DSi Shop content non-transferrable - Report

Nintendo has wasted no time in rolling out new colors for its DSi, the third hardware iteration of its best-selling portable. Upon its April release in North America, the DSi was offered in blue and black hues, with Nintendo saying earlier this month that accessorizing gamers will also soon be able to pick up the handheld in white and pink. Colors available in other regions include green, metallic blue, and red.

Unfortunately, gamers interested in adding to their portable color palette apparently won't be able to pass content purchased through the DSi Shop from one system to the next. Speaking to Nintendo of Australia, NintendoLife confirmed this week that DSi Shop content is tethered to the system it is purchased on, despite the system's SD card slots designed to offload and store games and other multimedia programs.

According to the Nintendo of Australia representative, the publisher is able to transfer DSi Shop content from one device to another in the case of a product malfunction. However, Nintendo said that gamers would have to send in both the inoperable system and the new DSi in order to make the content swap.

Nintendo of America had not responded to requests for comment as of press time. However, the policy is in line with Nintendo's End User Licensing Agreement, which can be found on the publisher's Web site. According to the additional documentation, "software downloaded from Nintendo DSi Shop is licensed to you, not sold," meaning that those who purchase content through the online store do not have full rights to, or even actually own, what they've bought.

Notably, the DS and its revisions have been plagued by piracy over the years, due to the prevalence of easy-to-use mod chips and other software-emulation devices. In February, Nintendo petitioned the US government to consider trade sanctions against China, Brazil, Korea, Mexico, Paraguay, and Spain on account of what it claimed to be rampant piracy of its products in those regions.