Would it make sense for Sony to do away with regions?

[vivftp]

I'll state first and foremost that this is not a topic I'm very well versed in but figured there might not be any harm in a discussion.


Anyways, over the years I've seen some people complain because they have to have multiple PSN accounts for different regions to access certain content or whatnot. I've also seen many people complain because a different region gets great sales and theirs doesn't. I'm sure there's other scenarios where people haven't been happy with multiple regions, but those are the ones that come to mind. So the question is, would people prefer it if Sony worked towards doing away with regions and just making global accounts where everyone can access the same content and get the same deals?

Now I'm sure localization has to occur on some levels to support languages and currencies. I suppose the one major thing I'm ignorant about is if the various laws of different countries would cause any conflict. But is this something the community desires, or are most people happy with the way things are now? Or do you want to keep regions and improve upon the way things are done in some way?

Anyone want to guess how technically and legally easy would it be for all regions to be merged?

 

[Storm]

The biggest issue is Sony isn't a global company. Sony Europe handles Europe, Sony America handles USA and Sony Japan handles Japan.

I'd love a global store. The fact my account is tied down to the UK forever is personally annoying and inconvenient. I doubt it will happen though

 

[Listai]

I live in Australia but the majority of my purchases are made through the US store.

It started with PSOne classics as they are only 50hz here and at the time (post GFC) the dollar was at parity so games were dirt cheap compared to buying them locally. Now they essentially end up the same price but I just have the extra annoying step of purchasing PSN credit through Amazon.

 

[Ben Walker]

The biggest issue is Sony isn't a global company. Sony Europe handles Europe, Sony America handles USA and Sony Japan handles Japan.

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This. Also the fact that regional restrictions on certain titles, laws against pre-orders, holidays for each country may result in some deals, and being unable to distinguish people's accounts between regions.

 

[vivftp]

Hmm, what do the other companies do? Do Nintendo and Xbox have global stores or also regional? Or how about other companies like the Google Play store and Apple's App Store?

 

[TradedHats]

For the most part, making the separate accounts and then just switching between them is pretty easy. The more annoying part is not allowing credit cards from other countries to make purchases on a country's store where the card doesn't originate from. If they did away with that it'd be a lot better.

 

[julia crawford]

Yes please fuck capitalism

 

[tyfon]

Hmm, what do the other companies do? Do Nintendo and Xbox have global stores or also regional? Or how about other companies like the Google Play store and Apple's App Store?

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Google and Apple seem to region lock certain items in the store itself (and on youtube and plenty of other services).
Xbox has regional stores but it is easy to switch I think? I don't have one.
Not sure about Nintendo, but I'm quite certain I picked a region at some point.

Edit: Personally I hate regions and I think it's stupid that you can't purchase something based on location. If I want to buy a Japanese game without dub then let me. Just mark it properly.

 

[Anthony Hopkins]

Yes, it's 2018, it's time to get with the times and technology.
Hopefully they do it with PS5.

 

[Joni]

It doesn't make sense from a financial perspective, it requires a huge corporate restructuring.

 

[Soulflarz]

It doesn't make sense from a financial perspective, it requires a huge corporate restructuring.

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It's literally hellish work for little to no gain considering the stores already can be accessed anywhere

 

[Matty H]

On Xbox you can change your location at any time but you need a credit card and billing address for that location. The back compat games have an additional check to make sure you have the correct location set as well. Theoretically it is meant to be pretty seamless when you move internationally or just take your Xbox on holidays.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

More importantly for me at least, is allowing me to use my cards/paypal on their store. Having no choice but to buy PSN cards is an extra step that makes me prefer to buy multiplats on PC or Switch instead.

Anyway, I don't see a problem with having different regions so long as it's easy to switch between them if the user wishes.

 

[Mexen]

Edit: nvm

 

[Deleted member 7948]

Anyways, over the years I've seen some people complain because they have to have multiple PSN accounts for different regions to access certain content or whatnot. I've also seen many people complain because a different region gets great sales and theirs doesn't.

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A global account would limit even more the sales thanks to the lack of regional pricing.

 

[Mexen]

Jaded Alyx yes, a simpler way to pay would be highly welcome on PSN.

 

[Mitsurugi]

Yeah this shit needs to go away. One of the great things I love about Xbox

 

[Nightengale]

It doesn't make sense from a financial perspective, it requires a huge corporate restructuring.

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... Sony PlayStation has been quietly going a massive global restructuring since March of this year.

 

[DriftingSpirit]

I just want a global approach for the sales and themes.

 

[foxuzamaki]

... Sony PlayStation has been quietly going a massive global restructuring since March of this year.

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I mean, its not like they are restructuring to have this specific feature

 

[Nightengale]

I mean, its not like they are restructuring to have this specific feature

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They're not for the specific feature, but it may happen as a result of it. On top of the changes where now game approvals for regional games go back to HQ, ( thus the censorship controversy that arose ), there's also stuff like this in the job listings:

 

[ThatsMyTrunks]

Having a global store would turn the financial portion of their sales into a tax nightmare. Each region has different laws and regulations regarding digital sales and by having segmented regions they can abide by those regions' rules. I don't see this happening without them scrapping the entirety of the current system and going with something new, and that's only if they had a real good reason to. Making it easier for the consumer isn't a good enough reason to them for them to do it.

 

[KushalaDaora]

Yes, as long as they keep regional pricing.

 

[flatearthpandas]

I'm pretty okay with how it works now on Switch and PS4, just having different accounts for different regions. If there was a painless way to switch the region on a single account I think that would be preferable

 

[foxuzamaki]

They're not for the specific feature, but it may happen as a result of it. On top of the changes where now game approvals for regional games go back to HQ, ( thus the censorship controversy that arose ), there's also stuff like this in the job listings:

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We'll thats fair enough

 

[famikon]

Google and Apple seem to region lock certain items in the store itself (and on youtube and plenty of other services).
Xbox has regional stores but it is easy to switch I think? I don't have one.
Not sure about Nintendo, but I'm quite certain I picked a region at some point.

Edit: Personally I hate regions and I think it's stupid that you can't purchase something based on location. If I want to buy a Japanese game without dub then let me. Just mark it properly.

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Yeah, all of them have regional stores.

I think only PC storefronts are exception (like Steam and GOG). Though, "global" doesn't mean always "better". For example, some titles on Steam aren't available globally – so the only way to get them is to use VPN, but user can be banned for that.

 

[@dedmunk]

I'm sure they and any other dev would love to, unfortunately it's not their choice to make. They have to adhere to different laws and regs in each reason.

There is so much bureaucracy that I get a headache just trying to think about how they could do away with it.

If they could, it would save them A LOT of money.

 

[Deleted member 5604]

I've had the theory that you're seeing all this censorship happening for japanese-only games (rather than only for games getting western ports) because they are aiming to create some sort of worldwide/region free/easy to switch between regions store soon.

 

[Hydron]

I don't really mind regions that much, but it would be great for games released globally to have all languages available, like what most Switch games are doing (for example, Yakuza in NA store should come with a Japanese option). This would be especially useful for games with poor localization.

 

[RestEerie]

Yes please fuck capitalism

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???

Here's the thing...every country uses different currency, tax structure, censorship, etc.........some of these things have nothing to do with the thing that feeds you capitalism

 

[Joni]

They're not for the specific feature, but it may happen as a result of it. On top of the changes where now game approvals for regional games go back to HQ, ( thus the censorship controversy that arose ), there's also stuff like this in the job listings:

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this related to running the Store itself and not the financial departments that are behind everything?

 

[Bowl0l]

Treat it like gog.com
Same price for all. PSN Asia and certain publisher in Steam doesn't practice regional pricing, so why limit which region gets English localisation? PSN Asia can keep their Korean and Chinese localisation for themselves.

 

[Fafalada]

The more annoying part is not allowing credit cards from other countries to make purchases on a country's store where the card doesn't originate from. If they did away with that it'd be a lot better.

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Geolocking of credit cards is a thing on most game storefronts, even those with global accounts (eg. Steam). It's obnoxious but as long as countries exist it isn't likely to go away.

 

[IIFloodyII]

I noticed you can change your region on the store now (in the UK anyway) so maybe they'll allow it soon, can't say I care a great deal either way, but more options and more convenience for those who have moved country is nice.

 

[CaviarMeths]

Wouldn't this be a logistical nightmare due to different consumer laws and ratings board in each region?

 

[LiquidSolid]

The biggest issue is Sony isn't a global company. Sony Europe handles Europe, Sony America handles USA and Sony Japan handles Japan.

I'd love a global store. The fact my account is tied down to the UK forever is personally annoying and inconvenient. I doubt it will happen though

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Not really. Sony's been restructuring with an obvious goal to eventually become more centralised for a while now. At the moment, John Kodera runs both SIEA and SIEJA, while Jim Ryan continues to run SIEE. That'll probably change eventually too, though the sheer size of SIEE (operating in Europe, Russia, Africa, Middle East, West Asia, South Asia and Oceania) and strength of PlayStation in most of those territories will probably make it a much slower process.

I think Sony will eventually consolidate everything into a single global store but it's going to be a very slow process. I have to imagine trying to consolidate three stores that already each have thousands of games across four different platforms on them would be a logistical nightmare, as they can't just scrap everything and start from scratch. There are changes that are being made though, even if they aren't obvious, like how the webstore now redirects you properly if you click a link from another region's store, so if I click a Japanese Ryu ga Gotoku 0 link, it'll redirect me to Yakuza 0's page on the NZ store.

 

[goonergaz]

I'm confused how this is different to other systems, I mean - Xbox is the same isn't it?

I set up an account for each region - I buy the content from that region - it works, I've done this for years with a UK and US account (I used to have a HK account on PS3).

As far as I know, the only difference is that the DLC is region locked on PlayStation...so if I buy a US game I then need to buy US versions of any content for it to work.

 

[danhz]

I'm confused how this is different to other systems, I mean - Xbox is the same isn't it?

I set up an account for each region - I buy the content from that region - it works, I've done this for years with a UK and US account (I used to have a HK account on PS3).

As far as I know, the only difference is that the DLC is region locked on PlayStation...so if I buy a US game I then need to buy US versions of any content for it to work.

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On xbox and nintendo, u can switch ur account region to russia, mexico, usa, hong kong..etc buy a game there, and change back to ur country, that way u can buy games really cheap, avoiding ur region price.

In sony u are only allowed to change now(in EU) between EU countries, that have +/- the same price. So as u said, if u want sth from asia/usa u need a new account from that region

 

[goonergaz]

On xbox and nintendo, u can switch ur account region to russia, mexico, usa, hong kong..etc buy a game there, and change back to ur country, that way u can buy games really cheap, avoiding ur region price.

In sony u are only allowed to change now(in EU) between EU countries, that have +/- the same price. So as u said, if u want sth from asia/usa u need a new account from that region

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Really...how? I read people buying stuff on other Xbox stores but having to use VPN? You're telling me I can use my UK account and buy stuff with my GBP credit on other stores?

edit - from 2014...you couldn't then so it's a fairly recent thing?

https://www.ign.com/boards/threads/...m-us-store-using-eu-store-xbox-one.453664655/

edit 2; is it this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MLvi6JhDb4

If so that's marginally better (if at all, I think the PlayStation system is easier), once I've set up my accounts on PlayStation all I need to do is select the profile...much easier than shown in the video which entails switching the console to the region you want - doing a reboot, buying the game and then switching back to the other region (with another reboot)!?

 

[Fafalada]

that way u can buy games really cheap, avoiding ur region price.

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Nintendo geolocks payment source, and doesn't allow region change if any unspent currency is left on account. It's really easier to just use multiple accounts on Switch.

 

[danhz]

Nintendo geolocks payment source, and doesn't allow region change if any unspent currency is left on account. It's really easier to just use multiple accounts on Switch.

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Only on certain areas, japan, mexico,canada usa, in which i use a paypal of that region, in the other countries i just pay with my credit card.

And u just have to avoid adding funds, u pay with card/paypal and u are never going to left money unspent.

 

[danhz]

Really...how? I read people buying stuff on other Xbox stores but having to use VPN? You're telling me I can use my UK account and buy stuff with my GBP credit on other stores?

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I know u can change ur region account in w10 system settings, enter the windows store in w10 and buy the game, then change back ur region. The problem is i dont know which stores are going to let u buy with ur uk credit card.
I know for russia u need to buy xbox cards to add funds to the wallet, for mexico/thay u need to pay with paypal.

Only bought FFXV 1 year ago, and we shared it between 10 PCS+2xbox. Cant remember if i needed VPN.

 

[Wandu]

More importantly for me at least, is allowing me to use my cards/paypal on their store. Having no choice but to buy PSN cards is an extra step that makes me prefer to buy multiplats on PC or Switch instead.

Anyway, I don't see a problem with having different regions so long as it's easy to switch between them if the user wishes.

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This. Changing between user accounts to purchase stuff is quick and easy, but purchase options are very limited. I hate having to buy Amazon JPN PSN cards just to buy digital content when I would prefer to use paypal/credit cards. I am guessing this has to do with the billing information for PSN accounts. I just hope this is something that can be fixed.

 

[Klaphat]

Really...how? I read people buying stuff on other Xbox stores but having to use VPN? You're telling me I can use my UK account and buy stuff with my GBP credit on other stores?

edit - from 2014...you couldn't then so it's a fairly recent thing?

https://www.ign.com/boards/threads/...m-us-store-using-eu-store-xbox-one.453664655/

edit 2; is it this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MLvi6JhDb4

If so that's marginally better (if at all, I think the PlayStation system is easier), once I've set up my accounts on PlayStation all I need to do is select the profile...much easier than shown in the video which entails switching the console to the region you want - doing a reboot, buying the game and then switching back to the other region (with another reboot)!?

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I have both Xbox and Playstation and it's far superior on Xbox, because you only need one account. So you have all your games on the same Xbox account instead of multiple on Playstation. It doesn't really take that much longer on Xbox. I can't see why you would rather have multiple accounts than ine. I have 2 Sony accounts and thats already one too many...

 

[Dalcop]

My only gripe with Xbox is that it requires a reboot to change languages/regions. Other than that, it's a godsend that I can buy one version of the game and play it with any language setting that it's available in. None of that separate SKU garbage like on Playstation. A bit ironic that it's easier to find and play Japanese games in Japanese on Xbox than on either Playstation or Switch.

 

[goonergaz]

I have both Xbox and Playstation and it's far superior on Xbox, because you only need one account. So you have all your games on the same Xbox account instead of multiple on Playstation. It doesn't really take that much longer on Xbox. I can't see why you would rather have multiple accounts than ine. I have 2 Sony accounts and thats already one too many...

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I just want to make sure I'm understanding things right...

Xbox (assuming you have credit);
1) switch on machine
2) change machine to region you want to buy from
3) reboot machine
4) go to store and buy game - using a fake address each time
5) switch the console back to your region
6) reboot the console
7) enjoy the game

vs

PS steps (assuming you have credit);
1) switch on machine
2) log into account linked to region you want to buy from
3) buy game
4) switch to main account
5) enjoy game

I'm just not quite understanding why people think it's easier - once you set up a PSN account that's it - whereas with the Xbox system you have to add a fake address to each purchase and reboot the whole system...twice.

 

[LunaSerena]

Nintendo geolocks payment source, and doesn't allow region change if any unspent currency is left on account. It's really easier to just use multiple accounts on Switch.

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I haven't had issues with geolocking. I've bought games with my Chilean credit card on the US eShop and the Russian eshop with no problem.

 

[Klaphat]

I just want to make sure I'm understanding thigs right...

PS steps (assuming you have credit);
1) switch on machine
2) log into account linked to region you want to buy from
3) buy game
4) switch to main account
5) enjoy game

Xbox (assuming you have credit);
1) switch on machine
2) change machine to region you want to buy from
3) reboot machine
4) go to store and buy game - using a fake address each time
5) switch the console back to your region
6) reboot the console
7) enjoy the game

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You don't need a fake address. It takes like a minute longer with Xbox, but it's not really noticeable. If you really want to count seconds, then you can play it after you have bought it on Xbox. Saving valuable seconds. It's a small thing compared to the need for multiple accounts.

 

[goonergaz]

You don't need a fake address. It takes like a minute longer with Xbox, but it's not really noticeable. If you really want to count seconds, then you can play it after you have bought it on Xbox. Saving valuable seconds. It's a small thing compared to the need for multiple accounts.

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Well this is why I'm asking for clarity. The link I gave said you needed to use a fake address. Also, that after purchasing you needed to reboot the console, if you don't need to do either of that I guess it is a bit more convenient, but not the night and day differences being suggested. I mean, technically all the best deals are on US and UK, it's worthwhile getting a HK account, so 3 accounts setup takes little time but then you're good to go...but each to their own.

 

[Klaphat]

Well this is why I'm asking for clarity. The link I gave said you needed to use a fake address. Also, that after purchasing you needed to reboot the console, if you don't need to do either of that I guess it is a bit more convenient, but not the night and day differences being suggested. I mean, technically all the best deals are on US and UK, it's worthwhile getting a HK account, so 3 accounts setup takes little time but then you're good to go...but each to their own.

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I honestly don't know anyone who would rather have 3 accounts than 1...