PS3 from US - do i need a voltage transformer??

JRD · 7th October 2008, 09:47

after reading a post about the converter i remember mine allows upto 1500w. It has been working perfectly for quite some time now

jassi · 7th October 2008, 10:08

yes for other appliances which don't have universal PSUs, there are some very reliable step up/down transformers I picked up from FRy's in US and have had no issues so far.
Unless you are using for small appliances like shavers, etc stay away from the 50/1500W cheapo converters. They make square waves (not sine) and can ruin your device over team. For continuous power stick to the more expensive converters which give out pure sine wave and have a specific wattage rating like 100W, 500W, etc. (not the 50/1500W !!) I am currently using one for my roomba vacuuming robot

a boon for us working professionals who like a clean house ( iRobot Corporation: About Roomba 500 )

SPEED_DEMON82 · 11th November 2008, 10:16

A big Hello to all team-bhpians.
Checking in after a long long time and boy am i delighted to read all the latest car happenings and specially thrilled to read the spottings in the imports section.

Anyways, ill be returning to India pretty soon and seems like ill be able to lay my hands on some awesum deals on the PS3 80Gb.

Like said earlier... not many tech forums have been helpful in determining whether the US PS3 8GB works without any mods in India. I still have not been able tofigure out all the confusion about the whole PAL - NTSC stuff. Some say be carefull, some say it dosent matter.

So i am looking for help from you guys who have the N American PS3 and have been using it in India.

Please help me with answers to my questions:

1. Will the PS3 80Gb work on a std definition TV/normal lcd TV?
2. Is it difficult to find a good transformer in Mumbai/is it required?
3. How can one make sure that the console has a universal PSU even though the manual says 110V-60Hz?
4. Is there any hardware changes needed like on the PS2?
5. Does it only play games on BluRay DVD??

Cheers!

jassi · 11th November 2008, 10:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPEED_DEMON82

So i am looking for help from you guys who have the N American PS3 and have been using it in India.

Please help me with answers to my questions:

1. Will the PS3 80Gb work on a std definition TV/normal lcd TV?
2. Is it difficult to find a good transformer in Mumbai/is it required?
3. How can one make sure that the console has a universal PSU even though the manual says 110V-60Hz?
4. Is there any hardware changes needed like on the PS2?
5. Does it only play games on BluRay DVD??

Cheers!

Hi @speed_demon - I have been using 2PS3s for more than a year now - one is from US 80gb and the other is from India 40gb

1) PS3 works on any tv which is multi standard (auto, pal, secam, ntsc). You need not worry about this as all tvs as are, infact even an 15 yr old 14" tv that I had was multi standard!!!
2) No transformer was needed in the case of my 80gb
3) there are numerous videos on youtube which tear open the 80gb to show it has a universal psu. I don't think that has changed
4) NO hardware changes are needed as all PS3s are region free as far as gaming goes. Movies (dvd and bluray)may or may not be region coded
5) All PS3 games are on bluray disc (not dvd)

Hope this helps

SPEED_DEMON82 · 12th November 2008, 09:05

Hey Jassi,

I thought as much that u'd be the one to answer my question. Thanks so much for the effort. Now cant wait any longer to lay my hands on one at the BlackFriday Sale.

Cheers!

kpbhatt · 12th November 2008, 16:50

Jassi,

I got Nintendo Gamecube from US in May 06 and they recommended not using it outside of North America. I purchased a step down transformer which could take a wattage upto 550 W from Secunderabad at a price of 1100 Rs and am using it since then - no issues at all.

shibu · 22nd November 2009, 23:15

Sorry to dig this out...curious to know..Jassi..did you buy the transformer or the power supply a universal one? I just bought a PS3 slim 250Gb and was wondering if I should go ahead and buy a step down 500w transformer?

vinayak007 · 23rd November 2009, 09:40

Hi Shibu,

In case you end of buying one, please let me know which shop in Bangalore stocks these !
i intend to pick one too.

shibu · 23rd November 2009, 12:31

Hi Vinayak..I bought this from US. India has the 120gb version though.

coolfyre · 23rd November 2009, 13:09

I have bought quite a few stuff from the US and using it in India.
Most of the power adapters accept the input range from 110V - 240V, 50 - 60 Hz. All you would need is a pin converter as the US plugs have flat pins and Indian pins are round.

As far as Sony playstations are considered, I have checked all their power adapters and it accepts only 120V 60hz as the input.
What I have done for such devices is buy a new power adapter for the device.
Just go any buy a power adapter for PS3 and you should be good to go instead of the mess with step down voltage devices etc.

I hope you are aware of the region lock for sony PS3 games as well.
Sony PS3 bought in the US does not load games purcahsed in India.

cruiser_1982 · 23rd November 2009, 13:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by shibu

Sorry to dig this out...curious to know..Jassi..did you buy the transformer or the power supply a universal one? I just bought a PS3 slim 250Gb and was wondering if I should go ahead and buy a step down 500w transformer?

The older PS3 which I own has a power rating of around 600 watts(I think I am correct).I bought a 1500 watts step down transformer for it. I would say go for a transformer with double the power rating of your PS3. It has worked seamlessly and in future if I need to use any US electronic item with lesser rating, I can just plug into the same transformer.

chevelle · 23rd November 2009, 13:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolfyre

I hope you are aware of the region lock for sony PS3 games as well.
Sony PS3 bought in the US does not load games purcahsed in India.

In the link below akshay says, games are region free. so games purchased from anywhere should be fine.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadget...ation-3-a.html

now i am confused. which one is true? help

coolfyre · 23rd November 2009, 15:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by chevelle

In the link below akshay says, games are region free. so games purchased from anywhere should be fine.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadget...ation-3-a.html

now i am confused. which one is true? help

Sorry! My information is outdated.

I just confirmed from a friend of mine who is a Sony guru that PS3 games are region free and games bought all over the world works fine.
Sony has apparently removed the region coding for their PS3 games.

The region coding is still there only for DVDs and blu-ray movies.

MC Mayank · 27th November 2009, 19:36

Hey guys this is the blackfriday deal on amazon this year:

"Amazon will offer the Sony PS3 Slim 120GB with the games InFAMOUS and Killzone 2 and a Amazon promotional credit of $10 for $299. "

Been following this forum for a bit. Considering all considerations, do you guys feel that it's worthwhile to get the PS3 from the US? I have a regular 29" TV. My doubts are the ones expressed above

1. Can the required transformer be obtained off the shelf in Bangalore?
2. Are the PS3 games way too expensive in India currently? (Specially since in the Slim is not backward compatible)

Or should I just go and buy the PS2 for now (never owned one)

?

vinayak007 · 28th November 2009, 11:16

Hi MC Mayank,

i'm afraid the back friday deals are but over by this time now (in fact if u hadn't hit the stores like at 5 AM yesterday, u can well forget the freebies :( )
Coming back to your question...
u'r probably require an HDMI cable as well as it doesn't come as a standard in PS3. (i'm guessing u'll buy a LCD time at some point of time) -> That costs about 30 $
i see that in Delhi u get a 1500W 240 -110V step down Xmer for 300 bucks. I think most of the electric shops would have sometime similar in stock
u can pick up some new games from the US itself for 60$$. The old ones will be available for 18-25 $ i guess.

7th October 2008, 09:47	#31
JRD BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Turin/Ahmedabad Posts: 372 Thanked: 15 Times View My Garage	after reading a post about the converter i remember mine allows upto 1500w. It has been working perfectly for quite some time now
	() Thanks

7th October 2008, 10:08	#32
jassi BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Melbourne Posts: 980 Thanked: 11 Times View My Garage	yes for other appliances which don't have universal PSUs, there are some very reliable step up/down transformers I picked up from FRy's in US and have had no issues so far. Unless you are using for small appliances like shavers, etc stay away from the 50/1500W cheapo converters. They make square waves (not sine) and can ruin your device over team. For continuous power stick to the more expensive converters which give out pure sine wave and have a specific wattage rating like 100W, 500W, etc. (not the 50/1500W !!) I am currently using one for my roomba vacuuming robot a boon for us working professionals who like a clean house ( iRobot Corporation: About Roomba 500 )
	() Thanks

11th November 2008, 10:16	#33
SPEED_DEMON82 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 212 Thanked: 3 Times	A big Hello to all team-bhpians. Checking in after a long long time and boy am i delighted to read all the latest car happenings and specially thrilled to read the spottings in the imports section. Anyways, ill be returning to India pretty soon and seems like ill be able to lay my hands on some awesum deals on the PS3 80Gb. Like said earlier... not many tech forums have been helpful in determining whether the US PS3 8GB works without any mods in India. I still have not been able tofigure out all the confusion about the whole PAL - NTSC stuff. Some say be carefull, some say it dosent matter. So i am looking for help from you guys who have the N American PS3 and have been using it in India. Please help me with answers to my questions: 1. Will the PS3 80Gb work on a std definition TV/normal lcd TV? 2. Is it difficult to find a good transformer in Mumbai/is it required? 3. How can one make sure that the console has a universal PSU even though the manual says 110V-60Hz? 4. Is there any hardware changes needed like on the PS2? 5. Does it only play games on BluRay DVD?? Cheers!
	() Thanks

12th November 2008, 09:05	#35
SPEED_DEMON82 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 212 Thanked: 3 Times	Hey Jassi, I thought as much that u'd be the one to answer my question. Thanks so much for the effort. Now cant wait any longer to lay my hands on one at the BlackFriday Sale. Cheers!
	() Thanks

12th November 2008, 16:50	#36
kpbhatt BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 349 Thanked: 33 Times View My Garage	Jassi, I got Nintendo Gamecube from US in May 06 and they recommended not using it outside of North America. I purchased a step down transformer which could take a wattage upto 550 W from Secunderabad at a price of 1100 Rs and am using it since then - no issues at all.
	() Thanks

22nd November 2009, 23:15	#37
shibu BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Loughborough,UK Posts: 53 Thanked: 62 Times	Sorry to dig this out...curious to know..Jassi..did you buy the transformer or the power supply a universal one? I just bought a PS3 slim 250Gb and was wondering if I should go ahead and buy a step down 500w transformer?
	() Thanks

23rd November 2009, 09:40	#38
vinayak007 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 48 Thanked: 15 Times	Hi Shibu, In case you end of buying one, please let me know which shop in Bangalore stocks these ! i intend to pick one too.
	() Thanks

23rd November 2009, 12:31	#39
shibu BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Loughborough,UK Posts: 53 Thanked: 62 Times	Hi Vinayak..I bought this from US. India has the 120gb version though.
	() Thanks

23rd November 2009, 13:09	#40
coolfyre BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 67 Thanked: 2 Times	I have bought quite a few stuff from the US and using it in India. Most of the power adapters accept the input range from 110V - 240V, 50 - 60 Hz. All you would need is a pin converter as the US plugs have flat pins and Indian pins are round. As far as Sony playstations are considered, I have checked all their power adapters and it accepts only 120V 60hz as the input. What I have done for such devices is buy a new power adapter for the device. Just go any buy a power adapter for PS3 and you should be good to go instead of the mess with step down voltage devices etc. I hope you are aware of the region lock for sony PS3 games as well. Sony PS3 bought in the US does not load games purcahsed in India.
	() Thanks

27th November 2009, 19:36	#44
MC Mayank BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 108 Thanked: 3 Times	Hey guys this is the blackfriday deal on amazon this year: "Amazon will offer the Sony PS3 Slim 120GB with the games InFAMOUS and Killzone 2 and a Amazon promotional credit of $10 for $299. " Been following this forum for a bit. Considering all considerations, do you guys feel that it's worthwhile to get the PS3 from the US? I have a regular 29" TV. My doubts are the ones expressed above 1. Can the required transformer be obtained off the shelf in Bangalore? 2. Are the PS3 games way too expensive in India currently? (Specially since in the Slim is not backward compatible) Or should I just go and buy the PS2 for now (never owned one) ?
	() Thanks

28th November 2009, 11:16	#45
vinayak007 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 48 Thanked: 15 Times	Hi MC Mayank, i'm afraid the back friday deals are but over by this time now (in fact if u hadn't hit the stores like at 5 AM yesterday, u can well forget the freebies :( ) Coming back to your question... u'r probably require an HDMI cable as well as it doesn't come as a standard in PS3. (i'm guessing u'll buy a LCD time at some point of time) -> That costs about 30 $ i see that in Delhi u get a 1500W 240 -110V step down Xmer for 300 bucks. I think most of the electric shops would have sometime similar in stock u can pick up some new games from the US itself for 60$$. The old ones will be available for 18-25 $ i guess.
	() Thanks