This PS5 Detail Opens Up A World Of Possibilities
The PlayStation 5 finally launches on Nov. 12, and fans are still learning more about the console. Luckily, the latest round of announcements regarding the PS5 may be some of the most exciting yet.
A recent FAQ posted to the official PlayStation site has answered several lingering questions regarding the latest Sony console. Not only did this FAQ announce a surprise PS4 app that strengthened that console's compatibility with the PS5, but it also finally confirmed that PlayStation 5 games are region free. This means that PS5 games can be played on any PS5 console, regardless of what country they were manufactured in.
This isn't a huge surprise, considering the fact that both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 are also region free. Still, it's exciting for fans to receive a confirmation like this, especially so close to the PlayStation 5's release.
From a business standpoint, it makes a good amount of sense for Sony to go the region free route with the PlayStation 5. It most likely saves money on the manufacturer level to not have to worry about producing specific consoles for different regions. Region free consoles also tend to be much more consumer-friendly, allowing fans to play any imported games that they've collected for that console.
However, there are a few situations in which region free titles may still be locked for users. As mentioned by a PlayStation fan on Twitter, download codes and DLC are typically tied to the region where a disc-based game originated. In other words, if you have a disc from the UK, you'd need a EU region PSN account to redeem any related codes. This user also pointed out that this could cause an issue for games like the Ultimate Edition of Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which comes with a download code for Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered. In this case, even though a Miles Morales disc from another region would work on any PS5, the customer may be out of luck when it comes to redeeming any of its accompanying vouchers.
Despite that possible wrinkle, this is still pleasant news for PlayStation fans who don't want to be boxed into a certain gaming region. This may be a sign that the gaming industry is continuing to move away from region locking consoles. Just a few years ago, fans were surprised to learn that the Nintendo Switch would be region free, making it the first Nintendo console in years to be so.