Sony Throws Wrench at PS3 Imports

Just like with the PSP, Sony is going to make sure that you do not get hold of a PS3 ahead of time. Boo.

Sony caused something of a stink last year when the PSP was delayed, leaving Europeans with little choice but to import if they didn't want to wait any longer. The company put paid to that. Now it looks like things will be similar for the PlayStation 3, which Europeans are again waiting on.

Sony said this week that it would not allow importers to bring the eagerly awaited PlayStation 3 to Europe.

"The law is clear; grey importing PS2, PSP or PS3 into the EU, without the express permission of [Sony Computer Entertainment] is illegal," a spokesperson for the company told GamesIndustry.biz. "Therefore, we will utilise the full scope of the law to put a stop to any retailers who chose to do this."

The company's confidence on the issue has been bolstered by a recent court victory in which Hong Kong-based Lik-Sang was stopped from importing PSPs to Europe. The repercussions of this were that several importers have stopped supplying PSP games and hardware to Europe.

And the justification for the move? It seems that Sony is working under the supposition that importers would be unaware of the limitations they impose on themselves by picking up foreign hardware.

"Ultimately, we're trying to protect consumers from being sold hardware that does not conform to strict EU or UK consumer safety standards, due to voltage supply differences et cetera; is not - in PS3's case - backwards compatible with either PS1 or PS2 software; will not play European Blu-Ray movies or DVDs; and will not be covered by warranty," the spokesperson told GamesIndustry.biz.

Wanna-be PlayStation 3 owners were forced to look elsewhere when Sony said it would not deliver on its promise of launching the console worldwide this year. The company has been forced into light launches in the US and Japan and a delayed launch in Europe because of component shortages.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo