A friend of mine is willing to bring me a Sony Playstation 3 80gb to South Africa when he comes over to visit from America. Will I be able to use this in South Africa along with South African games or are these countries "incompatable"? It only costs $500 there with a free game and is R6 200 in South Africa so it's quite a big saving.
Many thanks anyone who answers.
Patricia
There is no absolute rule on this. Some games are region coded, others aren't. Some blu-ray movies are, and some aren't. I have a North American PS3 in Saudi Arabia, and it works fine with media from the US. It will not play anything that isn't region 1 or A compatible.
[edit] Strictly speaking, the US spec PS3 is marked 120V/60Hz… There has been widespread speculation that it is a universal power supply. Many people on the internet claim that they've successfully connected it to 220V/50Hz with no problems – I've not read anything that says that it has fried their PS3. That said, you can get a step down transformer for just a few Rand, and you're still getting the PS3 for a huge discount.
What movies and games are available in the stores where you are at? If the selection is poor and the costs are high, I wouldn't hesitate to get the US version, but I would make sure to have my friend bring plenty of movies and games along with the unit.
June 6th, 2009 at 11:02 am
There is no absolute rule on this. Some games are region coded, others aren't. Some blu-ray movies are, and some aren't. I have a North American PS3 in Saudi Arabia, and it works fine with media from the US. It will not play anything that isn't region 1 or A compatible.
[edit] Strictly speaking, the US spec PS3 is marked 120V/60Hz… There has been widespread speculation that it is a universal power supply. Many people on the internet claim that they've successfully connected it to 220V/50Hz with no problems – I've not read anything that says that it has fried their PS3. That said, you can get a step down transformer for just a few Rand, and you're still getting the PS3 for a huge discount.
What movies and games are available in the stores where you are at? If the selection is poor and the costs are high, I wouldn't hesitate to get the US version, but I would make sure to have my friend bring plenty of movies and games along with the unit.
References :
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-10151_102-0.html?forumID=96&messageID=2604702&threadID=267643
http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=ps3&thread.id=1242858&view=by_date_ascending&page=1
June 6th, 2009 at 11:28 am
You also need to consider the type of electrical outlets you have there in South Africa…will the plug from a PS3 made for the US fit? Is the voltage the same?
References :
June 6th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Yes you can. Just keep in mind the fact that although PS3 games are region free (they can be played on any console from any region), PS2 games, DVDs, and most Bluray movies aren't…meaning you'd have to buy US versions of everything except PS3 games if you plan to use them.
Also be wary of the voltage as the poster above mentioned. I believe the PS3 can handle multiple voltages (you're gonna want to research that), but the outlet may be different.
References :
June 6th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
it 'll work if you have a 3 prong power outlet and a tv with av cables.
References :