Games: Playstation 3 to be region free! [!OT]

[Cataferal]

With all the moaning and bitching we've had on the subject here, i thought this news was worth a whole thread. Its official: if you look here you'll see it was confirmed yesterday by Sony's new global software studio SCEW. However, it seems all movies will still be limited to region coding - but then we have multi-region DVD players for that. [img]wink.gif[/img]

<font color="#345E81" size="1">[ March 23, 2006 12:06 PM: Message edited by: Cataferal ]</font>

[Xellos]

What's this I hear about needing broadband to simply play any game on the PS3? Sounds like complete bullshit rumors, but who knows with Sony.

[Cataferal]

"Thats bullshit", says the logical voice in my head.

Hopefully Ken Kutaragi had this voice in his head too the day that idea was passed around the Sony office.

<font color="#345E81" size="1">[ March 23, 2006 07:37 PM: Message edited by: Cataferal ]</font>

[Xellos]

Oh, and the boomerang's been canned.

Rejoice.

[Cataferal]

I dont mind if it is or it isnt. I dont think its been canned yet (unless you have a source?), but they havent confirmed the boomerang as anything more than a prototype so far.

By the way, as of this day Sony have ceased production of the original PSX and PSone.
I for one had some damn good times with that console. Even though the PS2/3/P are backwards compatible, i still feel sad that its officially being discontinued after 11 years. Time to buy some old playstation titles off ebay and wallow in my nostalgia...

<font color="#345E81" size="1">[ March 23, 2006 09:46 PM: Message edited by: Cataferal ]</font>

[melfice]

Hmm! interesting to read, i hope this REALLY means that ANY game can be played in ANY console. But never the less, i bet Sony Won't dissapoint anyone making any sort of regional lock. Wiseman, the battle is still not lost XD.

Whenever i have the chance to play a game from japan in a european PS3, with no diference, i will believe it, but again, the this arises:

Modded PS2 were able to play NTSC games in PAL consoles, whenever they were also able to play backups, this means they have in mind another way to prevent this happening for the PS3.

Anyway, i want to think they're good news, the idea they've left is clear, they want programmers to make all the steps in the begining, instead of developping a game in JAPAN, and creating the conversion (which maybe expensive in any way) for the other territories, you may spend a bit of more time (not much) to develop the correct localisation of every game, and give the players the choice. Is a nice start.

[Cataferal]

Well, the PS2 hardware was region free also, but Sony gave developers the option to add the region coding to the software if they wanted it. Apparantly, they all took this option.

With the PS3, they referred to the actual software as being region free, making comparisons to the liberal way their own PSP works. Since they're putting it in that kind of context, I think this is the real deal.

<font color="#345E81" size="1">[ March 23, 2006 12:53 PM: Message edited by: Cataferal ]</font>

[mrwiseman]

That's great news! Now I have one less reason to hate sony. Now I'm only worried about what are they going to do with regards to digital rights infringement (game discs that only play in the first console you put them in, requiring to be online all the time to verify digital rights infringement keys for games and movies, and assfucking you in several other ways), but I hope there's not much treacherous technologies in it. Since there's no regional protection, and the console comes with Linux (and I presume I'll be able to do whatever I want with it), I won't have any reason to install a modchip as long as the anti-piracy protections do not violate my digital rights. (I don't mind not being able to copy games, but I don't want any further restriction on where and how I play them, nor a big media corporation watching over me.)


IRT Melfice: Modded PS2 were able to play NTSC games in PAL consoles, whenever they were also able to play backups, this means they have in mind another way to prevent this happening for the PS3.
I'm fine with this as long as they don't rape my ass. I don't need to crack reasonable protections. A region-free non-inquisitive original disc check without digital restrictions management, without Internet, and without shit is reasonable.


IRT Cata: Well, the PS2 hardware was region free also, but Sony gave developers the option to add the region coding to the software if they wanted it. Apparantly, they all took this option.
The PS2 hardware had regional rape, only that sony said they would allow third parties to make a regionless game which would not be checked against regions. However, I bet sony told this to developers while lighting their faces with a desk lamp and having a loaded gun on the desk. Either that or developers were fags.


IRT Xellos: What's this I hear about needing broadband to simply play any game on the PS3?
This is what digital rights infringement is about. They want to exchange keys and watch your steps every second. They keep a database of everything you do, everything you own, everything you rent, where do you play all of them, everything you like, and possibly even how you play. It's uniquely identifiable, which means they can track you down anytime. It steals bandwidth, and if you don't have broadband or can't connect it at friends' houses, or are left without Internet for some reason, the game or movie just stops and you cannot play whatsoever. This is digital rights infringement, and this is what could prevent me from getting a PS3. Digital rights infringement is like software AIDS, and it was invented by M$ (in an utterly stupid move against their interests) and big mierda (oops, I meant media) corporations. If there's none of this media corporations bullshit, then I'll happily buy one and do not crack it because I do not need to.


IRT Xellos(2): Oh, and the boomerang's been canned.
Yay! More good news! I liked the boomerang, but I'd have made it like 3? its size. I'm happy now that they've canned that ugly tiny piece of crap, otherwise I'd have had to press its buttons with toothpicks.

[Cataferal]

This cuts out so much effort for us importers though. If everything goes to plan, i wont need my original PSX out to play imports via PSXchange discs, nor will i need the PS2 to play them via HDD/Swap Magic. All i'd need to do is pop in whatever PAL/NTSCU/NTSCJ Playstation/2/3 game i want to play, and away i go. If they keep the controller the same, it'll be the ultimate Playstation console IMO.