Region coding for PS3 unlikely

Australian IT ^ | November 8, 2005 | Andrew Colley

[PissAndVinegar]

SONY Computer Entertainment is likely to abandon its practice of region coding games for its PlayStation 3 console, the head of its South Pacific operation said.

Sony's current crop of PlayStation and PlayStation 2 consoles contains technology that blocks the use of illegal copied games. It also prevents the use of game and DVD discs that have been region coded for other markets. However, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia managing director, Michael Ephraim, said the company was unlikely to continue the policy as international television standards emerge.

[PissAndVinegar]

The PS3 is looking better every day..

[ShadowAce]

[Slainte]

That'd be nice, but I don't see SCEA just giving up the degree of content control they currently have by dumping the region coding on American PS3's.

It's not a coincidence that they'e floating trial ballons about region encoding in the Australian media. Sony recently lost a significant mod chip case down there, it could be in their interest to remove the region encoding foruntis sold there in anticipation of future mod chip litigation. If they were to eliminate the need for the "approved" use of mod chips as region coding devices in that particular market, they may get another chance at getting mod chips outlawed as devices that have no purpose other than defeating copy protection.