Buy PS3 in Japan

Hi,

I will be going to Japan in March and consider buying PS3 there.

Is it cheaper to buy in Japan?
what version is available there?
could I play australian region games/movies?

Thanks in advance

Is it cheaper to buy in Japan?
what version is available there?

The ps3 slim costs about 30,000 yen (370 AUD) retail for the 120gb version and about 35,000 yen (430 AUD) for the 250gb version.

could I play australian region games/movies?

Besides region codes (games are generally region free, while dvd/bluray are region locked with Japan and Australia in different regions) you have to look into PAL vs. NTSC issues, as I'm not sure if the the Japanese PS3 can output a PAL signal. This isn't a problem if your tv can accept both PAL and NTSC input. Also, consider a 240-100v stepdown transformer, as I'm not sure if the power supply on the new slim models are universal voltage. Maybe someone with the new Japanese slim can check those last two things for you.

thanks for your reply.

how much for the preowned ps3 60 gb?

used ps3 are usually not much cheaper than a new model and can even be more expensive. One reason they remain desireable is that they can play ps2 games, a feature that was removed in future releases of the console. You can get an estimate of used prices by checking yahoo auctions:

http://search.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/search?p=ps3+60gb...

thanks for your reply.

how much for the preowned ps3 60 gb?

Current listed ones will sell for around 30000 yen, while some are listed as high as 50000 yen. That's equal to or more expensive than a new one bought at the typical retail store.

Those prices seem high though, and I recall seeing them for more like 25000-30000 at used stores (again making it equal in price to a new model). Shop around the back stores of Akihabara and maybe you'll get lucky.