No region coding on the PS3?!

[Illmatic]

Credit goes to the usual suspects.........B3D, posted by 'one'.


Seems this could be the case going off this article.

http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Detai...px?NewsId=14535 (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=14535)

In addition, sources at Sony indicate that unlike the PSP, PS3 games will not feature any region code restrictions in the software component. However, the device will support playback of High Definition content through an HDMI digital interface, which features copy protection schemes.

This is from the news that at the PS Meeting in July Kutaragi said (http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20050721/scei2.htm) it's as if PSP games, where most games don't have region code, were in a transition phase between PS2 and PS3 WRT the global policy


Now that would be extremely good news for me. ^_^

The article is dated July, how this slipped under the radar is a mystery to me!!

[Z]

hmmm, if this is correct, maybe it is a way for Sony to combat modding. but won't this open up more problems for sony and publishers? will this cover both movies and games? I don't know, I just have too little to work with here- again, if 'region-free' is what it really means in the first place.

[kaphwan]

What if Sony puts a chip into the ps3 that lets you play imported stuff, but not burnt things? Is that possible? Tech-heads help me out here.

[Illmatic]

Well going off what the article said, Movies will be region locked, and unlike the PSP where a few games are region locked? PS3 games will not have any region locking restrictions.

This is great news for me, as you can see i live in New Zealand so theres a fair bit of games that don't get released here that do in the US eg. Xenosaga I :( and i'll be able to get my hands on alot of titles earlier. :)

[Lumine]

Did anyone notice the date on this article? July 21, 2005

[Illmatic]

Did anyone notice the date on this article? July 21, 2005

That's why i'm surprised we missed this. Kutaragi mentioned it at the PS Meeting, which was held on the 21st July.


This is big news for me, time to get tipsy :drunk:

[Helios]

Sounds pretty nice, means I might be able to try out some of those niche-under the radar japanese games.

What if Sony puts a chip into the ps3 that lets you play imported stuff, but not burnt things? Is that possible? Tech-heads help me out here.

That would only be possible if there was some sort of preliminary coding written on to 'allowed' discs, and blocked play of discs without the coding. But otherwise no, information is information no matter who burned the disc.

[Theo]

That's why i'm surprised we missed this. Kutaragi mentioned it at the PS Meeting, which was held on the 21st July.


This is big news for me, time to get tipsy :drunk:




I'm surprised too, that I (we) have missed such information. This is great and big news (although I'm not takeing it as a fact just yet) to me as well, since we also get the new stuff late, very late, if it gets released at all here in Europe...I shall drink with you for this! =)


BTW: Region free games could be a hint for a world wide launch of the ps3 (wishful thinking, but you never know)...

[CrumCon]

Sounds pretty nice, means I might be able to try out some of those niche-under the radar japanese games.



That would only be possible if there was some sort of preliminary coding written on to 'allowed' discs, and blocked play of discs without the coding. But otherwise no, information is information no matter who burned the disc.

nah.. they will find it out how to make it possible, mod-chip is big business.. VERY big. they will try no matter what

[Z]

kaphwan063
What if Sony puts a chip into the ps3 that lets you play imported stuff, but not burnt things? Is that possible? Tech-heads help me out here.
there is a difference between region locking and pirated copies. a mod chip can bve used to run both. Sony lost some cort battles against mod chips for the argument that they are used to paly imported games. however, modding is allowed in many countries, but pirated games are universily banned.

another thing is that if you copy a game, your new copy won't play on your PS2. this is because the system can detect if it is an orignal copy or not. if you want to play these 'back-up' copies, you need a mod chip.

personally, I mod my consoles as soon as possible for one reason; region locking. I want to play some Japanese quirky games. some European version with more extras, etc.
in some occasions, I use a mod chip to get extra operations out of a system, for example, playing DVDs, divx, etc.

[Sephiroth_VII]

YAHOOOOOOOO!!!

SONY Computer Entertainment is likely to abandon its practice of region coding games for its PlayStation 3 console, the head of its South Pacific operation said.

Sony's current crop of PlayStation and PlayStation 2 consoles contains technology that blocks the use of illegal copied games. It also prevents the use of game and DVD discs that have been region coded for other markets. However, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia managing director, Michael Ephraim, said the company was unlikely to continue the policy as international television standards emerge.

"If you look at the fact that it will support high-definition TV, which will be a global standard, there's a good likelihood that it will be global region, as for example we've done with the PSP (PlayStation Portable)," Mr Ephraim said.

SCE Australia recent lost a lengthy legal battle which reached the High Court and brought its policy of coding discs specifically for market regions under scrutiny from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

In 2001 SCEA filed a law suit against Eddy Stevens who supplied "mod chips" that circumvent the console's protection measures and allowing the consoles to play discs for other market regions and pirated game discs.

Sony argued that the chips were primarily to support piracy and asked the court to declare them illegal. However, the ACCC intervened in the case arguing that region coding system was an artificial trade barrier that unfairly blocked consumers' access to games from other markets which are often cheaper.

The High Court ruled that while pirating discs was illegal the mod chips did not infringe Australia's copyright laws. Making his first comments on the case since the High Court announced its decision Mr Ephraim said that ruling was "redundant".

The company's legal representatives have advised the company that the results of the trial only apply to the PlayStation 1 which was at the heart of the case, he said.

Mr Ephraim said that the company would reserve the option to start a new case based on the PlayStation 2, but said that, for now, the company would focus on lobbying federal Government to have the mod chips outlawed.

Under the terms of Australia's FTA with the US, the federal Government has until January 2007 to amend the Copyright Act to give copyright owners stronger mechanisms to take action against individuals who circumvent "technological prevention measures."

http://ps3updates.qj.net/2005/11/region-coding-for-ps3-unlikely.html#comments

Good news for us in the PAL regions, i can import a console for the first time!!!

[O.D.S]

Well it isnt 100% confirmed but ive been betting PS3 will be region free for a long time. Good find Sephiroth_VII

I remember that being on the news here and me jumping for joy when i heard the chips arent illegal...ofcourse everyone else in the room thought i was just a noob.

[Illmatic]

http://forums.e-mpire.com/showthread.php?t=47156

:heybaby:

[L3XO]

games will still be in foreign languages though if u import...

[Z]

but some gamers wou;dn't mind playing Japanese games that don't have much dialogue like racers. also, you can import a N American game to play. that is better than waiting for months on ends for a Euro/Austrailian release- if it happens.
and some games never release outside of Japan, so it is either playing it that way or passing it up.
now apply all that to DVD movies and upcoming BD ones as well. I hope they are region-free on those as well.

no matter how you look at it, a region-free system is very desirable by consumers.

[cybergrue]

Actually, this makes sence on many levels. Instead of having multiple versions of the console and games to keep in inventory (and track), having only one version would be cheaper all around. Also, most games released now have to have multi-lingual support, so why not force the game makers to support all the major languages at release time. The game scripts and voice recording are usually completed well before the game is done, so there is plenty of time to get it done in other languages. If the company is too cheap to do VO work in other languages, then subtitles can be added easily.

It also makes marketing nich games easier since a large outlay is not necessary (marketing as well as pressing a large number of copies of the game disk), and could even be switched over to a mail order system for games that would not even rate a single copy at your local game store.

One big issue discover with the PSP being region free is that people who wanted one could just order it from a reagion where it had been released. It was small but anoying enough for Sony to get injunctions against British importers. Now expand this to the entire world, which is what will happen if the PS3 is only initially released in Japan. With both MS and Nintindo aiming for a world wide release, it is odd that Sony is planning a phased release, especially when thye have recent eperience with it not working too well.

Maybe the Febuary surprise is a world wide launch announcement, and maybe the statements from Sony's chairman are a corperate mis-intelligence aimed at keeping MS and Nintendo off guard.

[O.D.S]

Maybe the Febuary surprise is a world wide launch announcement,
Now that i want to hear!

[Coded-Dude]

Well.............................................. .......THIS MAKES SENSE!
I think this is to help expand teh online play of games. Now not only will you be able to play with you buddy 100 miles away in the same region, but you will also be able to play your buddy 10000 miles away in a different region.

[Nasadus]

Won't this move actually cost money for many developers and Sony themselfes? I mean, it's a known fact that games in the US are much cheaper than in Europe. So if we al started importing from the US instead of buying the games in Europe (Europeans only) where they are more expensive, won't that have a negative effect on the industry?

[cybergrue]

Won't this move actually cost money for many developers and Sony themselfes? I mean, it's a known fact that games in the US are much cheaper than in Europe. So if we al started importing from the US instead of buying the games in Europe (Europeans only) where they are more expensive, won't that have a negative effect on the industry?
Isn't everything more expensive in Europe? I mean its relative to price points, local costs and what people are willing to pay. Besides, for most games, people will continue to buy them off the shelf rather then waiting for them if mail-ordered.


btw, I know your pain regarding prices. I traveled to Scotland a few years back, and went to visit my sister who was working there at the time. Anyways, I took her, and her friend out for lunch. 2 burgers, and a little pizza cost 25 pounds. The same meal in Canada would have cost about $25 CAD, but with the exchange rate, that meal worked out to $65 CAD. :rant:

[The_One]

C'mon, 2 burgers and a medium size pizza would only be 15 bucks at most (Little Ceasar offers a medium peperoni for only 5 bucks). Of course, thanks to our insanely high tax (14% in BC), that'd be about 17 bucks.

Moral of the story: Tax is WAY too high in Canada.

[jako]

.

Maybe the Febuary surprise is a world wide launch announcement

That is what I've been thinking for a long time:
1) Big surprise announced for febuary
2) Srping 2006 annouced at E3 : means for me that the PS3 will be released in Japan in spring, then if they annouced it in LA, can't we understand that it will be released in US in spring also ? Finally a spring release in US and Japan means a spring European release.
3) M$ did a world wide release
4) we are in a globalisation time for everything, so why not for electronic devices ? this was less the case in 2000.
5) Sony didn't do a world wide launch for PS2 because back in 1999/2000 the production lines weren't as fast as today (with sony controling now the cell and RSX production)
6) leaving too many time between YBOX 360 (yes, Why an Xbox :) when you can have a PS3 ??-just a joke) release and PS3 could be dangerous for sony.
7) Sony wants to sell his blu-ray format, so they can wait too long to let HD-DVD to enter in peoples house.

That are some of the reasons why from the day they annouced a spring launch, I understand it as world launch.

That is just an opinion based on some facts, but I could be all wrong.
I just can't wait for february....

[Domination]

Well.............................................. .......THIS MAKES SENSE!
I think this is to help expand teh online play of games. Now not only will you be able to play with you buddy 100 miles away in the same region, but you will also be able to play your buddy 10000 miles away in a different region.

When I first booted up PS Online, I thought it could do this but later found that it couldn't. This is a decision I would gladly welcome.:cheers:

[Domination]

Won't this move actually cost money for many developers and Sony themselfes? I mean, it's a known fact that games in the US are much cheaper than in Europe. So if we al started importing from the US instead of buying the games in Europe (Europeans only) where they are more expensive, won't that have a negative effect on the industry?

That's true, but then I would also like to ask you this: why purchase a DVD or CD or UMD when you can go for digital content that is cheaper? I would assume that it has more to do with quality and less hassle more than anything.

[jaxmkii]

YAHOOOOOOOO!!!



http://ps3updates.qj.net/2005/11/region-coding-for-ps3-unlikely.html#comments

Good news for us in the PAL regions, i can import a console for the first time!!!

:laugh: WAIT THIS MEANS IF YOU OWN A HDTV THERE IS ABSOLUTLY NO REASON I HAVE TO WAIT TO BUY A U.S. PS3 I CAN JUST GET A JAPANISE ONE AND BE DONE WITH IT!!!!! this is like finding out the us launch date was moved up to march!!!:yum:

[Z]

When I first booted up PS Online, I thought it could do this but later found that it couldn't. This is a decision I would gladly welcome.
it depends on your system. I played PS2 gamers on the other side of the planet, AND on dial-up!

[jaxmkii]

:laugh: WAIT THIS MEANS IF YOU OWN A HDTV THERE IS ABSOLUTLY NO REASON I HAVE TO WAIT TO BUY A U.S. PS3 I CAN JUST GET A JAPANISE ONE AND BE DONE WITH IT!!!!! this is like finding out the us launch date was moved up to march!!!:yum: no realy im asking? cause im kind of unsure if im inturpeting this right cause i never imported before should i start now? will a jap PS3 be exactly the same as a US one? is using the word "jap" to describe japanise derogitory?:susp:

[Coded-Dude]

it depends on your system. I played PS2 gamers on the other side of the planet, AND on dial-up!
Isn't that game dependant though....... I mean are you telling me you can get online with a US released game, and play someone online with a JPN released game? Take SW battlefront for example, I have never played with anybody outside of the targeted region(all english speaking gamers from the Americas region)

[Z]

Isn't that game dependant though....... I mean are you telling me you can get online with a US released game, and play someone online with a JPN released game?
yse, you are limited to anybody that is playing the same region-coding of the game. and what I meant by system is that if you set-up your network access using a PAL setup disc, it is possible that you cannot play out side of PAL regions even if you have an NTSC game. I couldn't play some PAL games on my PS2 online since I used the N American network adaptor back in the day.

but since I haven't tested this thoroughly, I am not sure if this is a fact.
what I am fairly sure of, though, is that you can only play in the region that your set up disc comes with. I had only access to N American servers. I was a little disappointed since I really wanted to beat Japs on their homeland using their games and their machines *evil smirk*
is using the word "jap" to describe japanise derogitory?
as I just demonstrated, if I use it, then you know it is alright. any people complaining just send them to me and carry on.