Chengdu Living » games

Buying a Playstation 3 in Chengdu

Charlie — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 04:59:08 +0000

Like many people reading this, I grew up playing video games. In the U.S., video game cultured was being assimilated into the mainstream throughout the 1990′s as Notorious B.I.G. sang in the first single of his debut album: “Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, when I was dead broke, man I couldn’t picture this”. Since then, the video game industry has grown to take an ever-larger place in the overall entertainment industry. Along with virtually every other luxury industry, it’s currently in the midst of explosive growth in China. And with many video game shops fiercely competing for your yuan, prices and profit margins are lower than vendors would like. Bad for them, good for you.

So, after a year of faithful service, I’ve sold my Xbox 360 (in the Chengdu forum) and picked up a Playstation 3. Here’s all the information you’ll need to be gaming on the cheap in Chengdu, in high definition.

Playstation 3 (320gb model) bought in Chengdu for 2,600 yuan with Blu-Ray movies

Practical Information

If you weren’t aware, the Playstation 3 is the successor to the Playstation 2, the highest selling game console ever made. In addition to playing games like Final Fantasy and God of War, it also plays Blu-Ray movies in high definition.

Since I authored a post on Buying Video Games in China for $1 over a year ago, there’s been a major change to the industry. The Playstation 3, which previously could only play legitimate discs (which are actually imported illegally, along with consoles themselves), has been cracked wide open and will now run games installed directly to its internal hard drive. Prices and information on where to buy are at the end of the post, but expect to pay about 2,500 yuan (U.S. $300+) for a Playstation 3 which comes with as many games as you can fit on the included hard drive (120-320gb) and will play any Blu-Ray movies.

Firmware Hacks & Installing Games

The modification that allows the Playstation to run games installed to the hard drive is a firmware hack. That means that unlike the Playstation 2 hack, this is software-only and completely reversible. When you buy the console, it comes with the modified firmware installed, for no additional fee, and as many games as you can fit on the included hard drive. I got the 320gb model and was able to fit 17 games on the hard drive, including Final Fantasy XIII and God of War III which together alone are over 80gb (Blu-Ray games are enormous and jam-packed with super high-resolution video).

To install other games in the future, you have two options:

Take your PS3 to Digital Square to have new games installed, for a fee of 20 yuan for as many as you want, or
Take the removable hard drive out of your console and take that with you to Digital Square

While this is a hassle compared to the Xbox 360 which allows you to just buy discs for 5 yuan and run them like legit games, you have some advantages with the PS3 like Blu-Ray movie playback. When you have everything set up, this is what the game selection menu looks like:

Selecting from the available games on a PS3 via a built-in menu

Getting on the Playstation Network

If you’ve modified your PS3 to play games from the hard drive, you can still play games online, but you’re running the risk of getting the console permanently banned from the Playstation Network. No one’s certain how Sony will handle this, but a popular theory is that Sony is collecting information on consoles that login to the network with modified firmware. Once they’ve reached a certain time or number of consoles, they permanently ban them all from the network forever. This is exactly how the Xbox 360 works with “ban waves” occurring once each year. Whether or not you choose to take the risk is up to you, but I’ve chosen to keep my PS3 offline for now.

Buy and Watch Blu-Ray Movies

"Real Blu-Ray" (真正蓝光) sticker affixed on Salt

If you buy DVD’s regularly, you’ll notice that Blu-Ray movies are starting to pop up everywhere that DVD’s are sold. Now, instead of just shouting “DVD!” at Digital Square, you’ll also get “Blu-Ray!” (蓝光) shouted in your face by vendors who equate foreigners to yuan signs. There are thousands of movies available on Blu-Ray so the selection is extensive, and the going rate is 15 yuan per disc, including box. For this price, these are obviously not studio-approved Blu-Ray discs, which aren’t for sale in Mainland China legally anyway, but they are bit-for-bit identical counterparts. I recently noticed a “Real!” sticker on Salt, which I picked up recently. I remain unconvinced, but it’s amusing.

One other thing to add is that China is starting to crack down on popular bit-torrent sites which host foreign films. Verycd.com, which is essentially China’s Pirate Bay, has recently stopped hosting foreign films and music. Around the world, Netflix streams movies on-demand for a monthly subscription fee to users in the US and Canada, but of course these don’t work here with our paltry broadband connections and regional blocks. In light of these facts, and the general hassle associated with downloading high resolution movies, Blu-Ray starts to look very attractive.

The Legality of Hacking Your PS3

As of this writing, console modification is legal. Sony is about to put this to the test though, by throwing an army of lawyers at the first guy to crack the Playstation’s complex encryption protocols: Geohot, who’s also the young genius who first jailbroke the iPhone. As of several days ago, Geohot is requesting financial support to save himself from getting sued into oblivion by one of the world’s largest media conglomerates. And more importantly, prevent Sony from setting a legal precedent which prevents you from the right to modify hardware which you own. You can read more about that here.

Where to Buy

Digital Square, at the intersection of First Ring Road and Renmin Nan Lu in the South of Chengdu. The fourth floor of both adjacent buildings are devoted to video games and various and sundry PC accessories.

Have you bought a PS3 or are you thinking about getting one? Leave a message in the comments below.

In Pictures: World Cyber Games in Chengdu

Charlie — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:26:07 +0000

In late 2009, a million people converged at the World Finals of the World Cyber Games in Chengdu over four days.

The WCG, if you aren’t familiar, is the biggest annual e-sports event in the world which offers hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money to competitors from hundreds of countries playing games like Starcraft and Counter-Strike. It’s modeled after the Olympics and at the event it’s routine to see players strutting between contests clutching Guitar Hero instruments and keyboards, looking like Olympic athletes in nation-themed jump suits. You’ve probably never had the opportunity to see people take video games this seriously.

I spent a day at the WCG, which was a 15-minute drive south of downtown Chengdu, and came back with these photos:

Hundreds line up to enter the convention center for the 2009 World Cyber Game Finals in Chengdu

Banners outside the convention center don't bear the official WCG insignia but feature popular game characters

Large WCG flags like this hang from the high ceilings in the convention center and resemble Olympic insignia

A strength-testing boxing game at the video arcade inside the convention center costs 2 yuan to play

A Polish Counter-Strike team of five works together to defeat their Indian adversaries

Counter-Strike semi-finals on the main stage feature large projection displays for the crowd of thousands to watch

A row of flags representing all of the participating countries. In total, there are over fifty flags present

A Russian gamer plays against, and loses to, South Korean Jae-Dong in the 1998 hit game Starcraft

"Guess the Winner" offered cash prizes for accurate predictions of match outcomes to attendees

Cheering on Chinese Warcraft 3 competitor by holding up a sign: "Tu Dou Ming will definitely win" (土豆明，一定赢)

An attendee plays XBox 360 game Dirt 2 on a 6-panel LCD display with racing seat and force feedback steering wheel

Posing as a SWAT member from Counter-Strike

A "L33t Crew" terrorist from Counter-Strike

An Eastern European deftly clicks his mouse over 100 times a minute as he plays Starcraft

A South Korean on the main stage responds in the final moments of a FIFA 09 match

One of many marketers chanting slogans

Russian competitor looks on to FIFA players

Huge crowds constantly followed Bisu, celebrity Starcraft player from South Korea

Chinese flag hangs proudly from the convention center's high ceilings

Toting promotional articles and wearing AMD-branded uniforms, dancers prepare to take the stage

Bisu speaks about coming to Chengdu and participating in the 2009 WCG in China

A dancer takes a bow after finishing his performance

A cosplay fantasy character takes the sponsored stage

Bisu casually browses his e-mail as a crowd of dozens eagerly photographs the South Korean gaming celebrity

Korean announcers broadcast live and scream the latest updates to avid listeners in South Korea

An attendant greets entrants to the convention center

Security guards observe the players together

The World Cyber Games was founded in South Korea, which is home to a thriving competitive gaming community with fixtures like multiple Starcraft television stations. South Korea left the 2009 WCG the winner, collecting eleven of the thirty-six medals awarded. China left with two medals and the United States captured three.

Click here to read the Wikipedia entry of the 2009 WCG or here for WCG’s official site.

Buying Video Games in China for Less Than $1

Charlie — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 11:00:50 +0000

Gaming in China

The dubious foundation of video game culture and society in China rests on – you guessed it – software piracy. Mega-developer Activision is not only not making millions from sales in China but there isn’t even a Chinese language localization because they’re too intimidated by the ubiquitous 5 yuan burned copies. In China, the rules are very different.

In fact, this might be one of the best places in the world to be a video gamer because all of the latest games cost less than $1. That’s 1/4 of what you’d pay to rent them for 3 days at Blockbuster in the US and the games here come out before the official release date. This, with quickly falling HDTV prices (you can get 42″ LCD’s with HDMI for 4,000? now) makes this a fun option for passing worst season in Chengdu.

Consoles

There are three current-generation consoles available:

The XBox 360 comes pre-modded in China

Xbox 360 – The Xbox 360, released in 2007, has flourished and become a best seller. When you buy the console it comes modified and ready to play bootleg games, of which there are more than 500. You’ll be flipping through catalogs for an hour if you check out all the games that are available. The enormous game library is great, but it comes with a few drawbacks. The first several revisions of the Xbox 360 were poorly manufactured and resulted in thousands of customers getting stuck with consoles that fatally malfunctioned. Fortunately Microsoft has seemed to have fixed the problem but remember that when you purchase a modified console you can’t send it to Microsoft for repair. However, there are local places which offer repair services. One of the greatest assets of the Xbox 360 is the online component, called Xbox Live. For years there were huge communities of mainland Chinese playing on Xbox Live but this seems to have been stopped by Microsoft which recently banned over a million Xbox’s from their online service due to modified hardware. D’oh.

The cost involved is about 2,400 yuan for the console which includes a 120gb hard drive, one wireless controller, and the cables you’ll need to hook it up to your TV. Games are less than $1, so go crazy. One thing to keep in mind is that a 360 console bought in China will be region-locked to games released in Asia which means you can’t play US or EU store-bought games on it.

Summary: Hundreds of great quality games. Outstanding graphics, reasonable price. Unfortunately if you play online, Microsoft will most likely permanently ban your console from their online service.
Pirated games aren't available for Sony's PS3

Playstation 3 – Successor to the ubiquitous Playstation 2, the Playstation 3 offers HD gaming like the Xbox but with the addition of Blu-Ray movie playback. The crippling downside is that the console won’t boot bootleg games, so you’ll be paying more than 300? on each one. The system includes Wi-fi and comes in a newly redesigned slim form factor. Online play works since the console can’t be modified but there are few players in China due to the high cost of entry.Cost involved: 2,300? for the console which also includes a 120gb hard drive and one wireless controller. Games cost an astounding sixty times more than the Xbox 360 counterparts. Ouch.

Summary: If you’re interested in one particular game and the Blu-Ray playback this makes a decent option but otherwise it doesn’t make a lot of sense. At more than 300元 a piece, you probably won’t be buying many games but at least Blu-Ray movies are cheap and plentiful.
Wii games cost 5 yuan a disc in China

Nintendo Wii - The runaway sales success which targeted the casual gamer, made by quintessential gaming pioneer Nintendo. It’s controlled by a motion tracking device inside what looks like a white TV remote, so instead of manipulating a traditional controller you fling, swing, and otherwise look stupid with this thing in your hand. This also comes modified when you buy it and games cost five yuan just like the Xbox, which is great. Unfortunately there are few good games and even those are generally party games you’ll be playing with your kids or girlfriend. It doesn’t support HD so the graphics won’t dazzle you, but they’re still making new Mario games in 2009.Cost involved: 1,800 yuan for the console, which doesn’t include a hard drive, and one motion tracking wand-like device. Games are cheap and there are hundreds.

Summary: This is a good option for people living with kids or with significant other who want to bowl and play tennis on tv. This is the cheapest option of the three but there’s a shallow pool of good games for people who will want to play for more than a few minutes in a sitting.

Where to Buy

If you’re in Chengdu the place to go is Digital Square (located at the intersection of Renmin Nan Lu and 1st Ring Road), otherwise an equivalent can be found in every major city in China. Normally vendors who carry video games are on the upper levels but you’ll know you’re in the right place when you see people playing fighting games or soccer on big screen HDTV’s. In Chengdu alone there are dozens of separate locations where you can buy Playstations, Xboxes, and more games and accessories than you can imagine. Prices are roughly the same – about 5 yuan for a DVD that looks roughly like the real deal with printing on the surface of the disc.

An alternative is by buy on Taobao but I recommend buying locally in case you come upon hardware problems after your purchase.

Happy gaming!

Binders filled with hundreds of Xbox 360 games include new titles like Dragon Age and Assassin

All About the iPhone in China

Charlie — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:59:00 +0000

Although the iPhone was officially released in China very recently, it’s been available here in it’s various incarnations for years. For those who don’t know, the iPhone is one of the best phones on the market and there have only been incremental updates in the two years since it’s original release. Aside from being an outstanding phone, it’s one of the best aids available if you study Chinese. Whether you’re interested in buying an iPhone in China or just want to learn about the options and differences between them, read on.

Unauthorized Access

The iPhones that you’ve been seeing people with over the last few years are classified as “Shui huo” devices. That is, they’re not licensed for use in China and they’ve arrived from another country, often as near as Taiwan and Hong Kong. Since ordinary iPhones are locked to the territory that they’re purchased in, you’re required to circumvent security features in order to make and receive calls on an unauthorized network like China Mobile. This process (commonly referred to as unlocking or Jailbreaking) requires no equipment and little software because it’s a firmware hack that doesn’t require any physical modification. What this means is that the process is completely reversible if you decide to return to your home country that you purchased the phone in. You can change the firmware yourself (the most popular tool Quickpwn has a forum with thousands of posts if you need help), or you can save yourself the hassle and take it to a computer market where it won’t be difficult to find someone to unlock your iPhone for less than 100 yuan.

iPhone with after-market case

Should I go with China Unicom or settle for the “unlicensed version”?

Considering the two years that China spent waiting and wondering if the iPhone would be released, this weeks legitimate release is underwhelming. The phone arrives in only its latest variation (the 3GS) which offers a speedier processor among a handful of other ho-hum additions like a digital compass, but the real downside is that this iPhone is missing one of it’s most versatile features: Wi-fi. Yes, China has waited two years for an iPhone only to have it arrive without one of it’s most critical features. If you check your weather, e-mail, or news on this iPhone it will transmitting data through China Unicom at all times, even if you’re in your living room or Starbucks and Wi-fi is available. This is a major omission and alone warrants skipping the China Unicom bundle (phone plus service provider since an annual contract is required), but there’s more: going the “official” route means you’ll also be paying a stiff premium. The iPhone 3GS in its largest 32gb configuration costs over 7,000 yuan. With Shui huo phones that offer the same functionality (albeit at lower 8 and 16gb capacities), it doesn’t make a lot of sense to be switching to a China Unicom iPhone if you, like most of us, are on China Mobile and already have a SIM card and contacts. The downside to Shui huo is that you won’t be getting the latest 3GS model and you won’t have access to a few proprietary features like the 3G network and visual voicemail. But you’ll be paying half as much, still have access to everything in the App Store, and all other iPhone functions like iPod and Safari browser work as you’d expect.

Which model to get, where to buy

Should you choose to not step into a China Unicom office, you can get Shui huo iPhone locally or online. A good tactic is to check Taobao to familiarize yourself with the price for the model you want, and then negotiate locally with that price in mind. In Chengdu, you can buy iPhones at Digital Square （数码广场） or at the cell phone district on Tai Sheng Nan Lu （太升南路）. Currently the price for a new condition first generation iPhone is about 1,700 yuan and the price goes up to 3,000 for the 3G model although that seems like a poor choice when a 3G network isn’t available. Getting the cheapest model you find isn’t a bad idea as long as you check the condition of the phone, especially the screen. Examine the surface under a light to detect scratches in the glass – although the iPhone doesn’t scratch particularly easily, if it does get a scratch you’re stuck with it for good since the glass surface isn’t replaceable.

What about the 3G cellular network in China?

If having the fastest internet connection on your phone is important to you, then you’ll have to sign up for China Unicoms 3G service. But with Youtube, Facebook, and so many other big mobile sites blocked, a high speed connection on your phone doesn’t seem nearly as fun. And you won’t be streaming Youku or Tudou either, since the iPhone is natively tied to Youtube for streaming video content. For checking e-mail or reading news the slower EDGE network used by imported iPhones is sufficient for most, loading full websites in about 7 seconds.

iPhone supports Chinese input

Closing thoughts

For anyone who hasn’t used one, the iPhone is an incredible device (and platform) and it’s great that it’s here no matter what form it takes. Unlike other smart phones it effortlessly transcends the phone landscape and with the insane number of Apps available it becomes one of the best aids available for learning Chinese, among many other things. When you discover the capabilities of the device along with what’s available in the App Store, you’ll be priviledged to enjoy the best mobile computing experience available on a phone.

Unless you absolutely need a 3G connection, save yourself $500 and get an imported iPhone locally or online. You won’t be bound by contract to China Unicom, you can keep your current phone number, and you still have access to everything in the App Store.

note: Check out ChengduLiving.com on an iPhone or iPod Touch with Safari

Leave a comment if you have an iPhone experience to share or question to ask