Job Discussion Forums

[bulgogiboy]

Hi all,

I have some questions for any teachers in Saudi who enjoy video games (yes, so childish I know, but hey ho ).

I'm going to be having an interview for a job in Saudi soon, and, if successful, I'll be hoping to take my PS3 with me. Is it legal in Saudi? Can you anticipate any problems coming through customs? Most of the games I have are 15 or 18 rated, can they be confiscated? If a game were deemed too racy to be allowed through, and was confiscated, would that mean they would take my beloved PS3 too?

Obviously you can't say exactly what a Saudi customs agent might do, but give me the most likely scenarios please.

If importing isn't an option, can PS3 consoles and games be easily bought within KSA?

Cheers,

Bul

[johnslat]

Dear bulgogiboy,

This would seem to indicate there'll be no problem:

http://www.saudiarabclassifieds.com/1/posts/16_Electronics/118_Wholesale_Export/30010_Playstation_3_60GB_200us_Dollars_Apple_iPad_3G_Wi_Fi_64GB_450us_Dollars_.html

Regards,
John

[bulgogiboy]

Thanks John,

That's a suspiciously low price they are selling it for...

Cheers!

Bul

[johnslat]

Dear bulgogiboy,

Well, Sony discontinued the 60 gig PS3 - and maybe this is why:


"So for any 60 gig owners out there who don't know, there's a thing called the Yellow Light of Death and what happens is when you innocently try to turn on your PS3 you are instead greeted with a flashing yellow light, the sound of the system trying to turn over, some quick beeps and then a flashing red light when it has given up. And there seems to be no bargaining with it at that point. It has bricked up.

There's no warning. There's no backing up data -- try to swap out your hard drive to a friend's PS3 and it demands that it is reformatted; hook it up to a hard drive reader and it won't read the encryption. The time for backing up has passed.

From what I've read on the internet, this is a very common problem with the 60 gig that they blew through a couple years ago (which is when I got mine) just after they dropped the price and were giving away 5 or 6 Blu-Rays and remotes and such and were having free shipping deals through Amazon. Anyway, either the unit is prone to overheat or it's a design flaw that causes the heat sinks to become insufficient or outright fail over time.

Given the situation, it's easy to understand the worry that many 60GB owners may be feeling in the wake of reports of irreplaceable broken 60GB units. My own 60GB died after almost a year of use; the unit stopped reading discs during a long session of Grand Theft Auto IV."

Regards,
John

[trapezius]

Your games might get confiscated depending on the graphics on the discs themselves or their boxes.

Your console will not be confiscated, not matter how racy your games are.

Yes, it is available here, and so are the games.

[bulgogiboy]

So basically pacman is ok, but if the box has anything even hinting at sauciness, it's a no-no. That's what I suspected.

I'm wondering, Saudi is obsessed with the separation of the sexes, and stopping that nasty 'ol fornicationism, but do you think game box covers which depict some violence, or violent-looking characters would be confiscated too?

[johnslat]

Dear bulgogiboy,

I've received a message from a poster inside the "Forbidden Kingdom" who advises this about PS3s:

"Could you suggest to Bulgogiboy that he also may have the issue of NTSC VS PAL formatting or even voltage concerns. I am not sure of all of the facts, but it could be an issue."

Here's are a couple of discussions I found:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/606303-dynasty-warriors-7/56945263

http://forums.di.fm/video-games-and-consoles/using-an-american-ps3-console-in-europe-122986/

Regards,
John

[bulgogiboy]

Thanks John,

Yes, that was another few related questions I was going to ask, which any KSA veteran can answer, gamer or not:

What kind of plugs are most common in KSA? It seems they use a few different kinds?

What voltage is used?

What kind of TV system do they use?

Cheers,

[veiledsentiments]

I've never been there and I can answer those... get a multi-system TV and DVD player. The plugs depend on who built the building or perhaps when... anything from flat US style plugs to round European plugs of various sizes. Not really a problem as as adapters are easily available. The electric can also vary... US style 110 or European 220... and there are flats where it has both.

It all makes plugging an appliance in just another adventure of living in Saudi.

VS

[trapezius]

[Grendal]

So when I get a lapdance in GTA 4 I am vulnerable to arrest?

Grendal

[bulgogiboy]

[Grendal]