Rumor: Confirmation of 3DS Region Lock has Surfaced

 

News that will surely disappoint Nintendo import enthusiasts has come to light today.  Evidence has surfaced regarding the existence of a region lock in Nintendo’s upcoming handheld.

Apparently, someone contacted Nintendo support in Japan, and received a response confirming the existence of a region lock.  The original translation can be smoothed out as follows:

” There are no region codes in DS and DSLite systems.  DSi, XL, and 3DS systems have region codes.  These region codes are installed in each game as well as the 3DS itself.  If the region codes don’t match, the game will not play.  For example, a Japanese 3DS game will not play in a Korean system (and vice-versa).”

This appears fairly cut-and-dry.  We’re following up for additional information on this in relation to the North American and European markets…