Most convenient method to switch between PSN accounts to access PS Vita content from different Playstation Stores?

Question

I have a Japanese PSN account, as well as a US PSN account. On my PS3, I get the best of both world since I have access to Japanese Playstation Store as well as US Playstation Store. I can purchase and download new region specific demos and games, and use them from my both accounts.

I want to do the same on my PS Vita. However, it seems we do not have that much freedom on PS Vita. First of all, I cannot add a second Playstation account on PS Vita, therefore I cannot directly access a second store. I tried to download contents on my PS3 first, and then to send it to my PS3 : I obtained an error message telling me I could not do this because my PS3 Vita account was not the owner of that content.

I think there are two methods to get content from both Playstation Stores : - 1 : format my PS Vita and recreate the account info (as well as network connections info, etc) for the other region every time I want to use content from a different region - 2 : buy a new PS Vita Memory Card and save my alternate account information on this card, then save region specific content on this card. When I want to switch region, I then need to change the small memory card (so small.. hope I won't break it.. Or lose it) Am I correct ? Are there any restrictions or problems with these methods ? Is there a more clever or convenient way of switching between accounts ?

Thanks for any suggestion !

Asked by wil

Answer

You can have two different memory cards, one for each user, but you will need to do a factory reset each time you swtich your memory cards, see the following video, courtesy of IGN:

Answered by JohnoBoy

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How to play a region locked xbox 360 game and use my region's account on it?

Question

So I realized that their have been a lot of xbox 360 games made in Europe & Japan that haven't made it to the US.

I found out though that setting up a PAL or NTSC-J xbox 360 to play these games in the US isn't too difficult though.

My question is once the hardware is set up, can an xbox account in the US region still be downloaded or transferred to the foreign xbox?

I know that xbox accounts can't change region, I was just hoping I could get my US account on the foreign xbox to get achievements for the foreign game I wanted to play.

Asked by user1207381

Answer

How do you play a region-locked xbox 360 game?

You can play a region-locked xbox 360 game on a console for that region as you have already figured out. This is largely necessary because of different output standards NTSC v. NTSC-J v. PAL and the hardware of xbox 360s only supporting one of these formats.

Can an xbox account in the US region exist on a foreign console?

This seems to be your real question. You should consider changing the title. The short answer is yes. Also to address what seems to be your primary concern, achievements that you earn on your foreign console can be added to your gamertag, regardless of what region it is from.

See this thread about stacking achievements. The relevant post is as follows:

... So if I buy a PAL360(which is Europe)and get a copy of German Bioshock. All I need to do is attach my harddrive to the PAL360 and get more achievements for playing the same game, hence stackable. Is this correct?

Yes, but for the convenience of use you can simple store your profile in a Memory Unit and use it between 2 consoles, each one with its HDD.

You have to log with you normal account every time you play the games in different consoles, to earn the achievements.

So, simply put, you just copy your profile over to the other console either using an HDD or memory stick and sign in as normal.

Answered by skovacs1

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UK (region 2) DVDs, Can they play on a US (region 1) X-box 360?

Question

Okay, as my friend just shipped me her Misfits (UK only show) DVDs so I can catch up on them over my holiday week- I am wondering if I should look at investing in a region free DVD player on my next day off... or does the X-box-360 play region 2 dvds as well as region 1 on a US Elite console?

Any confirmation one way or the other would be fantastic.

Answer

No, a region 1 Xbox is like any other DVD player - it will not play DVDs from other regions:

Each Xbox 360 console is manufactured for a specific DVD and game region, following international standards. The Xbox 360 console can only play discs that are sold in the same region as the console.

Your only option (short of modding the console, which you probably don't want to do if you play online) is to get a region-free DVD player or a region-free DVD-ROM and rip your DVDs into a video format that the Xbox recognizes to play them from an external drive or streamed from a computer.

Some computer DVD-ROM drives allow you a certain number of region changes, so you may be able to do that with the drive already in your computer (assuming you have one :)) instead of spending money just to convert this one DVD.

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Why do you need a SS for some Korean games?

Question

For some Korean games, you need a Korean Social Security number to play.

I don't understand, why is it a requirement? What's the justification?

Answer

The reason behind this is the Korean "Cyber defamation law" forbidding users from making anonymous comments.

One way of ensuring this requirement is for game developers to couple each account to a uniquely identifiable attribute for each person, in this case, their Korean social security number.

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Online games region restrictions

Question

Is it possible to buy games in Asia (from web or when on holiday) and then play them in Europe? I'm worried that they may be some region restrictions on them.

It's mostly games from US or European game publishers I'm worried about.

Answer

Steam limitations

On Steam you can "circumvent" store limitations through gifts. For example, if you live in Germany, you can still get Doom II from Steam if you get a friend in another country to gift (say, the USA) it to you. Alternatively, you can travel to where those games are available and buy them yourself. :)

I don't know, however, if this works for:

• games that are still available to you, but in different versions (say, the "Low Violence Versions", which sometimes even only come with mandatory dubbing), and
• games that will be available to you but are currently locked in your region

Remeber that you can view a country's store by using the cc parameter. For example, compare http://store.steampowered.com/app/2300/?cc=it with http://store.steampowered.com/app/2300/?cc=de.

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Purchasing a Steam Game in Europe (though I am a US citizen)

Question

Ok, I'm hoping this question doesn't get closed with regards to small locale as I'm trying to cover all of Europe with this one :)

I am a US citizen currently working on an international assignment in Europe, and I am an avid gamer.

Does anybody here know if it is possible to purchase the North American versions of games while in Europe? I notice that the Steam store recognizes that I am over here and everything shows up priced in Euros. Does this also mean I'm getting a localized version of the game as well? And if so, any way to circumvent this so that I don't run into any problems when my assignment is complete?

Answer

You can often get around the blocks that they have in place by simply contacting Steam Support (you need to register a separate account at their site) and requesting the American store, but you will then have to pay with an American credit card. I did this several times when I was in Australia and it takes 1-3 days for them to unlock your account to do so, so it may not be the best option for grabbing that game on sale.

I played the uncensored version of L4D2 while I was in Australia via this method, though I couldn't play multiplayer (I'm not sure if there were any local multiplayer servers in any case)

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Why is StarCraft 2 divided by regions?

Question

I live in Argentina, but I love to get all my stuff (be it games, tv series, movies, etc) in English.

Battle.net will only let me select one region, which by default is Latin America, that has only Spanish and Portuguese (not to mention that I only get to play with users in the same region).

What is the logic behind this? Is there a way to play in any region and in any language? (legally of course)

Answer

I sent an e-mail to blizzard support, this is what they answered:

Quality and customer service are the highest priorities for Blizzard Entertainment. Because we cannot guarantee a positive gaming experience for users connecting to servers outside the supported region, we do not support use outside of the designated region. You can change which region you are purchasing for by clicking the (change) link next to the region. I recommend that, if possible, you acquire a localized version of the game for a more positive gaming experience.

In other words, players in one region of the world will not be able to play on alternate regions at this time. This is something that we will continue to investigate as a possibility for the future, however, if you have purchased a version of StarCraft II from outside of your home region we recommend that you return it and purchase the localized version instead.

Please also keep in mind that you will not be able to access your account if you are using a different regional game version (other than your home regions version). For example, you will be unable to connect to the North American realms if using a Chinese, Korean, European, or Taiwanese version of the game.

We recommend that you continue to visit http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/ for the latest announcements and updates on this and other StarCraft II features.

If you have additional questions or concerns, please reply to this email. If you would rather speak with a representative directly, please contact Account & Technical Services. Our contact information can be found at http://blizzard.com/support/article/cs.

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Is the Nintendo 3DS region-locked?

Question

I am thinking of buying a 3DS when the price drop comes into place in America, however I live in Australia. Will Australian 3DS games work on a North American 3DS?

Answer

The 3DS, unlike the Nintendo DS before it, is region-locked. There are 3 regions: North America, Japan and EU/Australia. So if you buy your 3DS in Australia, you'll need to purchase games from either the EU or Australia as well. Nintendo explained their reasoning in the following statement:

“Nintendo 3DS hardware is available in three versions: Japanese, American and European/Australian,” Nintendo told us in a statement.

“Nintendo has developed different versions of Nintendo 3DS hardware to take into account different languages, age rating requirements and parental control functionality as well as to ensure compliance with local laws in each region. Nintendo 3DS also offers network services specifically tailored for each region.”

It went on: “Additionally we want to ensure the best possible gaming experience for our users and there is the possibility that Nintendo 3DS software sold in one region will not function properly when running on Nintendo 3DS hardware sold in another.”

-Source

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Are there any issues if I bought a Nintendo Wii from the US and use it in India?

Question

Will there be any issues if I buy a Nintendo Wii from the US and use it in India?

Issues like ports or game campatibility, etc.

Answer

I'm not sure about Nintendo's arrangements with India, but I bought mine from the US and I live in SEA. Aside from the obvious connectivity issues everything seems to run smoothly. I can play games bought both from here and from the US.

There's only one situation where your games will not be compatible and that's if the games you have are bootlegged. Be careful of these when buying!

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