Yes, The 3DS Is Region-Locked (And Other Downsides To The System)

We weren’t entirely sure if the Nintendo 3DS was region-locked in the past, with various corners of the Internet making different claims, ranging from the system being completely region-protected to partially so. Now we know.

Kotaku had a chance to talk to Nintendo director of product marketing, Bill Trinen, who confirmed that the device is indeed region-locked. “Different regions have different ratings systems. The region-locking allows us to provide the different parental controls to deal with the ratings in each territory,” Trinen told Kotaku.

On the bright side, the Nintendo 3DS operating system lets you multitask. You can suspend a game and open up the system’s web browser (which can be grabbed off the Nintendo eShop) to browse the Internet, look up a FAQ or what have you.

However, Wired’s Chris Kohler reports that the Nintendo eShop and browser won’t be available at launch…along with the ability to download 3D movies and transfer DSiWare games over to the system. Nintendo’s own documents indicate that these features will be added via a firmware update post-launch, with no date specified.

For other Nintendo 3DS features you may or may not be aware of, check out our post on the subject.