Nintendo seems to say that software programs which are created specifically to work on the new Nintendo DSi will be region locked, which means that European gamers will not have access to content only destined for Asian customers.

A statement released by Nintendo UK reads, “DSi is region locked because DSi embeds net communication functionality within itself, and we are intending to provide net services specifically tailored for each region”.

It appears that the main reason is the need to provide clear parental controls and because these vary from region to region, software will have to be locked to make sure that kids don't use foreign region software to gain access to content they should not see.

Cammie Dunaway, who is a representative of Nintendo of America, told the GameLife blog from the Wired network, “I believe that just as you can currently buy a DS in Japan and use it here in the U.S., that you should be able to do that with DSi. I carry around my Ice Blue DS because I like the color, and I could find it in Japan and couldn’t find it here”.

Reggie Fils-Aimé, who is the Chief Operation Officer of Nintendo of America, also had an evasive response regarding region locking. When G4TV inquired him, he answered, “To be honest I don’t know for sure, I will look into it”.

On the other hand, it seems that Internet browsing will be available cross region and that software which was initially destined for the original Nintendo DS or for the Nintendo DS Lite will work without any restriction on the DSi.

If the dates that have recently come out from Nintendo are to be fully believed, then the Nintendo DSi should be arriving in Japan on November 1, while the United States will have to wait until April 2009 to see it. Europe is supposed to get the new handheld sometime in spring 2009 while Australia will only receive units in the second half of 2009.