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Following Microsoft, Sony's PlayStation business officially enters China
It's only been about a month since Microsoft announced that it'll be bringing the Xbox to China come September, courtesy of the local government lifting its somewhat lax ban on imported video games and consoles. Today, Sony finally confirmed that the PlayStation will indeed be joining Redmond's console in the Far East. Just like Microsoft's collaboration with China's BesTV, Sony's also working with a local company called Shanghai Oriental Pearl Culture Development (OPCD in short). As pointed out by Sina Tech, the interesting thing is that both BesTV and OPCD are part of the massive Shanghai Media Group.
China reverses 'ban' on videogames, but there's a catch and it involves Shanghai's free trade zone
Consider this the somewhat end of China's 13-year old (loosely enforced) "ban" on videogames. A new policy issued by the country's State Council amends the language of a prior bill from 2000 which "strictly limited" the manufacture and import of game consoles. Now, foreign companies that register within Shanghai's free trade zone, the country's first such pilot program designed to spur private investment, competition and economic growth, are free to sell gaming consoles and arcade machines throughout China. Restrictions on "unhealthy" content still remain, however, with only games whitelisted by the Ministry of Culture allowed for sale. But despite this official reversal, Chinese gamers have long enjoyed access to popular videogames and consoles, anyway. Systems from Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft, as well as knock-offs, have all been easily accessible on the black market. That's not to mention Nintendo's China-only iQue -- a "safe" mini-N64 created with the country's cultural guidelines in mind -- which has been on sale through official market channels for some time.
