PS3's PSN Video Store is region locked

by Jem Alexander { Jul 16th 2008 at 3:00PM }

Sorry, Europe. The video store will be heading your way at some point in the future, but in the mean time you're going to have to live with without some awesome non-interactive downloadable content. The video store is ip locked to the US, which means that even if you set up a US account in Europe, you're going to be locked out. There are probably ways around it using proxies, but for most people that's going to be more hassle than it's worth.

The question is, if Sony can region lock the stores like this, why don't they? Surely it prevents cross-region purchases far better than just crying "don't do that!" On the other hand, it makes sense considering that the PS3 is region-free for Blu-ray games, but locked for Blu-ray movies. Maybe the game stores remain unlocked because they know what a shambles the EU Store is. Whatever the reason, we're glad for it. Hopefully we'll hear about the EU rollout for the video store soon.

Tags: Playstation-3, psn-video-store, psp, sony

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

kokuryukai @ Jul 16th 2008 3:03PM

How do you set up a proxy??

WhoMe @ Jul 16th 2008 3:36PM

How about, instead of "hoping to hear about it soon", you do your job at E3 and go and ASK them about it?

Boom! @ Jul 16th 2008 3:06PM

Boo. I'd love to get some of those Asian horror flicks.

Duke @ Jul 16th 2008 3:18PM

That was my thought exactly. Too bad.

jrriddle @ Jul 16th 2008 3:09PM

Same thing here in Canada. No video store for us either. No XBox Netflix. The list goes on. I guess Steve Jobs is the only one who wants my money.

muddyhelmit @ Jul 16th 2008 3:09PM

Cheapy D still out of luck.

CyrusK @ Jul 16th 2008 3:18PM

Meh I figured the video store would be region locked just like the xbox one.
I prefer physical media for my movies anyways.

SoCoolCurt (PSN: KillaKornbread) @ Jul 16th 2008 4:13PM

yea me too. 24 hours isnt enough time for me to watch movies, since i tend to watch them late night and fall asleep. so if i fall asleep and have to go to work the next morning, im essentially out 6 bucks. ill stick to a normal rental though i do appreciate the option.

Dahk @ Jul 16th 2008 3:20PM

Guess the unavailability of the Store in other regions wouldn't have made a good feature on the E3 presentation =P.

I was hugely excited hearing that at the conference, but *sigh* Canadians get shafted again =(.

Bluebrake @ Jul 16th 2008 6:06PM

This is strange. I thought it was confirmed earlier that Sony's movie store was going to be available in Canada? It was supposed to set them apart from MS.

fidgetwidget @ Jul 16th 2008 3:20PM

can we (the royal we), when addressing the lack of features given to other regions, not just refer to Europe as the only one affected? Canada, your little (yet bigger) brother to the north gets the shaft on this kind of stuff too.

Thanks

Ibere @ Jul 16th 2008 3:23PM

Is the Xbox IP locked as well?
Also, the explanation why it is region locked is quite simple: distribution rights... sometimes they have it for one region, but not for others.

Ben Forbes @ Jul 16th 2008 3:37PM

'The question is, if Sony can region lock the stores like this, why don't they? Surely it prevents cross-region purchases far better than just crying "don't do that!"'

DAMMIT, Jem! Don't JINX IT!

browntown @ Jul 16th 2008 3:42PM

Its weird that its not here in canada, you'd think the US and canada licenses for movies would go together. No matter to me though, don't have the bandwhitch or connection speed to do this effeciently, ill stick to blu-ray for my hi-def entertainment. The dark knigh blu-ray can't coem soon enough.

chulipin @ Jul 16th 2008 3:47PM

IS the video store working already? As I can't see it in my PSN store :(

Dan CiTi @ Jul 16th 2008 4:10PM

Yeah I noticed that when I went on the japanese account.

Deaddy @ Jul 16th 2008 4:41PM

First Sony ignored Canada, and now Joystiq is too.

Duke @ Jul 16th 2008 5:26PM

What?

Deaddy @ Jul 16th 2008 5:36PM

Whatta you mean what?

Popfrogs @ Jul 16th 2008 5:10PM

LOL it must suck to live in Canada.

Simon @ Jul 16th 2008 5:11PM

Uhm, what bothers me is that some people who used proxies reported that they still can't enter the store. PSN account banned for ever from the US store?

Phinehas @ Jul 16th 2008 6:22PM

Troll much Joystiq?

SG @ Jul 16th 2008 6:42PM

"Sorry Europe"? Kind of an ignorant statement. How about "Sorry Canada"? You know... that country of 35 million people just north of the US?

Hatch @ Jul 16th 2008 8:15PM

Last I checked Canada was part of "North America" or am I wrong with that?

cougr @ Jul 16th 2008 11:09PM

Why do you keep placing the blame on Sony or MS for being region locked? It is probably a restriction placed on Sony and MS from the movie houses (I know Sony is one also), this seems to make more sense since it is across the board region locking on movies, not just for Sony or MS or whoever.

Dwo @ Jul 16th 2008 11:23PM

Oh Canada it sucks to live here now...... please sony unlock for us hosers hey!!!!!

Ernie @ Jul 16th 2008 11:42PM

ITs not working in Puerto Rico either, which is weird because we have always been considered part of US for stuff like this (LIVE works just fine with videos). Anyone else that lives here in PR and has the same problem?

zatarapr @ Jul 17th 2008 9:58AM

Nope, Puerto Rico is out of luck on this one.

John @ Jul 17th 2008 5:54AM

Well Military living overseas get fucked some more. Screw these movie companies that are so afraid people would pay the lower prices for an import they sold for 1/10 the price in another country.

I am so tired of getting overlooked by these grand lets not lose any money strategies.