Rock has never been this expensive

[[wcip]Angel]

Accordig to Gamespot, Rock Band will be released in Europe in May.

That is, for the Xbox360.

I've eagerly awaited the arrival of "Rock Band" for what seems like an eternity now, and I can't wait to get my hands on it. You'll understand then, why European consumers might be a bit dismayed to learn that:

1. It's not a universal European launch. Wii/PS3-versions won't be out until the summer. This is a full 6 month *after* the US release by the way. (So much for the PS3 campaign promise of having region-free games on the PS3 allowing for worldwide-release simultaneous release!)

2. Whereas Rock Band retails for a manageable $169.99 (862 Norwegian kroner) in the US, over here they're charging $265 (1.334 Norwegian kroner).

3. European SKUs won't even contain the actual game (!). That's right! $265 for the drum kit, microphone and 1 guitar (which also doesn't make any sense by the way), and the game isn't even included in the price. By the time Rock Band is actually released over here, they'll be able to bleed us for another $110 for the actual game. That's $375 for a playable 3-instrument version of Rock Band, compared to the US's $169,99.

I realise that one of the main reasons for the huge price difference is the current market and the value of currencies. That being said, not including the game in the package is a major poop in the eye on behalf of the publisher. I'm not going to get into the asinine idea of releasing a 4-player rock band game with 3 instruments here, (as I've vented on that issue before), but what the hell are we supposed to do without the actual game?

[/rant]

So under this crushing wave of frustration, I ask the Lounge: Do you see any problems with ordering a US version of Rock Band? Seeing as the European model is a) Delayed, b) Overpriced, c) Minus an actual game, I am seriously considering ordering Rock Band from the 'states.

I can come up with a few issues though:
1. Finding an actual store that will ship big packages internationally. Amazon refuses to sell Rock Band to European customers. Are there any alternatives?

2. Electricity. US and Norwegian voltage outputs vary. We have 220 volts in our sockets. I don't know what you good people have to power up your electrical teapots and whatnot, but I may need some sort of power adapter. Even then it's not guaranteed to work... is it? I'm about as practical as a penguin in a.. an unfinished simile.

3. Compatibility: Yes, PS3-games are supposed to be region-free, but there's also the whole NTSC vs PAL thing. Does that still apply? I remember that was one of the reasons I couldn't order PS2 games from the US.

[NiteFox]

Well, even though I'm not in this console war (PC4evah), even I am outraged by the European price of Rock Band. Even though I had no intention of buying it. It's that extortionate. And back then I thought the price actually included the bloody game.

Whatever. The only importing tip I've heard is that "the PS3 version works just fine". That's about the only hint I can give you.

[--Pete]

Hi,

You've increased my joy at having avoided the whole console mess. Sorry about your frustrations.

Angel' date='Apr 8 2008, 10:40 PM' post='146185']
1. Finding an actual store that will ship big packages internationally. Amazon refuses to sell Rock Band to European customers. Are there any alternatives?

Get a friend to buy it in the USA and send it to you. If there are any export restrictions, that may be a problem, but otherwise it's just a question of money. If you decide to go this route and need some help, send me a PM.

2. Electricity. US and Norwegian voltage outputs vary. We have 220 volts in our sockets. I don't know what you good people have to power up your electrical teapots and whatnot, but I may need some sort of power adapter. Even then it's not guaranteed to work... is it? I'm about as practical as a penguin in a.. an unfinished simile.

I believe you have 220 volts (as you say), 50 Hz. We have 120 volts, 60 Hz. The frequency difference may or may not make a difference. The voltage difference definitely will. If the unit is powered through a power brick, like a laptop is, then you might just need to get the appropriate (European) brick. If the unit has a 120/220 switch (like many power supplies), then you are probably in good shape. Otherwise, you'll need a 220 to 120 transformer which will add another expense to your system.

3. Compatibility: Yes, PS3-games are supposed to be region-free, but there's also the whole NTSC vs PAL thing. Does that still apply? I remember that was one of the reasons I couldn't order PS2 games from the US.

Still applies, and may also be a deal breaker.

Good luck.

--Pete

[[wcip]Angel]

Thanks, Pete!:)That's very nice of you.

Nevertheless, I think the point is moot.

I sent the following email to EA, the publisher responsible for the tech support for Rock Band:

Dear EA sports

I live in Norway and wish to purchase Rock Band for the Playstation 3 from someone in the US; either from an online store, or through a friend residing in the US.

My question to you is:
Will an American copy of Rock Band work properly on a Norwegian Playstation 3 (40GB model). I will probably need to purchase a power adapter to work out the difference between US and European electrical systems. But once I've done that, is there anything inherent in American Playstation 3 games that prevents them from working on a European PS3?

Thank you for your help.

Best regards

- Eirik Jakobsen
Stavanger, Norway

and got the following auto-replyesque reply:

Hi,

Thank you for contacting us here at Electronic Arts Technical Support. I’m sorry for the difficulty with Rock Band.

If you purchase a game, please make sure that the game has the same region as your console. Be aware that if you purchase a game online, you may not be aware of it's region.

You can verify the region of your game by looking on the back of the package for one of the following codes.

NTSC - North America (United States, Canada, and Mexico)
NTSC-J - Asia (Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan)
PAL - Europe, Australia, and New Zealand

Should you require further assistance about this or any Electronic Arts games in the future please visit our website and review our extensive Self Help knowledgebase (http://support.ea.com)

Francis A.
EA Games Technical Support

Am I to infer from this that Rock Band (and other PS3 games) are *not* region-free? Colour me stunned. And then add a stroke or two of cheated. One of the reasons why I bought a PS3 was that games would finally be launched worldwide due to the lack of zoning restrictions on games.

*angry*


Edit: Oops! Just spotted the concord error in my email to EA sports. Oh well, they deserved it! The ratty bunch!

[--Pete]

Hi,

Angel' date='Apr 10 2008, 08:27 AM' post='146242']
Nevertheless, I think the point is moot.

I think you're right. I don't know why they did it that way, but it looks like they somehow developed the game for each of the broadcasting standards individually rather than building all three simultaneously. They do have to code for each standard independently, but in a well designed program that should be a minimal effort, similar to supporting different screen resolutions on a Mac or PC.

Of course, you could always buy an NTSC version of the PS3 and a television to match -- but you'd risk your family or friends having you committed to an institution for the financially insane :lol:

--Pete

[Bob the Beholder]

Angel' date='Apr 10 2008, 03:27 PM' post='146242']
Thanks, Pete!:)That's very nice of you.

Nevertheless, I think the point is moot.

I sent the following email to EA, the publisher responsible for the tech support for Rock Band:
and got the following auto-replyesque reply:
Am I to infer from this that Rock Band (and other PS3 games) are *not* region-free? Colour me stunned. And then add a stroke or two of cheated. One of the reasons why I bought a PS3 was that games would finally be launched worldwide due to the lack of zoning restrictions on games.

*angry*
Edit: Oops! Just spotted the concord error in my email to EA sports. Oh well, they deserved it! The ratty bunch!

I would have to say that this is probably a form letter that they send to every email containing anything resembling region issues. And also does not technically answer the question. It doesn't say, "Nope, won't work." It just says, "Please buy the more expensive version."

I'm sure if you hit up google or something you can probably find some forum posts with people in your situation which might contain answers.

[Quark]

Angel' date='Apr 10 2008, 11:27 AM' post='146242']
Am I to infer from this that Rock Band (and other PS3 games) are *not* region-free? Colour me stunned. And then add a stroke or two of cheated. One of the reasons why I bought a PS3 was that games would finally be launched worldwide due to the lack of zoning restrictions on games.

They're region-free, the EA Support guy is blowing smoke. The PS3 spec (for games) doesn't support region coding

Kotaku says it'll work. Only games that try to output 480i on a 576i set should fail. If you have HDTV, this isn't a concern for PS3 games as it'll be outputting in at least 720p.

[NiteFox]

They're region-free, the EA Support guy is blowing smoke. The PS3 spec (for games) doesn't support region coding

Kotaku says it'll work. Only games that try to output 480i on a 576i set should fail. If you have HDTV, this isn't a concern for PS3 games as it'll be outputting in at least 720p.

Yeah. Pretty much every single person I know who had an interest in Rock Band has been turned off by the EU price, and a few are now importing US PS3 versions.

EA know that this will cost them legit European sales, so their best counter is to tell anyone that asks them if the US version works or not on EU PS3s is that it won't. That way, a potential customer is put off imported on the say so of the official word, and will probably pay hand over fist for the EU version.

[[wcip]Angel]

You're right!


Being the shrewd, master-degree wielding, brainiac that I am, I sent the aforementioned tech-support email to both the American and Norwegian EA address.

The reply from the Norwegian branch of the EA tech support just came in:

Du kan fint kjøpe amerikanske versjonen av Rock Band til din norske ps3 maskin, og alt av strøm skjer via playstation maskinen. Hvis dette hadde vært en xbox 360 ville saken ha vært noe annet
-->
"It's perfectly fine to buy the American version of Rock Band for your Norwegian PS3, and everything related to power is run through the Playstation machine. Had this been an Xbox360, it would have been a whole different matter."


Sqweee!!!

Will send you a PM later, Pete!

Wohoo! Insane rock poses; here I come!!

[Quark]

Small addendum: PSOne games (and PS2 if you have a backwards compatible PS3) still enforce region coding, as do DVDs and Blu-Ray (Blu-Ray has 3 regions).

Angel' date='Apr 14 2008, 05:45 AM' post='146361']
Wohoo! Insane rock poses; here I come!!

Play the drums, less time to pose:)

[[wcip]Angel]

You can do both the singing and drumming at the same time. All you need is a mic stand! (And a good singing voice... which I am sorely lacking. Perhaps I'll just stick to the skins.)

I'm giddy!

[Quark]

Angel' date='Apr 14 2008, 10:15 AM' post='146380']
You can do both the singing and drumming at the same time. All you need is a mic stand! (And a good singing voice... which I am sorely lacking. Perhaps I'll just stick to the skins.)

I'm giddy!

Any USB headset/mic is supposed to work, so you may not even need a mic stand.

[[wcip]Angel]

I live with two of my friends who are both musicians and conductors. No shortage of mic stands in our house:)But thanks for the tip!

PM is sent!

(*still giddy*)

[--Pete]

Hi,

PM is sent!

And replied to. Let's get this show on the road;)

--Pete