My brother bought a PS3 from US and these were some of the issues that came up when we were trying to get it working in India.
Its a PS3 Slim 160 GB with a firmware 3.51 and was bought on Dec 2010.
Power Supply
Although it is written 110VAC on the PS3, the power supply is universal and it works perfectly on 230V. You just need the correct plug adapter. No need for any converters, step down transformers etc they may do more harm if they dont have the necessary output power (PS3 requires 380W).
The model no: of my PS3 is CECH 2501A 120 V 2 A 60Hz and it works perfectly on 230V 50hz here in India without anything.
The Wikipedia article on PS3 also says that the power supply is universal.
Note: There is a report that some one damaged his PS3 by plugging in to a 230v though we dont know the exact details. So do at your own risk.
BD/DVD playback and Region Codes
US PS3 is Blueray Disc (BD) region coded 1, and will not play movie BDs of other regions, except region free versions. India is region 3 and Europe is 2.
However, many of the movie BDs currently released in India are region free (ie playable in all regions). This may soon change once BD becomes popular in India.
US PS3 is DVD region coded 1 and will not play other region coded DVDs, except region free versions. India is region 5 and Europe is 2.
Most movie DVDs released in India are region coded, and so not playable. Even if you get a region free Indian DVD it may still not be playable.
Indian movie DVD’s and CD’s use PAL system. So PS3 wont be able to play an Indian movie DVD or CD even though it is region free. It just shows and error message ‘PAL format not supported’
NTSC (Interlaced) Vs PAL Issue for standard TV sets.
By standard TV sets i mean the SD (4:3) resolution CRT TVs and not the new crop of LCD/LED TVs which are HD ( marketed as 16:9, wide screen, 720p/i, HD Ready, 1080p/i, FullHD etc)
US PS3 supports only NTSC(480i/480p) output and not PAL(576i/576p) output in SD resolution. That is, it works only on TV’s with NTSC system.
Indian television uses PAL system. However, most of the new TV’s (year 2000+)seems to support NTSC too and so it wont be a problem.
[Note: The above issue does not apply to you if you have a HD TV and connect to it using HDMI or Component cables in HD resoluton]
PS3 games
All PS3 games are region free. So you can use a game purchased from anywhere. However, some games require HD resolution and so may not be playable in SD resolution, thats is, on standard TV sets.
PS2 games seem to be not playable in US PS3.
How to connect PS3 to your TV/monitor?
The PS3 has an HDMI, Component and Composite (commonly called RCA or AV) output. Note that only composite cable is supplied along with PS3.
The HDMI is the easiest and the best method. Just plug in the HDMI cable to your monitor/TV and the settings will be automatically setup. This is the best method because it gives you the full HD (1080p) video output along with 7.1 Ch audio [ofcourse you must have the necessary audio setup].
You could also use an HDMI->DVI cable if your monitor has a DVI input but no HDMI. [Note that for this setup to work your monitor should support HDCP (via DVI). Check your monitor manual].
The composite output works only on TV with NTSC system and supports only SD resolution. Indian television uses PAL system. However most of the new TV’s (year 2000+)seems to support NTSC too and so it wont be a problem. The BD playback and PS3 games does not look good in the standard TV. You must consider a 32+ inch HD TV or atleast a 22 inch Full HD monitor.
The component video cable for PS3 has to be purchased separately and used if your TV supports it. It supports full HD.
Note: Turning off and turning on the system again by pressing the power button for 5+ seconds until you hear 1 beep resets the video output to default settings [which is composite output for standard TV].
How to get Audio output?
PS3 supports 7.1 Ch audio via HDMI, 5.1 Ch via Digital out (optical out) and 2 Ch via RCA cable.
By default, the audio will be output through HDMI if you are using HDMI for video, and RCA if you are using a composite or Component video output.
PS3 supports simultaneous audio output from all these outputs. Go to Settings > Sound Settings > Audio Multi-Output and set this On.
This is useful if you are using a HDMI-DVI cable to connect video output to a monitor with no HDMI port. In this case you will have to get audio from the RCA or Digital out.
Watching videos in PS3
By default, PS3 may not list all the audio/video files in your harddisk or USB drive. It would say “No Titles Available”. In that case just use ‘Triangle’ button, choose ‘Display all’ and then you can browse and play the other videos/audio
PS3 can play DivX, WMV, AVI, MP4, H.264, MPEG – 1/2/4, MP3, WMA, MKV, Wav etc.
Using PS2 controller in PS3
The PS2 controller can be used in a PS3 by using a controller adapter. The adapter plugs in to the USB slot. It costs about 300-400Rs in Ebay India. It may not work with all types of games, especially the games that use the PS button and accelerometer. But for games like Fifa it works perfectly.
After connecting to the USB slot, press the start button in your PS2 controller to enable it(the light glows).
FAQ
These are some of the repeatedly asked questions in comments. I wont be replying to these anymore.
Will i blow my US PS3 if i connect it to Indian 230V power supply?
Wikipedia, and several internet forums say there will be no problem, as the internal power supply is universal. Many users including me have been using without any problem.
Sony Inc doesn’t say Yes or No.
There is no guarantee that all models, especially the future models will be having universal power supply. Its upto you to decide.
Can you suggest a good step down transformer?
Sorry, no idea. I dont use it. Make sure the one you buy has 300W rating.
Will Indian DVD/CD’s play in US PS3?
No
Will PS3 games purchased from India work in my US PS3?
Yes, if you are using HDTV. Some games may not work in old TVs.
What about online gaming?
Mostly yes. You may come into problems as you are logging from a different country. But you can contact support(game publisher) and they will mostly sort it out.
Is PSN region free?
No. US PS3 does’nt play games downloaded from other PSN. Also some games are only available in certain regions’ PSN.
What about controllers and move? can we buy them from another country?
Yes.
Can i play pirated games in my PS3?
You can, but you need to do a hardware modification. And once you do that you cant update your system, and so may not be able to play newly purchased genuine games.
Can i exchange PS3 games with my friend?
Yes.
The power button is flashing Yellow or Red and PS3 doesn’t power on?
Sorry most likey you have a hardware failure. Flasing yellow is ‘generic hardware fault’ and flashing Red indicates an overheating.
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HDMI to DVI cable which we use to plug in the PS3 to our Samsung B2230.
The RCA female to Stereo 3.5mm female audio jack which we use to output audio from the PS3’s RCA cable to our Creative speakers. The jack is available at electronics shops.
The PS2 controller adapter
