Wednesday, November 15, 2006

PS3 Questions & Answers

I don't reside in Europe but I do live in a country which uses 240V electricity. I have purchased a Japanese PS3 from Y@hoo @uctions... Or was it from my friend Toshio in Japan? I forget so easily nowadays. In any case, what precautions do I need to take?

The Japanese PS3 uses a 100V ~ 3.8A power supply. A 240V current from the mains would blow your PS3 out (read: destroy) in less than .02 seconds if you plugged it in directly. What you need is a 240V to 120V (or 220V to 110V) stepdown transformer to convert the electricity down to a level which the PS3 can use.

When you say "blow your PS3 out in less than .02 seconds," do you really mean it?
Yes. The smell of burnt plastic and destroyed fuses is an added bonus. You may then use the PS3 as a very heavy paperweight that will keep newspapers and magazines down in gale force winds. It will also work as a doorstop but we prefer the kind that wedges against doors with rubber feet. Fact: NCS advises against using the PS3 as a frisbee.

What proof do you have of the Japanese PS3 being 100V? I heard it was multi-voltage capable. I read it on the internet so it must be true!
NCS has taken a photo from the PS3 which shows the power supply rating. It clearly states: 100V ~ 3.8A 50/60Hz. With regards to information culled from the internet, you may be referring to a PS3 debug station which does support multi-range voltages but you're not purchasing a debug station from Y@hoo @uctions or your kind friend Toshio.

Is there anything else I should know?
The Playstation 3 is a most powerful technological marvel but it attracts dust like a magnet. Keep it in a cabinet when not in use lest its glossy patina become grimy and oily and less like Padme's ship. That is all.

3 comments:

footloose said...

hi! just want to ask for confirmation (since I saw one your posts stating that you're going to check if NBA 2k7 will work on a Japanese PS3) I am about to buy a Japanese PS3 and I want to confirm if the 2k7 will work on this version of Ps3? This is the sole reason I am going to buy the console...thanks!

Unknown said...

The sticker on the outside of the PS3 does not tell the whole story. A Japanese retail PS3 has already been disassembled, and the writing engraved on the chassis of the power supply (see image here) says "AC INPUT 100V-240V~ 4.8-2.0A 50/60Hz". But if this is not enough to convince you, several brave souls HAVE actually tried plugging their PS3 into European mains sockets with no problems.

Anna said...

Hi.
I've bought an 80GB PS3 from Canada, so it's NTSC U/C.
Underneath it says 120V~3.2A 60 Hz.

What kind of adapter do I need, if anyone?

I've read on multiple forums about Swedes buying their NTSC PS3 (though I think the 60GB) and just using a normal computer power cord and it works fine.

How does one know it will work anyways?