PS3 region lock confusion.

[sj33]

If Sony do introduce region locking, I will be unable to buy domestic games because my console is American. I won't be able to give Sony Europe my custom even if I wanted to.

Excellent progress has been made in this generation to encourage people to buy domestic... simultaneous release dates, making sure different versions are feature-identical etc, there are less and less reasons to import. Reintroducing region coding would make all of that redundant if people are forced to import anyway.

But hopefully this is nothing. It is no news that PSP games can be region locked, yet they don't.

[Brad]

Speak for yourself!

You misunderstood me.

I *want* a totally region free PS3. Like you it's one of the reasons I bought a PS3 over a 360. I want to be able to buy games form any region and I want foreign shops to be able to legally export them to me. I'm just saying that I fail to see the point in making the system region free and then restricting export of titles.

[Sketcz]

Well, they're not that restricted are they? Play-Asia don't send to Europe, but last time I check VG+ and Yes-Asia did. Amazon doesn't either, but that's more an Amazon thing I'm told. And there's plenty of other import stores I've heard recommended which I've not even looked into, such is the degree to which my needs are already being satisfied.

My local indie store also has plenty of PS3 imports, complete with mid-1990s import prices.

eBay has been a godsend - especially Korean and Hong Kong sellers. I don't know how they source sealed games so cheaply and still make a profit.

I've never had as much fun with gaming as I have this generation, and it's mostly down to everything being region free (PSN included when the Hong Kong store accepted UK cards I was like a kid in a sweet store). I had to mod my PS1, PS2 and Xbox, but here there's the safe knowledge that even if my system breaks new ones should be region free, and I can sell/trade the games to anyone.

[Brad]

I was thinking of Lik-Sang. I'm not saying it's impossible to import just that Sony have taken steps to stop it and that seems to contrast with their no region locking policy no?

[sj33]

Well, it's not as if they removed the region coding because they now have no problem with importing. I always assumed they removed it both to take away legitimacy from modchips, and also because they can manufacture a single version of a game for multiple regions (given Blu-Ray manufacturing plants are presumably still less common than DVD ones). Perhaps they feel that placing pressure on Play-Asia et al. is enough.

[randombs]

I think it's more likely the command to check the game region was simply changed or renamed since firmware 3.30 which is why that version specifically shows up in the screen shot and hence why it caught Mathieulh's attention all of a sudden. More interesting is the mention of SDK 3.50:

"...the news of this region lock PS3 games have been started from the developer of open source PS3 Jailbreak exploit code, Mathieulh. He has mentioned that the idea of region lock PS3 games have been discreetly implemented in the 3.30 firmware by Sony but cannot be used by the PS3 games developers. With the introduction of SDK 3.50, the publishers can opt to choose whether to region lock their games or not."

???

[Brad]

I always assumed they removed it both to take away legitimacy from modchips, and also because they can manufacture a single version of a game for multiple regions (given Blu-Ray manufacturing plants are presumably still less common than DVD ones). Perhaps they feel that placing pressure on Play-Asia et al. is enough.

Except they never do manufacture a single version of a game. The modchip argument holds the most water I think. If someone made a modchip that let you play any region PS1 games on PS3 though then that logic would fail.

[Sketcz]

EDIT: beaten to it by FSW.

and also because they can manufacture a single version of a game for multiple regions (given Blu-Ray manufacturing plants are presumably still less common than DVD ones).

Except they manufacture different versions even for a single area such as PAL. Take Heavy Rain, the UK version was a different version to the French release. In the UK they locked out all other languages, whereas in France all Western European languages were unlocked (Polish and Russian were not, which annoyed me a bit). So PAL land must have gotten at least 3 distinct versions, possibly more.

I was thinking it was to put people off modchips at first, but then why lock out PS2 and PS1 games?

I once saw a video of a guy who installed some kind of weird flashing box mod on his PS3, to make PS2 games region free. Did anyone else see it? Was this hoax?

I can say that if they did region lock future games, I would do my utmost to jailbreak my PS3, after which out of sheer resentment I'd pirate the **** out of it - if it were possible and easy enough. I didn't even buy a PS2 until they'd released the Messiah chip, which was the catch-all chip, allowing any region of PS1 and PS2 game, and allowing pirate discs for either. I did it for region free gaming, but when a friend offered me free bootleg discs, who was I to say no?

[MikeRox]

Except they manufacture different versions even for a single area such as PAL. Take Heavy Rain, the UK version was a different version to the French release. In the UK they locked out all other languages, whereas in France all Western European languages were unlocked (Polish and Russian were not, which annoyed me a bit). So PAL land must have gotten at least 3 distinct versions, possibly more.

Part of that was due to the BBFC logos being printed on the UK packaging. But they also opted to go to more work and lock out the languages (presumably to make it less "export" friendly for the rest of Europe?

[Sketcz]

Yes, I rang Quantic Dream in Paris and they said, officially, it was to stop mainland Europeans buying the cheaper UK version. 70 euro against £40 is quite big, especially with the major discounts we get in the UK soon after release.

[Profit]

I was thinking it was to put people off modchips at first, but then why lock out PS2 and PS1 games?

Because the contractual agreements were made with region locking. If they removed region locks for PS1/2 games, Sony would need approval from every other company.

It's why PSN PS1 games are of their respective region.

[Kubrick]

To me, the PS3 is already messy with region-locking obstacles, compatibility issues etc.

DLC is pretty-much region-locked across the board, and sometimes only compatible for games with certain catalogue numbers etc. The fractured nature of the PS Store with it's seperate content, currencies and pricing is annoying and I daren't impulsively buy a Blu-ray from the high street incase it's region-locked. My system is an early one so I can at least play (region-locked) PS2 games, but hey, only with certain controllers...

If the situation gets any worse, I'll just get rid.