User:Swcwsi/sandbox

Title: PlayStation Network

PlayStation Region Restriction
PlayStation console were once region restricted in PlayStation 1, However, the region Restriction is a very rare case is later console. Also, PlayStation’s games are classified by regions. These regions are basically same as the DVD region code and are classified into 6 regions.

Region 1: It is mostly referring to United States and Canada. Language of the game and device system are modified and designed specifically for this region. For Example, games or both portable and non-portable console are designed to have Cross (x) as Enter or OK, while Circle (O) as Exit or Cancel.

Region 2: It is mostly referring to Europe and Japan. Languages vary between Japanese and English for games and device system as Sony’s origin of establishment is Japan. In contrast to Region 1, the button preference is opposite that Cross (x) as Exit or Cancel, while Circle as Enter or OK.

Region 3: It is mainly referring to Southeast Asia, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

Region 4: It is mainly referring to Australia, New Zealand.

Region 5: It is mainly referring to India and Russia.

Region 6: It is referring to China

Besides all these regions coding, there is a Region 0, mainly refer to global or region free.

Reasons That Regions Are Classified
One big reason that regions have to be classified is to implement region lock. Region lock is useful is many cases to avoid excessive importing, backwards compatible to PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games, to separate the release time phase of the games, and to prevent users from accessing certain content in their territory because of some legal reasons (Example would be censorship laws) Also, these regions are classified in order to create privacy. As different regions will have different coding with it, therefore, when one of the version is being decoded, it will costs time to decode other versions.

The Manifestation of Region Lock
Regions are attached to both device and game. In earlier stage, PlayStation games are regions restricted to the console, which the regions of the game and the console have to match in order to be compatible. For nowadays, the newer device (Example: PS Vita) and game is region free that the region does not have to be matched with each other to function. In order words, this means that games from any regions are playable on device from any regions. However, Downloadable Content (DLCs) , add-ons, or serial code are region locked. For Example, in PS Vita, the device itself and its memory card is not region-locked but it is bounded to a PlayStation Network account , while this account is region bounded. In order to get DLCs, redeem serial, or add-ons, the game’s region has to be matched with the account’s region to reach the PlayStation Store for DLCs. This constructs a situation that Game (region 1) with device that bounded to account (region 1) can get DLCs and redeem Serial, while Game (region 2) with device that bounded to account (region 1) cannot.