Pokemon White and Pokemon Black and Pokemon White are being created for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite systems. As a result, it will also play on the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL, and will not be region specific.
On the other hand, software designed specifically for the Nintendo DSi systems (meaning that it is only compatible with the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL and not the Nintendo DS or DS Lite) will feature regional encoding.
This means that such software plays only on the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL manufactured for the same region as the software, whether that software be on a cartridge or downloaded from the Nintendo DSi Shop..
Current games released for the original Nintendo DS and DS Lite will remain region-free.
It is, however, highly possible that sometime in the future regional encoding will be added to these types of games.
The reason for this decision has to do with the fact that the Nintendo DSi systems include parental control functionality and that each region has a unique age limit and classification system when it comes to game ratings.
In addition, we’re providing online features and services that—like those for the Wii console—are specifically tailored for each region..
