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Sony games region-free at last

Steve Conaway Labs Manager / Senior Technical Project Manager
I am the Labs Manager for CNET's Home Division based in Louisville, KY. My interest in technology began in the early '90s, and soon after I began my double major in computer science and computer engineering. I've worked in many areas, including computer hardware, software, technology, networking, graphic design, instruction, construction, music and even ballroom dancing! 65% Ron Swanson, 25% Ben Wyatt, 10% Andy Dwyer.
Expertise I've been an outdoor enthusiast my entire life. I also renovate, flip and build houses in my 'spare' time. Paired with our test lab facilities, I write about lots of outdoor related things - portable power stations, tools, etc.
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Steve Conaway

Yeah! Sony's PlayStation DVD games are finally going to be free from the craziness of region-specific restrictions, according to our CNET sister site in the U.K. Why any company would want to restrict the regions where consumers can use movie and game media in a global economy is beyond me. The multiregion approach makes DVDs usable by anyone in the world. w00t!

Games are cheap and plentiful on eBay, but the regional restrictions are one of those "gotchas" you have to look out for. The new multiregion setting will make PS3 games truly portable throughout the world, and that will have a dramatic affect on the prices for used games. Lame games are always cheap, but they don't always sell. Multiregion lets the whole world decide if your game is lame, driving the price down, but also ensuring that you can at least sell it. In contrast, good used games like "Battlefield 2" that are already high-priced could get even more expensive when all the world becomes the stage for a sale. The globalization region codes make used games a more liquid asset.

Microsoft also chose to release some Xbox 360 games as region-free. However, the software vendors that created the games got to choose if they wanted the games restricted to specific regions or not. The result is a hodgepodge mix of multiregion and region-specific games.