Sony to EU: "Importing Consoles is Illegal"

[voltz]

One hell of a dictative form of "controlled marketing" on their part. I fear that millions in europe are gonna be switching brands from now on.

[gameoverDude]

I hope the PS3 remains region free, but I'll believe it once I play another region's game in the system. For fuck's sake, they need to give up on the PS1/PS2 region lockouts as far as the backward compatibility is concerned.

That voltage cop-out that Sony is using just makes me laugh derisively at them. Releasing the system so late in Europe is stupid. There'd be less hardware importing going on if SCE would get their heads out of their asses and do a one-shot global launch.

Sony may be acting like a bunch of royal jackasses, but I'll be buying the PS3 system for the sake of the games it gets. Not for Sony's.

I'm glad I don't live in the EU.

[johnk_]

I'm not sure how much of an effect this will have in the end, but Sony seems to enjoy digging its own grave lately.

[icarusfall]

*We can start a company
That maaaaaaakes misery.

[Wildkat]

'Ultimately, we're trying to protect consumers from being sold hardware that does not conform to strict EU or UK consumer safety standards"

So what essentually Sony is saying here is the US and JPN versions of the console are somehow MORE DANGEROUS than the eventally EU Version?

I must have missed all those sharp edges and exposed wires on the US PSP....

[Melf]

Last on the launch list and not allowed to import? If/when Europe flocks to buy the console anyway, it deserves to be slapped around like this.

[Thief Silver]

'Ultimately, we're trying to protect consumers from being sold hardware that does not conform to strict EU or UK consumer safety standards"

So what essentually Sony is saying here is the US and JPN versions of the console are somehow MORE DANGEROUS than the eventally EU Version?

I must have missed all those sharp edges and exposed wires on the US PSP....

I guess the voltage difference can have an affect? Don't know don't live in Europe.

[James]

Anyone living in Europe want to say how much of an effect this is actually going to have? There's all sorts of illegal things in the world, many of which you probably can't avoid doing even if you meant to. Obviously, the only one who cares is Sony, but is it going to have any kind of impact on how Europeans do their gaming?

James

[Josh]

Europe sucks anyway.

[J2d]

Last on the launch list and not allowed to import? If/when Europe flocks to buy the console anyway, it deserves to be slapped around like this.

Yeah ok Peter.

Anyone living in Europe want to say how much of an effect this is actually going to have?

People will bitch and moan at message boards and that will pretty much be it. If you want one I'm sure that there's gonna be no problem getting your hands on it.