Nintendo confirms region locking of DSi software

Vague as to whether this includes games

6 October 2008 18:39 GMT / By Verity Burns

Anyone that was thinking of nipping over to the States and getting their hands on a DSi when they come out over there next month may well want to think again - Nintendo has confirmed software created for the DSi will be region-locked.

This means that consoles will be locked to software designed specifically for that region and vice versa. So if you buy a DSi in America, you're going to need American DSi software.

Previous Nintendo handheld incarnations, such as the Gameboy and the DS have been region-free, allowing users to purchase games from abroad and use them on their machine.

Alas, Nintendo has said that the DSi will be locked because it "embeds net communication functionality within itself and we are intending to provide net services specifically tailored for each region".

The company added: "Also because we are including parental control functionality for Nintendo DSi and each region has its unique age limit made by different independent bodies."

However, the good news is that this will only apply to software that is compatible exclusively with the DSi - DS software will still be able to be used and remains region-free.

It's interesting and certainly worth noting that Nintendo refers to it as "software" rather than games. We'll have to wait for further clarificaton before we know quite the extent of the region-locking.

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