Bad news! Nintendo has confirmed with Eurogamer that the company's upcoming handheld console the DSi will be region locked meaning that European software will only work on European consoles, and more importantly US and Japanese software won't. Previous DS handhelds, Gameboys etc were not region locked meaning you could play the latest Pokemon release from Japan in USA or Europe. Nintendo has reasons for locking the DSi "because DSi embeds net communication functionality within itself and we are intending to provide net services specifically tailored for each region. Also because we are including parental control functionality for Nintendo DSi and each region has its unique age limit made by different independent bodies.".

The Nintendo DSi is due to launch in Japan on 1st November, and Nintendo UK has previously said that the revised hardware - sporting a bigger screen, a camera and an SD card slot - will launch in Europe next spring.

[Eurogamer]