Guide to buying stuff on the PlayStation Network
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 2:35 pm
I just got my PS3 about a month ago and had to get help on this forum to buy downloadable games on PSN. Now that I know how, I thought creating a guide would be helpful for other newbies. Mods, could you make this a sticky thread for easy access for people?
Note: This guide should work regardless of the version of your PS3. (Jap, Asian or US. 80, 60, 40 or 20 GB)
Step 0: Try to use your Visa or Mastercard credit card to buy stuff from the US PSN. You will find that you will need a valid US address that corresponds with your billing address. Previous versions of the PSN has allowed certain Philippine credit cards to work even if your billing address is fake. As far as I know, this loophole has since been closed and unless you have a US credit card handy your Philippine credit card will probably not work. (Hence this guide...) If your Philippine credit card DOES work do not read any further and please let us know what Credit card you were using so that I can update this guide.
Step 1: Create a Hong Kong and/or a Japanese account. The Hong Kong account is easier to make since it's in English. The Japanese account is harder since it's in Japanese but here's a guide that will help you out:
http://www.japanesepsn.com/
Make sure you select "Master Account" so that you can easily add funds to your virtual wallet.
There's a lot stuff that's available on the Japanese PSN that's exclusive to that region but if you just want *most* of the games available on the US PSN the Hong Kong site will do just fine.
Step 2: Buy some Playstation Network Cards for the region you want to purchase in.
Here's a link: http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-8g7l-49-en.html
If you do a search on the site above for Playstation Network Cards under the Playstation 3 tab you should be able to find cards for either Japan or HK PSN with different denominations. Check the cost of the games you want and take into account games that are nearing release that you might want (most games that are already available in other regions eventually get released)
The HK cards may be called "Tekken" or "LocoRoco" cards, but don't worry those are just designs on the card itself, you can still use them to purchase whatever you want.
Step 3: Wait. Free shipping to our country takes about a week or two (FedEx takes 2-3 days), in the meantime you can amuse yourself by downloading every free demo in sight! Between your US, HK and Japanese account there should be plenty of things to play and watch in the meantime.
Step 4: When your card/s arrive, log in to your HK/Japan account and select add funds to your wallet. Choose Playstation Network Card and input your Network card information.
http://asia.playstation.com/eng_sg/inde ... nstruction
There you have it! You should now have access to *most* of the downloadable goodies and if Sony ever releases US cards then we can finally get ALL the available content.
Hope this guide helps. If it helps you, please show your support by using the play-asia link above or in my sig.
Any form of feedback whether corrections, clarifications, or comments are welcome.
Note: This guide should work regardless of the version of your PS3. (Jap, Asian or US. 80, 60, 40 or 20 GB)
Step 0: Try to use your Visa or Mastercard credit card to buy stuff from the US PSN. You will find that you will need a valid US address that corresponds with your billing address. Previous versions of the PSN has allowed certain Philippine credit cards to work even if your billing address is fake. As far as I know, this loophole has since been closed and unless you have a US credit card handy your Philippine credit card will probably not work. (Hence this guide...) If your Philippine credit card DOES work do not read any further and please let us know what Credit card you were using so that I can update this guide.
Step 1: Create a Hong Kong and/or a Japanese account. The Hong Kong account is easier to make since it's in English. The Japanese account is harder since it's in Japanese but here's a guide that will help you out:
http://www.japanesepsn.com/
Make sure you select "Master Account" so that you can easily add funds to your virtual wallet.
There's a lot stuff that's available on the Japanese PSN that's exclusive to that region but if you just want *most* of the games available on the US PSN the Hong Kong site will do just fine.
Step 2: Buy some Playstation Network Cards for the region you want to purchase in.
Here's a link: http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-8g7l-49-en.html
If you do a search on the site above for Playstation Network Cards under the Playstation 3 tab you should be able to find cards for either Japan or HK PSN with different denominations. Check the cost of the games you want and take into account games that are nearing release that you might want (most games that are already available in other regions eventually get released)
The HK cards may be called "Tekken" or "LocoRoco" cards, but don't worry those are just designs on the card itself, you can still use them to purchase whatever you want.
Step 3: Wait. Free shipping to our country takes about a week or two (FedEx takes 2-3 days), in the meantime you can amuse yourself by downloading every free demo in sight! Between your US, HK and Japanese account there should be plenty of things to play and watch in the meantime.
Step 4: When your card/s arrive, log in to your HK/Japan account and select add funds to your wallet. Choose Playstation Network Card and input your Network card information.
http://asia.playstation.com/eng_sg/inde ... nstruction
There you have it! You should now have access to *most* of the downloadable goodies and if Sony ever releases US cards then we can finally get ALL the available content.
Hope this guide helps. If it helps you, please show your support by using the play-asia link above or in my sig.
Any form of feedback whether corrections, clarifications, or comments are welcome.
