Facing high levels of piracy on its hugely-popular handheld DS system, Nintendo will be hoping to prevent large-scale infringements on its next portable console; the DSi.
The company's first such anti-infringement countermeasure comes in the form of region-locked software - a means to prevent the import of games from overseas. A Nintendo spokesperson, speaking to CVG, confirmed "DSi software is region locked, for example European DSi software can only be played on European DSi consoles."
The announcement will come as a surprise to owners of current Nintendo handhelds such as the DS and Gameboy - both of which have steered clear of any region-specific restrictions.
Nintendo's primary explanation is that the "DSi embeds net communication functionality within itself and we are intending to provide net services specifically tailored for each region." Potential customers, however, may be put off by the inability to buy and play games when travelling between regions.
Despite the region-locked DSi software, Nintendo has confirmed that the DSi hardware itself, along with backward-compatible DS titles, will remain region free.
We'd expect Nintendo to introduce further infringement countermeasures to the DSi, but it remains unknown as to whether or not the widespread R4 DS flash card will function on DSi - allowing users to download and play games illegally.
