Gaming system region limits?

[Ponk]

Heya guys, trying to get some help here.

I wanna work up a master list of current generation consoles/handhelds and the compatability between regions/video formats. I'm in Australia, and half the time games are cheaper to import (from the UK especially) so I want to work out which systems have that kind of capability. I'd assume handhelds like the DS and PSP would have no issues, but can't be sure...

So far I know my PAL Australian PS3 can play PAL UK PS3 games, and supposedly it can play NTSC format games on an HDTV because the region limit thing becomes a non-issue (apparently, haven't tested).

Who all else can chip in for the list?

[Fluffy]

I'm pretty sure that PS3 and DS games are region free. I'm not sure if there are any exceptions to this. However, apparently DSi is region locked.

One problem that my friend encountered on PS3, though, is that of Downloadable Content. She unknowingly had a foreign version of LittleBigPlanet. When she went to download content for it, she got content for the NA version. They're incompatible.

So I guess DLC is one thing to keep in mind when importing games.

[Ponk]

One problem that my friend encountered on PS3, though, is that of Downloadable Content. She unknowingly had a foreign version of LittleBigPlanet. When she went to download content for it, she got content for the NA version. They're incompatible.

So I guess DLC is one thing to keep in mind when importing games.

I haven't had any trouble with LittleBigPlanet DLC, although Australia is generally included under the Sony Europe banner, so that may be responsible. Thanks for the tip though, I hadn't even considered the issue of region-specific DLC! That just brings to mind the issue of importing games for the 360, as you might have a European Xbox LIVE account but an American game, which would no doubt be a problem.

[LocoColt04]

I'm pretty sure that PS3 and DS games are region free.

It's actually quite the opposite. The DS, PSP, and PS3 themselves are all region-free; HOWEVER, the developers still reserve the right to region-lock the games. The systems do maintain a region code but will play anything (the region code mostly exists for DVD/UMD/Blu-Ray content, which is locked for all systems). Fortunately for us, it is only in rare instances (usually with online stuff that would require localized servers or somesuch... Resistance is a good example) that the developers/publishers will lock the games.

Now, I know NTSC games WILL work on a Euro model PS3, but you MUST output in an HDMI format (or maybe HD via component, but I'm not completely sure), otherwise the game will not display properly. The convenient thing for us as gamers is that HDMI has universal formatting and solves the old issues regarding NTSC/PAL television formatting.