Nintendo revealed a whole lot about their upcoming Nintendo Switch system, and everything that they revealed seems to be encouraging. However, the one thing they didn’t talk about just yet – understandable, since this is the kind of thing that you usually talk about nearer the system’s launch – was whether or not the system will be region locked.
For context, understand that no Nintendo console ever has been region free- every single one of them, from NES to Wii U, had a region lock in place. Nintendo handhelds used to be region free, but Nintendo changed even that starting with the DSi. This is a baffling decision that makes no sense, especially in today’s globalized and connected world.
However, the Switch will probably change that- Nintendo insider Emily Rogers, who was vindicated with today’s Switch reveal (which corroborated her rumors), has reiterated that the Switch will be region free. This will make it the first Nintendo home console (but not the first handheld) to do so.
Nintendo Switch will launch in March 2017 worldwide.