Based on an email sent from Nintendo Japan’s support, which was later re-posted on ruliweb, it seems that the 3DS will be region locked. For all those who planned on enjoying imported games, this no doubt throws a wrench in their plans. While the DS and DS Lite had no region coding, the DSi did include regional restrictions, at least for DSi specific games.
This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise but it is par the course for Nintendo recently. Unfortunately for many in Europe, where many games are imported, this may force them to purchase multiple versions of the same console. This also affects those who use their portable systems extensively when they travel, because games from one region will simply not work on a different 3DS. The email goes on to state, “if you play a Korean 3DS game with a Japanese 3DS system (or vice versa), you won’t be able to play at all.” It does not specify if this applies to both 3DSiware and cartridge games, but more details should emerge as the launch nears.
While it is a huge setback for those who actively import games, I don’t think it will have much if any ill effect on the success of the 3DS. Region locking seems to stem from the device’s expanded online capability and financial decisions made by publishers. In a region free eco-system there are more chances for networking complications, something we didn’t have to worry about in the days when you could put a cartridge from anywhere into your Game Boy.
The 3DS is set for release on February 26th in Japan with a March release in North America and Europe.
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