DSi-only software is region locked

by Ross Miller { Oct 6th 2008 at 12:30PM }

Nintendo's decades-long streak of region-free handhelds is coming to a close. In a statement to CVG, the company confirmed that Nintendo DSi-only cartridges and downloadable content will be locked to the region where you buy the Nintendo DSi. Web browsing, photo sharing and playing DS games will be region free, but US gamers hoping to import the console between now and "well into 2009" will probably have to brush up on their Japanese to enjoy the best new features.

We're not too worried, though. Something in our gut tells us that SD card slot will give region-unlocking ninjas in the homebrew community an easy "in."

Tags: dsi, japan, nintendo-dsi, north-america, pal, region, region-locked, us

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Lkr @ Oct 6th 2008 12:31PM

There goes all hope of me getting it

bigsofty @ Oct 6th 2008 1:47PM

Open Pandora here I come!!! :P

Haggard (Mr.ESC resurrected on a... thursday?!) @ Oct 6th 2008 12:31PM

Hooray for arbitrary corporatism!

dojita @ Oct 6th 2008 12:37PM

oh nintendo, how you continually disappoint me. I had the ds and bought games from both america and japan, and was happy i could do so... and for the first time since DK jungle beat we shared a bond of happiness. everytime you decided to actually put out an interesting game i was there ready to pick it up. remember phoenix wright? oh what fun times it was.

do me a favor and next time, stop being such a useless money grubbing attention whore will you? thanks.

Envoy @ Oct 6th 2008 12:40PM

Nintendo just pwned the dreams of importers. I can hear Reggie LOL'ing all the way here.

Vidikron @ Oct 6th 2008 12:43PM

Lame. I was thinking about importing one rather than waiting a half year while Nintendo shovels all their old stock on us, but I guess I won't now.

DEEZNUTZ @ Oct 6th 2008 12:49PM

So there are going to be games developed just for the DSi? I find that hard to believe... I hope N isn't that stupid to go ahead and fragment DS owners... but I have been surprised before.

Erwos @ Oct 6th 2008 12:52PM

At some point, Nintendo has to move on with their hardware platforms. With your logic, they should never have moved on from the Gameboy, because that damn GBA would fragment the market.

Think of it as _expanding_ the market. I, for one, would be far more likely to purchase a DSi game than the DS variant if it had strong multiplayer, due to the (so-far assumed) WPA support.

OhJustSomeRandomGuy @ Oct 6th 2008 1:22PM

This is just a message to all of you hardcore gamers out there.

Nintendo still hates you.

You get in the way of them having regular people adopt their games. They want you to go away so they can make Wii Music 2.

Vidikron @ Oct 6th 2008 1:27PM

@Erwos

But that sort of change is typically reserved for an entirely new system. I can understand Deeznutz's point... it's kind of lame to make such an tiny incremental change and fracture your fanbase with what is essentially the same system. I'm fairly certain he wasn't saying that they should release new systems at all.

Vidikron @ Oct 6th 2008 1:30PM

*shouldn't

Xoviet chiK @ Oct 6th 2008 2:13PM

More than likely it will just be small games that require use of the cameras. It will be stuff that NDSi purchasers would have wanted to play, and people who stick with the Lite or original model NDS probably want nothing to do with.

jonbo298 @ Oct 6th 2008 12:51PM

Why would a company make a game only compatible for the DSi? That's chastising your sales right there. Look at Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles for the Gamecube. That's how you lose alot of business by tying it to something that most (in retrospect) don't have with proper cables/hardware.

Exo @ Oct 6th 2008 1:00PM

becasue the dsi is going to have download games, something you cant do on a regular ds. all cart based games will work on both systems though

samfish @ Oct 6th 2008 12:57PM

Sucks. Doubly so since NOA absolutely refuses to release most of the good games on the DS (and Wii) in the US.

hey_big_dck psn:fuliano626 @ Oct 6th 2008 1:02PM

is the dsi like going from gameboy pocket to gameboy color or like from gameboy color to gameboy advance?

Vidikron @ Oct 6th 2008 1:29PM

Your first example. It's basically the exact same system, but with the addition of internal storage and some cameras.

pika2000 @ Oct 6th 2008 1:07PM

Talk about a great step backward. In this day and age, region locking is unacceptable, especially for a portable game. GB, DS, PSP, and even PS3 are region free. Nintendo seems to stuck in the 90s. And they wonder why people are pirating the games.

RobLink (Alex Kidd incarnate) @ Oct 6th 2008 1:32PM

The Wii is region specific, and a good size chunk of the 360's titles are. Doesn't seem to have hurt their sales.
Not that I'm defending this, I love the fact that I can import JP and US DS games. Did you know, for instance, that Prof Layton isn't yet out in the UK?

aristokrat @ Oct 6th 2008 2:13PM

I think when you use the DVD format you are required to make it region specific, per the DVD Forum's (or whatever they're called) rules. UMD's, BD's, and whatever carts you make yourself carry no such specifications. So the WIi and 360 had regions imposed on them by the technology they chose, while the DSi is only region-locked because Nintendo is greedy.

Mr Khan @ Oct 6th 2008 4:03PM

Yes, but Wii doesn't use "DVDs." They use "Nintendo Wii Optical Discs," a format that is a DVD in all senses but encryption and name.

So they could do as they wished.

Alex @ Oct 6th 2008 5:38PM

While I agree with you, i must say, that I have only ever bought once DS game from another country. It was Dementium, and it came from the US and I live in the UK. Anyone know when Moon comes out? If not already?

aristokrat @ Oct 8th 2008 5:42PM

So DVD's are only DVD's based on the encryption method, and not the actual physical media? I did not know that. So Microsoft could make a Blue-DIsc optical media solution for Xbox 720, using the same hardware with different data storage algorithms? Ah, the wonders of patent law...

Cheesecake Jones @ Oct 6th 2008 1:11PM

Somewhere, deep inside the internet, playasia.com sheds a silent tear.

bm @ Oct 6th 2008 3:56PM

Well, it's better off than lik-sang. ;)

Emceay @ Oct 6th 2008 1:15PM

You mean I can't play Jump Superstars or Naruto until they've been cleaned of nosebleeds and english dubbed? WTF Nintendo, you used to be cool. Then I got weak and bought a PS3 and now all of a sudden you suck.

Fernando Rocker @ Oct 6th 2008 1:19PM

mmmmm

The only games that will region locked are the DSiWare titles...

All the cartridge games are region free.

Emceay @ Oct 6th 2008 1:23PM

I can imagine reading about some choice games coming out on DSiWare in the future filed under games you will never play. However, having the potential for real time live chat is always appealing.

mayq @ Oct 6th 2008 8:55PM

@fernando:

"They confirmed that this means BOTH download-able games and future DSi-only cartridge-based games would be region locked."

scottiec @ Oct 6th 2008 1:17PM

Not a big surprise. Not at all. Why would Nintendo do something awesome for their fans. I mean they didn't even release Mother 3 in the US, even though they would have made loads of money considering the number of requests they have gotten to release it.
At least we have Fan Translation. Wooo!

neko to kuruma @ Oct 6th 2008 1:18PM

I was afraid of this. Moreso the DLC being region-locked. I didn't think Nintendo would actually region lock the DSi cart games too. Assholes.

OhJustSomeRandomGuy @ Oct 6th 2008 1:25PM

The Wii is region locked. DSi is region locked. The DLC is region locked. Your Nintendo points are locked to either the Wii or the DSi.

It's a common theme.

MC Double Def DP @ Oct 6th 2008 1:45PM

LOL @ avatar

neko to kuruma @ Oct 7th 2008 12:03AM

I was comparing it to the common theme with the Nintendo handhelds being region free.

WorMzy @ Oct 6th 2008 1:27PM

The hell Nintendo? Fuck right off. Now.

Being a European gamer sucks enough ass as it is, we don't need region locking to take handheld imports away from us too.

I am not impressed.

Hashbrown Hunter @ Oct 6th 2008 1:33PM

Looks like PSP gets the upperhand in the importing department.

Mr ESC,Lives Again. @ Oct 6th 2008 1:40PM

You know I've always wandered what was the point of region locked stuff?

For example my x360 won't let me play Soylent Green (Awesome movie) that I bought here but it lets me play Zombie which I bought in Seattle. (Zombie sucks,the only positive thing about that movie are 1 shower scene and free naked scenes of women who are now probably in their 60s or something..yeah not to mention the worst "Shark attack" scene like ever)

So what? is just there to be effing annoying?

Mr ESC,Lives Again. @ Oct 6th 2008 1:41PM

Ahem

*Wondered

PeterF @ Oct 6th 2008 5:20PM

pretty much, yes

motang @ Oct 6th 2008 1:43PM

Somehow I knew this would happen...well there goes my plan of importing one, going to have to wait for the US release.

Almadi @ Oct 6th 2008 1:59PM

Hey, not a problem. As long as you can download the titles from anywhere. A lot of people buy US Wiis so they can purchase US VC games from the UAE or whatnot.

But if they over enforce it (like some other company) and do IP region verfication to pervent the purchase of a US game on a US system not located in the US, then I'll sik Q-Bert on them.

Cyantre @ Oct 6th 2008 2:05PM

Gorram Nintendo! I was going to import a system for the first time too. Greedy sumbitches! Now we have to wait until after April of 2009 to get one of these babies.

Evan @ Oct 6th 2008 2:10PM

A third of the DS game cartridges I own have never been officially released in North America! For me, legitimately playing Japanese games was a major reason I bought the DS (otherwise I would never have bothered buying a portable system)!

Mr ESC,Lives Again. @ Oct 6th 2008 2:30PM

I just hope this doesn't affects the potential remake FFVI.

FFIV Was awesome and for any JRPG fan this sucks.

TheOverlord#2 @ Oct 6th 2008 4:32PM

You can play DS games on the DSi but not the games that are new to the DSi. They will probably only make a few DSi games probably, so it won't really matter if you move on to a DSi.

m-p{3} @ Oct 6th 2008 2:19PM

I'm pretty sure the normal DS software will be unlocked. My guess is that the DS Shop will be region-locked, that's it. We could still import DS cartridges, we just won't be able to buy japan DSi softwares.

EMaster @ Oct 6th 2008 2:32PM

No worries. I am very sure the Nintendo DSi Counterpart of Dark Alex will surely arise and place custom firmware on the DSi much like the PSP. No worries. That SD slot is seriously asking for it.

KirbyMeister @ Oct 6th 2008 2:39PM

I'm pretty sure this is just referring to the little DSi downloadable games you grab from the shop and not carts; I highly doubt Nintendo would be stupid enough to make DSi exclusive carts.

Bones3D @ Oct 6th 2008 2:53PM

Wow... DSi-only cartridges. Parents, welcome to system requirements hell.

I really thought Nintendo would be smarter than this. And, it says a lot about why we have the huge delay between Japan and the US. Nintendo probably doesn't have a system in place that would prevent accidental purchases of DSi-specific titles by non-DSi owners.

Most likely, this is going to require a renaming of the system to prevent confusion in our market and to increase demand.

BPMOmega [gamertag] @ Oct 6th 2008 4:15PM

That sucks. Seriously. Region coding is such an archaic practice.

At least in America, it affects a very small population, as many wouldn't want to import another version of the game (either because of the language differences, or because of the cost). So preventing those of us from importing is pointless and wouldn't result in a noticible loss of profits for the region.

For Europe, though... I'm sure importing is a much bigger thing over there; due to late releases, lower prices, and many Europeans understanding English.

Not that it changes my opinion, Nintendo does state their reasons for region locking: parental controls and net services tailored for each region.

Still sucks, though.

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