Nintendo DS: Region Specific?

Cafe Society
1

Nintendo handhelds have been region-free so far; the GameBoy Advance and the GameBoy Advance SP are able to play Japanese import games directly by just plugging them in (unlike the GameCube.)

Does anyone know if the new DS is region-free as well?

2

I’m not sure, but offhand I’d say it’s not region specific.

  1. I have never seen any handheld that is region specific. The Neo-Geo Pocket Color wasn’t, for one.

  2. Apparently, in the settings for the DS, there’s a Japanese language option. Also, I think the DS was released simultaneously in the US and Japan.

For extra fun, try using the Japanese language option with your American games. I’ve heard that it changes some DS games to the Japanese version, to include things not included in the Japanese version. I know for a fact that if you set the NeoGeo Pocket Color to Japanese and play Metal Slug: Second Mission, the language changes to Japanese and blood appears when you kill enemy soldiers.

Also, if you have Darkstalkers 3 for the PlayStation and a Gameshark-like device, there’s a code to change it to the Japanese version. This version has the original character names for Lord Raptor and Rikuo, has blood instead of whatever that white stuff’s supposed to be, and certain backgrounds are changed.

3

Indeed they are. There are no differences between the two units aside from the default bootup language, which can be changed.

4

^ And by “two units”, I actually meant any DS apart from the North American units.

5

Thanks for the info. Some cool games never make it to an official US release, and it’s good to know I’ll still be able to order imports.