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To the surprise of absolutely nobody, it has been confirmed by Japanese publication Famitsu (via a translated tweet) that the Wii U will feature a region lock system.

This is hardly a massive shock, as all Nintendo's domestic consoles have incorporated such a safeguard - only the Game Boy and DS ranges have opted out so far. The 3DS, which many expected to be region-free, also has a region lock in place.

Region locks prevent players from purchasing software from other territories and using it on their consoles.

[source uk.ign.com, via twitter.com]