Older gamers may remember the Halycon days when we'd be able to import Game Boy and Nintendo DS games from abroad and play them on our European handhelds. Well, these systems were actually the only Nintendo products to be 'region-free', with all of Nintendo's home consoles - and 3DS - employing regional lockout to prevent you from playing imported games on your console. This, though, might soon change, with Nintendo president Satoru Iwata offering some hope to those hoping for a region-free future.

Addressing investors, Iwata was asked about Nintendo's current position on region-locking. Whilst he ruled out lifting the region locks on the current systems - Wii U and 3DS - Iwata hinted that Nintendo's future systems, perhaps starting with NX, might buck the trend of region-locking.

My understanding is that it is not realistic on the existing video game systems because unlocking them after they are already on the market poses a number of hurdles. On the other hand, regarding NX, we understand that many consumers hold such opinions and such suggestions exist in the market, and although we have nothing concrete at the moment, we are internally analyzing what hurdles exist to lifting region locks. That is the situation right now. We acknowledge your request, and I personally want to give it positive consideration.

High-profile games of recent years that have failed to release in Europe include Excitebots: Trick Racing, Captain Rainbow, WarioWare: Twisted, and Dragon Quest VII for Nintendo 3DS