Jeremy Parish's NES Works Gaiden #008 - A brief history of region lockouts

We look at the horrible and hideous ball that Nintendo got rolling when it localized the Famicom to America and Europe as the NES: Region-locking. This quick (and not at all comprehensive!) overview of the different methods console manufacturers have used to prevent and punish international software importation does at least offer a promising light at the end of the tunnel: It appears to be a dying practice. Once 3DS shuffles off this mortal coil, we'll once again be free to buy games in yen and pretend we understand the mysterious runes in which their menus are written.