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.

There are three current-generation consoles available:

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  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.

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  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.
  

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  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.