The new region codes for the PS3 and Blu-Ray discs are now as follows:

Region 1: North America, South America, East Asia except for China (India, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia etc.)
Region 2: Europe and Africa
Region 3: China, Russia and other countries

This means the PS3 will be able to play Japanese import releases, and vice-verse. Also good news for Anime fans, as Blu-Ray players will be able to play JAP anime directly on US machines.

Still all be in Japanese though, so not sure just how much of a benefit it will be.

Quite a lot of games released in Japan have English subtitles. For me, I'm a Fire Pro Wrestling fan, so there's plenty of translations guides out there.

now that is a good move on sony's part. So many games only get released in one part of the world.

Still probably means no hope of an F1 game here.

The new region codes for the PS3 and Blu-Ray discs are now as follows:

Region 1: North America, South America, East Asia except for China (India, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia etc.)
Region 2: Europe and Africa
Region 3: China, Russia and other countries

This means the PS3 will be able to play Japanese import releases, and vice-verse. Also good news for Anime fans, as Blu-Ray players will be able to play JAP anime directly on US machines.

That's a great move in terms of generating import business as formerly niche Japanese titles will get a chance Stateside they might otherwise not have had.

I wonder how this impacts NTSC/PAL. If I'm not mistaken, Australia and South America use PAL, while North America and Japan are NTSC. Should be interesting.

Awesome. Still no NCAA Basketball for me over here in Australia... :(

Or NCAA Football for me in NZ..

May seem like a silly question but why do they do this? Why not make them all the same?

May seem like a silly question but why do they do this? Why not make them all the same?

Money. Control how you release a product, where, and at what price in what region.

Money. Control how you release a product, where, and at what price in what region.

I thought it was for piracy issues also?

It was originally designed and pushed by movie studios. Until fairly recently, movies made in the US were released in the US first, then in Europe/Japan months later, and in other countries even later. Often the movie would be out on video/DVD before it hit theatres in Europe and the US, so by putting region codes in DVD's and in VCR players, it stopped people from other countries from buying the movie before it's out in the theatres.

For video games, it allowed developers to curb import game purchases.

To a person who plays fruity Japanese games like myself, this may be the trump card for the PS3. Or (at worst), it guarantees I'll buy one early in the life cycle. I still don't have a 360, but I've been craving one lately (like Manwich ;)). I waited over 2 years after the PS2 came out to get it...but I may have to get a PS3 earlier because I'd love to import Japanese games. Sweet action!

For video games, it allowed developers to curb import game purchases.


I think this has come full circle though, now there are so many games that are either Japanese, or USA specific, that is makes sense to open your console up to a large library. Now granted, some games do move from japan to the USA, but I think the negatives of losing a few sales to people that dont want to wait for the translation, are minor, compared to the increase of sales of people buying games that are imports

You aren't losing sales, though. You're getting it earlier, albeit in the Japanese format instead of American, and depending upon exchange rates you might even be making more than you otherwise would have.

Certainly by making it easier to play imports, you make it easier to determine if there's a domestic market for your game. If import sales are unexpectedly high, you can translate it and bring it Stateside for the people who aren't savvy about the import scene.

The main reason the region codes are changing is because of the way movies are now released. No longer is the blockbuster films now released regionally. Now they're coming out worldwide, or at least in Japan and US at the same time.

From reports, Sony wanted to eliminate region codes altogether, and will do so for the PS3, and allow developers to add them in the games themselves. That's the way the XBox 260 is -- there's no region codes integrated in the system itself, but the Japanese developers are adding them to the games. If developers do that to the PS3 releases, the region codes they switch it to will still make them compatable in the US.

Not sure yet if I'll buy a PS3 yet, and will likely wait a while before getting one, but this is great news for someone like myself who has both a Japanese and US PS2 in his living room.

Sorry to dig up this old thread guys...but I have a question. I'm trying to sell a PS3 on EBAY right now and someone asked me "what region code is this ps3?" I'm reading all about how the games are region free, but what about the system itself?

I bought it in the U.S. and it has two logo's with "1" in a square and then one with an "A" in 6-sided shape (hexagon?).

Sorry to dig up this old thread guys...but I have a question. I'm trying to sell a PS3 on EBAY right now and someone asked me "what region code is this ps3?" I'm reading all about how the games are region free, but what about the system itself?

I bought it in the U.S. and it has two logo's with "1" in a square and then one with an "A" in 6-sided shape (hexagon?).

USA is region code 1, IIRC.