Nintendo skilfully makes a statement that answers less questions than it raises...

While it was looking like the cat had been let out of the bag last week regarding whether the 3DS would be region-locked or not, Nintendo have been in no rush to make an official comment on the matter. Until now, that is.

An official statement from the company confirms that each region will have its own iteration of the hardware, although was slightly more vague in regards to what this means for the software.

Nintendo has developed different versions of Nintendo 3DS hardware to take into account different languages, age rating requirements and parental control functionality as well as to ensure compliance with local laws in each region. Nintendo 3DS also offers network services specifically tailored for each region.

Additionally we want to ensure the best possible gaming experience for our users and there is the possibility that Nintendo 3DS software sold in one region will not function properly when running on Nintendo 3DS hardware sold in another.

The language used here is surprisingly careful. For all intents and purposes, it could well be Nintendo's flowery way of confirming that a region lock will be in effect for all games. But the phrasing certainly seems to leave to possibility open of some games being region-free. Perhaps this will be an option to third parties.

Still, to avoid disappointment, it's no doubt best to take this as a confirmation of region-locking until the truth becomes apparent.

We'll be on the ground in Amsterdam tomorrow to hopefully clear this matter up.