PS Store will still be region-free News

If it's so region free how come I can't play the PAL Kula World I bought on my NTSC console. The stupid thing won't auto-select PAL output and there's no way to change it in the options.

Couple of questions:

1. I understand the legalities of why regional content is sometimes locked, but why on one hand lock content then on the other turn a blind eye to people with multiple accounts (myself included)?

2. If I pay for a download from the US store, will the download work on my PAL console - and do I have to use a US registered card to pay for downloads?

By region free they mean they won't prevent people from acquiring content, it does not mean, it will work.

Kula World is region free; it's your hardware that will not output PAL.

Apart from the standard-def PAL/NTSC issues, there's been nothing region locked so far. I think Sony's approach to region free gaming has been one of the absoloute best things done by anyone this generation, and they don't get enough credit for it.

"If I pay for a download from the US store, will the download work on my PAL console - and do I have to use a US registered card to pay for downloads?"

You can use something like Entropay to buy from the US store if your credit card doesn't work. Anything bought from any store will work on any system, although in standard-def there is an issue with NTSC PS3s not outputting PAL and PAL PS3s not outputting NTSC. No problems in any high-def resolution though.

/waits for eternal debate on what that means exactly.

Basically, developers will still have control over whether or not their DLC will work on another regions' copy of their game.

DLC is region free but also region-specific: meaning normally, DLC will be downloadable from any region (hence 'region free' downloads) but in actual fact - will only work with a game released in that same region.

This is extremely confusing for customers.

"If I pay for a download from the US store, will the download work on my PAL console - and do I have to use a US registered card to pay for downloads?"

Yes, it'll work on your PAL console, with a U.S copy of the game (by definition that's 'region free' as the game from region A is working on your console, region B as is your content which is region A).
It won't work on your PAL console with a region B copy of the game, with region A DLC.

But even that depends on the game, and depends on the developer.

UT3 Mods are totally region free for example.

DLC not being universal is a little bit annoying yes, but since you have the option of buying a copy of the game from whichever region you want knowing it'll work on your system, it's not such a big deal. If you don't want to wait for DLC to go up on the UK store, you can just buy a US copy of the game and get the DLC from the US one. Anybody who's gone to the trouble to access another region's store won't find such a concept confusing. Joe Public might, but they won't be accessing the US store or buying foreign games anyway, so it's irrelevant.

"Yes, it'll work on your PAL console, with a U.S copy of the game (by definition that's 'region free' as the game from region A is working on your console, region B as is your content which is region A).
It won't work on your PAL console with a region B copy of the game, with region A DLC."

You seem to be talking solely about DLC here. There are other things on the store besides that, all of which will work on any console.

I thought that Kula world is a PS1 title, and that since those titles where region locked, the emulator will still report problem trying to run that content.

I've never bought any of the PS1 games from the US on the basis, that I wouldn't expect it to work on my PAL PS3


In retr0gamers case, it's no different putting the original PAL Kula World into an NTSC PSOne and expecting it to run.

You're wrong. PSone titles from the stores are region free. I have several from the US and Hong Kong stores which work just fine on my PAL PS3. It's only disc-based PSone titles which are region locked.

@ Retr0gamer

An NTSC PS3 is region free for al PS3 software, but the PS2 and PS1 region lock is stil active.
As is the Blu-ray region lock.

At least they're doing it right from now on.

Sadly no PAL games will run in PAL mode on a NTSC PS3 (Japanese or North American). Just not supported. It's silly.

PAL-consoles can do NTSC though, so our PS3 is a bit better.

Basically NTSC PS3s don't 'understand' 576i.

You get the same problems with a few PAL PS3 games if you are using an SD display since some have been coded to default to 576i in SD. The problem is solved if you use a HD display since all PS3s can display 720p 1080i etc.

Its not a new problem, NTSC consoles have always had problems with 576i. My Japanese PS2 could never display PAL PS1 games correctly and would offset a large part of the image making PAL PS1 games mostly unplayable. My NTSC Dreamcast to a certain extent made its own decisions on how to display PAL games. Some it would force into 60hz (480i), which was nice as they played at full speed without borders like the original NTSC versions. Other games totally confused it and they would offset, losing a large chunk of the play area just like PAL PS1 games on my NTSC PS2.

Thanks for the help guys.

I've had a 360 since launch and also bought a PS3 at it's launch. It didn't survive long stacked up against the mighty 360 and got resold. But... I really hate the 360 "store" interface - if it's an HD generation console, why the heck is everything so big and clumsy looking, with horrid navigation.

I think Sony have nailed a good balance in their new store design. Microsoft would do well to follow suit and scrap the uncomprehensible jelly-bean-button nonsense I have to fight with every week...!

The PS3 isn't region free, but the content for it by and large is. There's nothing to stop anyone from creating region-locked titles but there doesn't appear to be any commercial benefit in doing so.

With games mainly cross-platform, region locking a title on one console but not another makes no sense.

"The PS3 isn't region free, but the content for it by and large is. There's nothing to stop anyone from creating region-locked titles but there doesn't appear to be any commercial benefit in doing so."

True - the hardware is not region-free (just like PSP) but all PS3 games are region-free. Region-locked PS3 games are currently not allowed by Sony as far as I know. Nothing to indicate this will change in the future, but technically possible.

I reckon as soon as the PS3 gets downloadable movies, region locking will kick in.

All PS3 games are indeed region free, yes.

"PS store still region free"

In other news many people in cities around the world reported hearing loud clanking noises as if millions of guns and arms had been put down in unison ;)

@Beano

Sony promised that games would be region free on the PS3 but, that due to copyright laws, movies would remain region locked. So it isn't something that they can exactly go back on without angering a lot of people.

@penhalion: I agree - I doubt Sony will suddenly allow PS3 games to be region-locked by publishers, but just stating that it's technically possible... just like on the PSP :)

whether or not the store is region free is kind of irrelevant when you still have to break their terms and conditions to access other stores

Not even close to what I wanted to see... "PS Store will be region independent"

Pricks.

@statusjones - Where are these terms and conditions that say you cannot access these foreign stores? If you can create them then there's nothing untoward about it as far as I'm concerned. Sony could easily update the PS3 so that you can only access the PS Store for your own region and nowhere else but they haven't. I don't see what's wrong with it myself, it's not like you're chipping/modding the console to obtain something illegally...

"Region-locked PS3 games are currently not allowed by Sony as far as I know."

They are. The Collector's Edition release of Stranglehold was going to be region locked due to the movie bundled with it. However, due to an outcry from people online they changed their mind and released it region free. If anyone's going to open the region coding floodgates, it'll be Squeenix when Final Fantasy XII hits.

You mean Final Fantasy XIII? ;)

Maybe.

"They are. The Collector's Edition release of Stranglehold was going to be region locked due to the movie bundled with it."

Or it was changed on request from Sony?

Also the possibility that the included movie on the disk would be a exception to the licence agreements for publishing "pure" PS3 games. Depends how the publishing agreement is.

If region-locking was up to publishers, I'm sure we would have seen a few by now... but none have appeared (with the possible exception of Warhawk?).

@Darren
you mean the ones you agreed to, but probably didn't read, when you signed up to psn and/or apply any of the system updates
http://www.scei.co.jp/ps3-eula/eu/eu_psn...
the relevant bit being: you must not provide us or any third party company with false or inaccurate information, including reporting false complaints to our customer services or providing false or inaccurate information during account registration

"DLC is region free but also region-specific: meaning normally, DLC will be downloadable from any region (hence 'region free' downloads) but in actual fact - will only work with a game released in that same region."

DLC is region locked. You can not use DLC from another region as it will be incompatible. If you have a UK account and a US version of a game (eg. Warhawk) you can not use the DLC from your store, it won't work. Other stores don't accept most foreign credit cards either so accessing the DLC of the same region as the game is for all intents and purposes blocked.