the Internet much, but most enjoyment from Mario Maker is based on going online to get maps and such, so I have to think about this aspect too. Any speculation on price drops? Rumours about the NX are rampant and I wonder if we can expect Wii U to shave off another $50 or so from the retail price sometime soon, who knows? Reference point: I saw a bundle for retail at $300 last night at the demo station that includes a black 32GB console with Mario Kart included. Japanese Amazon sells the Mario Maker bundle for about $370 after currency conversion but I'm pretty sure prices are more balanced elsewhere.

Playing together with my girlfriend happens to be an important part of considering buying this console so that means understanding multiplayer support. Is it necessary to buy a 2nd game pad or is the classic controller and/or wiimote sufficient? I'm confused about input devices outright with this damn thing. Wii was almost exclusively about motion support via the wiimote -- now it seems they backpeddled a bit with Wii U, focusing on the classic style of control, correct? Hopefully the gamepad is not mandatory beyond the first player; not just because a "regular" controller should be cheaper, but because my girlfriend says the gamepad feels a little too big for the size of her hands. LMAO

I also don't understand the compatibility with the gamepad's display serving as the TV. Can this be done with any game that does not use the gamepad like the Dreamcast uses the VMU? What is the range on the gamepad e.g. can I go into another room and continue playing a game on the gamepad as if I'm holding a 2DS or something? How about the battery? They say the launch model dies in about 3 hours of play, but they added another 1000mAh or so in a revision to extend that to 5-8 hrs. (Thanks Wiki.) Is the battery swappable; how do I identify which model game pad is included if the retail box is purchased bundled with the console?

My apologies if I appear to have crawled out from a rock but I basically did. I've been hiding in 8/16-bit land for a long time and the era since Xbox 360/PS3 really put me off from modern gaming that I have basically ignored it outright, thanks for the hardware failures, DRM headaches, and large libraries of modern crap.

I'm still stunned that the original Wii has so many appealing titles. Much better than the jeux du jour from the 360/One/PS3/4 offerings I guess. Phew that is a lot to say but this is the best place to ask these difficult questions especially the cross-region worries. I'm hoping there are NTSC-J Wii U owners here too to provide the greatest insight.