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Regulator says it has no plans to penalize Wii users

The National Communications Commission (NCC) denied yesterday that it had ever said it would punish users of parallel imports of Wiis, the latest home video game console launched by Nintendo Co.

"Regulating consumers' use of the product and the importation of electronics equipment are two different things," commission spokesperson Howard Shyr (石世豪) said.

"We have made it clear that we do not punish consumers. Should they have any doubts [about the product], they should check if there is any legal certification label attached to the products," he said.

Shyr said in a prior statement that the government needed to check and certify products such as Wiis to ensure that the products do not interfere with any telecommunications system or pose health hazards.

Misunderstanding

But the media misinterpreted his statement by saying that the NCC would penalize Wii users. Worse, the media even asked Premier Su Tseng-tsang (蘇貞昌) for comments about the measure.

A Wii player himself, Su had described the NCC's move as "really annoying."

Hearing that the commission has no plans to penalize Wii owners, the premier yesterday said: "This machine is a great invention. It is a good thing ... I am glad the NCC will not bother the public with the issue again."

"I am a Wii lover myself. I think it is a good thing to know that Wii has become so popular in Taiwan. The fact that such a new invention could become the hottest product -- although it has yet to be sold officially in stores -- is a sign that Taiwan is in touch with the times," Su said.

Despite the recent controversy and hype surrounding Nintendo Co's Wii, its sole distributor in Taiwan still could not confirm when the long-awaited game consoles would hit local shelves.

"Wii is coming soon and [we will] hold a large-scale debut party for fans," a Hakuyu Ltd (博優) official, who requested anonymity, told the Taipei Times yesterday.

She could not give a specific time frame, as the introduction date is determined by Kyoto-based Nintendo.

Wii has yet to be released in Asia, except Japan, which saw its debut last December.

Regional launch

But Taiwanese consumers will be one of the first markets to enjoy Wii when it is launched in the region, the Hakuyu official said.

With rival Xbox 360 and Play-Station 3 already on sale here, eager gaming fans are getting their hands on the parallel imported versions of Wiis from Japan or the US.

The official estimated that "hundreds" of parallel imported Wii consoles had been sold in Taiwan since its US debut on Nov. 19.

Impatient consumers could buy them on auction Web sites such as Yahoo-Kimo Inc and Ruten.com, or at major IT shops including Nova.

"We are not able to do much with these unauthorized products, but consumers must be aware that they should not expect any maintenance service from us if there is a problem," the official said.

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