Welcome to "What the F*CK is this sh*t?!", or WTFITS for short. This is a feature that will run once a week, and allow me to rant on things that have happened in the gaming world that week, that have just gotten my back up or has just annoyed me in general. So without further ado, let’s begin.

DSi Region-Locked. Why oh why Nintendo has thou forsaken us?! You come up with a DS redesign that actually adds new features and could sell crate-loads of units before it’s even released in the territory. You mention DSi software, and downloadable titles starting at £1.40! I think ‘Maybe we’ve judged you a little too harshly, oh ex-card-makers-from-Japan. Maybe we misread your foray into the casual market as a sign of idiotic moves to come’. And then I see it. The DSi software will be cocking region-locked. If I buy it now from Japan, I can only buy titles from Japan, and only have access to Japanese download titles and other such exclusive services. Why is this a dick move, you ask? Because the largest market for the DS (the US) will not be getting the DSi until next year. This time next year.

Used game deterrents. I buy used games because they’re cheaper. That’s the only reason I buy them. The cases are slightly damaged, the discs are in varying condition, and the game seller gets to keep 100% of the cash. It’s a lucrative business, and now the publishers and developers are fighting back on it. But not in the way I would love to see, which would be reducing the prices. Oh no, they’ve gone for the ass-y method. It’s just a start, but it’s enough to annoy me. It’s been happening more often, and Epic are the latest to do it (see our own article on it). Single use codes that download content. Now this is not new. I don’t expect codes to work more than once; it’d devalue them to almost zero. But, using Epic as an example, it’s stuff that you cannot get any other way. In Epic’s case, this is a map pack for Gears of War 2’s multiplayer. No sign of whether the maps that ship with the game on the disc (if any) are any good, either. This could just be the start. Imagine paying £10 less for a used game, and told that in order to be able to play it, you have to pay £15 to download critical files. Customer gets angry, Games Vendor has to do a refund, Developer doesn’t get his cash, Broken game gets to sod off.

Jack Tretton. Jack Tretton is the CEO of SCEA (aka Playstation America), and he’s got his head up his ass. Why? He thinks there will be a shortage of PS3s. With 360s under £100 in some stores (read: ASDA), and the standard price being $199 in the US, he’s got a case to prove. And when I say case, I mean he’s a nutcase and he needs to prove otherwise. This is the kind of crap PR that got Sony in the pan in the first place. They needed to rethink their strategy massively when the 360 price drop came through. What does he do? He defends a product that is going to fail if the strategy isn’t changed. It’s priced badly, the PR is a mess, and the number of exclusive games coming out for it are way down on it’s competitor. Don’t get me wrong, LBP is going to rock the PS3 for those that can sit down and play/design/create it. But for those that haven’t decided yet, can only afford one and look at the PS3, what does it have that the 360 doesn’t (Anyone who says ‘Sixaxislol’ or ‘Blu-ray’ will be sent headlong into their monitor)? Tretton, you’re the cancer that’s killing /ps3/. Get out, or shut up.

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