The Nintendo 3DS is one of the more popular handheld consoles available in the market at the moment, although we guess this was not the case a few years ago until Nintendo started slashing its price, making it an affordable and fun console with a plethora of games to choose from.
Unfortunately what’s holding it back from being an even more popular console is the fact that the device is region-locked, much like Nintendo’s other consoles come to think of it, meaning that if the game is not released for your region, you can’t play it until it has been localized. Die-hard fans of certain titles are definitely pleased about this since some games tend to be released in Japan first and sometimes exclusively, but the good news is that hackers have found a way to make the Nintendo 3DS region-free.
Now the good news is that this hack does not require you to modify any hardware, so rest assured, especially if you’re not that sort of user. Instead what the hack does is that it modifies the firmware on the Nintendo 3DS through a flashcard. We’re not sure if this will void your warranty and neither can we guarantee that it works, but if you’re curious about it and don’t mind trying it out for yourselves, more information about the hack can be found here. If anything this just highlights how easy it is for Nintendo to make the console region-free, but they are simply choosing not to.
Of course there could be numerous reasons why they are choosing not to, such as legal reasons, permission by publishers, and what not, but if consoles like the Sony PS4 can be region free, why not Nintendo’s offerings, right?
Filed in . Read more about 3DS (Nintendo), Hacking and Nintendo.