PS3 is region free and gets a free online service

SCEA announced that the Playstation 3 will be region free. Due to the large size of the blue ray disc developers could put different regions of the game on a single disc. This is a great idea that we hope many developers take advantage of when developing PS3 games. While the PS3 is backwards compatible, SCEA did not announce if the PS3 would be backwards compatible with all regions of PS2 / PS1 games. Also announced at GDC was a free online service coming for the PS3. Sony plans to profit on the online service by offering downloadable content like new race tracks and multiplayer maps to subsidize the service. The unnamed service is set to be ready as soon as the PS3 launches.