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Setting up foreign PSN Store accounts

We've all done it. We've all seen what other regions get on their PSN Store and cursed their luck. Raised our fist to the sky and cursed the Gods. But what you might not have realised is that you can actually set up an account on your PS3 that will actually allow you to access the PSN Stores of other regions!


And what's better, its actually very easy indeed!


All you need to do is create another user on your PS3. This can be done from the "User" option (far left on the XMB). Then head towards the PSN Store and set up a new account. Now THIS is where you need to be careful....


Setting up the account.


When it asks you what region you live in, select the region you wish to access. If you're in North America and you want to access the EU PSN Store, simply select United Kingdom. When it asks for an address, you can simply use any UK address. In order to find one, simply search Google for the address of anyone/anything in the UK. No post will ever be sent, and no contact will ever be made.


If you wish to access the JAP PSN Store, things are a little more difficult as the menus are all in Moonspeak. My advice would be to first of all set up another foreign, English speaking account and make a note of which menu is which, and what you need to input in which box.


Once completed, all you need to do is log in on one of the new accounts and bam, access to that region's store is all yours! However, when it comes to actually BUYING something, you might have a bit of a problem....


Important things to remember.


You will need one of three things in order to actually buy things from foreign stores:


1. A credit/debit card for that specific region.

2. A pre-purchased PSN Points card (can be bought on Ebay and other places)

3. A friend in that region who will credit the account for you, provided you somehow pay them back (Paypal is best).


Europe and North America do not yet have PSN Points cards, but they are live in Japan. Points Cards are region specific, so if you buy a JAP Points Card, it can only be used on the JAP PSN Store.


However, you can download demos, themes, wallpapers and all the other free content on the stores without need for a credit card or Points Cards. But there are two things you will need to remember when you do.


1. Downloadable Content is region locked, meaning if you have the EU LittleBigPlanet and you buy a JAP costume pack, the costume will NOT work in the game. I can confirm this as I downloaded a free Guitar Hero 3 track from the US PSN Store for use with my EU Guitar Hero 3, and it didn't work.


2. If you delete an account, you will lose the ability to play or use anything you downloaded on that account. This is because everything that is installed comes with a certificate to state which user downloaded it. This does not mean that you have to be signed in to a specific account to play the game. The game auto-detects if the account of the user who downloaded it is still active on the PS3. If it detects the account, any account on the machine can play it. If it does not detect the account, the game simply will not start up and you will get an error message.


Closing notes.


So there you have it. Access to foreign PSN Stores, easy to set up, but hard to actually purchase anything. Another option you might want to consider is "Gamesharing". This means sharing your details with someone in another region and allowing each other access to your accounts, stores and any previously purchased software. Know that this is not only against the T+C of PS3 usage, it also means you won't be in complete control of your account. If you have shared your details with someone you can trust 200% then this is not an issue, but you'll still be breaking the terms and conditions of PSN.

Posted by Blokeymon - 11/05/2011


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