No region locking for PS3?

Michael Ephraim, the MD of Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, has suggested that PlayStation 3 games may not be region encoded.

This would mark a signficant shift for the company - although PSP games are not region locked, all PSone and PS2 titles come in US, Japanese and PAL flavours.

But speaking to Australian IT, Ephraim said: "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."

Which means you'd be able to stock up on games on trips to the States or, if you're extra global, Japan, and play them in your shiny new PS3 with no trouble at all. Sounds like good news to us - let's just hope Ephraim's prediction comes true.