Will a US Playstation 3 settle in the UK?

February 22, 2007 6:12 AM

Will a US-bought Playstation 3 work in the UK?

A workmate is going out to the US, and could bring back a shiny new PS3 for me. The question is, will the following bits of a US PS3 package work over here?

1. The console (assuming I have an electrical voltage converter)
2. Will UK PS3 games work on a US console?
3. Will UK Blu-ray discs play on a US console?
4. Will I be able to log onto the European Playstation network?
5. Will my CRT TV do to see the hi-def quality or am I better off buying a cheap LCD HD-ready TV?

posted by badlydubbedboy to technology (9 comments total)

1. I see no reason why not.
2. Sort of. From what I've read, Sony-made PS3 games are "region-free". Third-party PS3 games are hit or miss. PS2 and PlayStation games are all region-locked.
3. No. Virtually all Blu-ray discs (like DVDs) are region locked.
4. I don't know, but my guess is "probably"
5. If it's not a high-def TV, you won't be able to see it in high-def. If I were you, though, I'd hold off on the HDTV purchase if you're just getting it for the PS3. There have been some hiccups.
posted by Plutor at 6:29 AM on February 22, 2007

An American-purchased PS3 will be designed to work with North American TVs. You'd need to make sure your TV can support our TV standards, in terms of resolution and refresh rate. In the bad old days that was the NTSC/PAL split. Nowadays has that gotten any better?
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 7:34 AM on February 22, 2007

US Playstations run off 120v household current. European wall outlets use 200v. You could try an adapter, of course, but YMMV.
posted by Smart Dalek at 7:34 AM on February 22, 2007

Sorry. Europe = 220v.
posted by Smart Dalek at 7:36 AM on February 22, 2007

Steven: I'm pretty sure the NTSC/PAL split is still around... that is, EU video devices output in PAL... Having said that, every EU TV I've hooked up my North American xbox to has been NTSC and PAL compatible.
posted by antifuse at 7:37 AM on February 22, 2007

oh, and on failing to preview: Smart Dalek... he did say that he would be using a voltage converter in point #1.
posted by antifuse at 7:38 AM on February 22, 2007

1. Yes, it will work. There is no need for a voltage converter on any PS3 sold so far as they all have universal power supplies taking 100-240V.

2. Yes, all PS3 games regardless of publisher are region free. This is something Sony has repeatedly stated a policy on. PS1 and 2 games from the wrong region will not work however.

3. Maybe. The US and Europe are in different regions for HD dvd technologies, however many (all as far as I know) releases up until now do not enforce the region code just now. This will likely change.

4. Very likely, though it isn't running yet so can't really say for certain. It is possible to create a US account using a Japanese PS3 just now.

5. The CRT tv will produce SD quality. It's pretty much up to you if you think the HD is worth it. A cheap LCD will almost certainly give a better picture. Don't worry about PAL/NTSC tv issues if you are using a RGB scart lead, a component lead or a hdmi connection. Any of these connections ignore PAL/NTSC. Most UK TVs take both PAL and NTSC anyway.
posted by JDT at 8:01 AM on February 22, 2007

One important note: for online play, some games use the console hardware to determine which region's servers you should use to play. This is affecting people with Japanese PS3s, making them unable to play Resistance with the US PS3 owners.

This may work out better for you (if you often want to play with Americans), and is a per-game thing, but it's worth keeping in mind.
posted by Remy at 12:20 PM on February 22, 2007

JDT and Remy are spot on.

You can create an account for wherever you call home (it uses your credit card billing address afaik)

You will get American software updates however, and as Remy said, often play games on American servers. (Which is getting me killed a lot on Resistance. Transpacific lag on my Japanese PS3 is brutal for a shooter.)

You'll also need a different cord with your local male plug on one end and the standard female 3 prong D plug on the other. (like the one on the back of your computer)

The PAL thing might be the deal breaker though. My PS3 only has options for High def and NTSC, so it might not get an image to your TV at all.
posted by Ookseer at 2:37 PM on February 22, 2007