Do you have a link explaining this?

TLDR...... I had to google that, guess im getting old lol.

Only you can decide that mate. I might be overreacting with the new regulations but its not a risk I would personally take if I wanted to keep the games long term.
Personally id use the o2 £20 for £60 credit.

"TLDR", as the kids say, haha!

Gimme the gist. Should I buy Canadian Street Fighter V, or play it safe and spend a few extra quid on the UK version? :wink:

really good game if not a little short..

Found this an interesting read.
link

Particularly...

VAT should be due in the customer's location. This is the place where an individual customer has his permanent address or usual residence; or, for customers that are not individuals, where it is established. In order to assist suppliers in determining the place of supply there are a number of presumptions which can be rebutted by providing three pieces of appropriate evidence. Where the presumptions do not apply, the supplier will need two pieces of appropriate evidence to determine the customer's location.
Appropriate evidence includes:
the billing address of the customer
the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the device used by the customer
location of the bank
the country code of SIM card used by the customer
the location of the customer’s fixed land line through which the service is supplied to him
other commercially relevant information (e.g. product coding information which electronically links the sale to a particular jurisdiction)


A sign of things to come???

I dunno. Maybe I'm being naive, but part of me thinks if they were really that bothered, the PS4 would behave a lot more like the Vita, where it's nothing short of a ****ing nightmare switching regions. The way things are right now, the PS4 is actually pretty liberal. And it's not like we're advocating piracy.

When you have complete threads dedicated to why you should avoid UK store and use US/Canadian, eventually someones going to get upset.

Ive nothing against it but just cant see it lasting with all the publicity.

It's such a grey area, huh? Sony surely can't be obliged to verify every customer's address. That said, I'm sure there are ways for them to identify Canadian accounts being used outside Canada. Still, it's really us - the faux Canadians - that are at fault, for violating terms and conditions. Bad us!

Really though, is this any worse than going on holiday and buying stuff - clothes, tech, etc - for cheap? I can't imagine too many people getting upset about this.

Would Sony be legally obliged to charge VAT or would the sellers which provide the Canadian PSN cards have to though? Technically I didn't give any money to Sony, I gave it to a third party who in turn paid Sony for the PSN cards, so surely the responsibility wouldn't be on them anyway.

I suppose the chance of having your purchases terminated is the risk you take for cheaper prices.

Just find it incredible the amount of posts/threads on it. If anything its that which will ruin it.

You cant shout about how to avoid tax without someone saying lets fix this.

Have been playing a few hours and im impressed.
Had a few frame rate drops but does not spoil for me.
Game is so imerssive. This would have been incredible in VR

It'd be interesting to see how they'd implement it. Logistically, how would they weed out/identify us cheeky chaps?

And would I still be able to play the games I've already bought? What about leftover credit? Too bad because I've technically violated the terms and conditions?

They may not have a choice.

Legally they should be charging VAT when selling to consumers in uk.
Tax collected on digital purchases in the EU should go to country where the content was purchased, ie HMRC.

Im guessing when you set up a canadian account you are telling them you reside in Canada so no tax is payable.

I dont agree with it but cant see it lasting forever with the recent tax witch hunts.

It has been going on for years though, would be silly of Sony to stop people giving them money.

I can see Sony cracking down on it soon with all the publicity its getting on forums.

Are you charged UK VAT on the canadian store?

Reason im asking is you didn't used to be but I heard the law was changing last year. Apparantly digital purchases were to be taxed at the rate of the country they were purchased as opposed to sold.

Been playing 3 hours, spent the best part of the 3rd hour walking around thinking I had missed something. Turns out, a note which I need to collect (from the frame of a tent) has failed to spawn. So I'm stuck in an infinite loop as I can't trigger the end of 'day 2', and the auto save feature has blocked any chance of backtracking. So it's either quit and try again or wait it out to see if and when it can be patched.

Besides the stuttering, the occasionally popping up of trees etc, and a few general draw distance gremlins - I was really enjoying it! -.-

Played Day 1 yesterday, the frame rate is quite noticeable (but doesn't take away any enjoyment), the sound, art style and voice acting are all fantastic and although there are only 5 trophies (just complete the game) well worth every penny.

Played a bit today: I have to say I did notice the stuttering which is a shame as it's beautifully smooth until it stutters. I also got really motion sick but I can be prone to that with first person games.

However, I'm only about 20 minutes in and I love it already: the gameplay, the story, the presentation. Glad I supported them with my money even if it may take a patch to even it out a little. :smiley:

Also, if anyone is interested (whether it's a passing interest or more) in video games discussion and humour, listen to the Idle Thumbs podcast: many of the guys who made Firewatch are on the show and their discussions about everything video game-related (and sometimes not video game-related) are fascinating and very funny.

Not really a great deal, but that theme is orgasmic.

Hearing about the issues with the PS4 version, think I'll wait for it to be patched before buying.

I personally think the relative prices on the Canadian deals are pretty impressive (especially it's something expensive like The Witness and when you have a good easy cheap source of Canadian credit). Further to that, I wholly stand by your sentiment of obtaining the "cheapest deal" legally (let's not debate shades of grey), but actually the reason I personally don't jump at the Canadian savings is because I'd rather have all my digital "purchases" on the one real account. Partly for convenience (having them all in one place) and partly for longevity (especially if anything goes wrong).

I know there are pros and cons to digital, but all that aside if we just look at 'foreign digital' compared to 'real account digital' then the pros end at a few quid, and the cons list is much longer.

Edit: By the way, I haven't voted on the canadian deal this time (didn't even see it), and I do think this one is overheated for a measly 10% discount on the standard launch price, without even considering concerns of length and performance issues. The Deadly Tower of Monsters had a 35% launch discount just a few weeks ago, now that's how you encourage early buyers. 10% is like "oh go on, we know you were going to buy it anyway".

Yeah, I was going to say: that's the thing that's even more baffling about this: it's a direct comparison between two digital deals, and the more expensive one is winning by a country mile (though I notice the Canadian one is rightly getting hotter).

Eh, does "apparently" mean you were on the receiving end? :stuck_out_tongue: I always feel guilty when the guy asks, "Is this your first delivery?" Haha!

Every penny counts but I'll hold off for a while got too many games in my back catalogue. My buddy text me at 22.30 last night saying he just bought it and was about to start, 01.00 he texts me again saying he's beat it...

Yeah, that's a fair point. I'm sure the digital aspect is an element of it (although in the case of Firewatch it's only available digitally at the moment, isn't it?).

(Also, regarding the examples you mention, I do remember a little while back Sainsbury's taking action to reject those duplicate accounts set up to take advantage of those first-order deals, and refuse any orders from them. Erm, apparently... :smiley:)

Very diplomatic, Dave :wink:

Without conducting some sort of poll, I suspect people are more turned off because these deals are digital, and demand - at least initially - a little more effort.

As I mentioned, there are people here advocating buying piles of games just to take to CEX, so I don't think moral objection is a big problem.

In the grand scheme of things, I don't see this as being any worse than, say, accessing US Netflix, or setting up multiple accounts to get first-time-buyer discounts from Sainsbury's. A wee bit cheeky, yes, but you're ultimately still paying for a service.

With regards to PSN in particular, this has been going on for years. I set up a Japanese account on my PS3 to buy one of the Fire Pro games that simply wasn't available in the West. A victimless crime (like punching someone in the dark).

And in all cases - Netflix, Sainsbury's, PSN - the seller could easily take steps to block/ban the supposed offenders, but again, you're a paying customer. I doubt Sony or the publishers are too fussed about a small undercurrent of nerds in the UK. If so, it simply wouldn't be possible to "fool" the system.

While that's true - and I've gone and voted hot on your other deal - I think that setting up foreign user accounts is seen by some as fraudulent, so there could be a moral objection there (as well as fear of the possibility that the accounts could eventually be shut down at some point).

So while I can understand the surprise at people not being more welcoming towards a better price, I can also understand people preferring to pay a bit more by a legitimate route.

Yeah, I'm obviously not getting at you here, dude. That's a nice little £1.50 saving for PS+ members, but it's disconcerting that people aren't just turning their noses up at the Canadian deal, but actually voting it cold. I hope it doesn't stop people sharing similar deals in future.

Personally, I'm always on the lookout for the cheapest deal, plain and simple. I don't care if it's physical or digital, or if it's from another region. But a majority of people on here seem to dislike digital deals, and foreign digital deals even more so. Can people really not be bothered spending 10 minutes to set up a Canadian account to save a few quid? And once it's set up, it's set up. Done. Pretty much EVERYTHING is cheaper over there.

And while I'm ranting, the people voting the Canadian deals cold are likely the same ones advocating buying 10 copies of a game to make a few quid profit at CEX. Where's the community spirit in that?

Anyway! Rant over. Now let's all enjoy our £10 Canadian copies of Firewatch on our UK accounts :stuck_out_tongue: (Bloody terrible deal. Terrible).

It's astounding that this is hot, while a cheaper deal for the same thing is cold. I think even the OP is somewhat baffled. I really need to start checking the New tab more often instead of relying on what the community deems 'Hot'. Dread to think what I've missed over the years.

I think it's just down to sheer laziness that a lot of people don't go for the foreign ps4 deals. They perceive as too much hassle when it isn't really any hassle at all.

Completed it last night. Loved being in the world. Loved the experience. Had very few frame rate issues. Well worth £15.

No platinum and only 5 trophies to collect, what a joke trophy wise.. haha

I played day one last night and the picture stuttered twice. Not a deal breaker and I am sure it will be fixed soon but it did interfere with how immersed I felt at the time. Still, will play day two tonight. Personal choice depends how much you want to play it versus how much frame rate dips would bother you.

It is gorgeous and the story has already pulled me in.

Be aware that there are lots of reports that it runs like crap on the PS4 currently.

According to the gametrailers review its only 4-5 hours long.

doesn't really affect the gameplay such as it is. the overall visual presentation is great.

I'd avoid it for now. I'm up to "Day 3" and the frame rate is really annoying. It gets so bad that the game freezes at points, especially when grappling. They're supposedly working on a fix for it.

I wish people wouldn't use phrases like "orgasmic" when talking about video games etc. It's just not right, bordering on the weird I'd say. :confused:

Watching someone play through it on Twitch because i'm too tight to pay and play it myself lol.

think I saw the trailer for this and was interested! good price

Cheaper than buying the bundle as well by a few pence!

£9.95~ if you have a Canadian account without plus.

Currently downloading this. Put the 10% saving towards the theme.

It annoys me more that the Bundle is more expensive than buying the game with the PS Plus discount and the theme separately :neutral_face:

Every penny counts.... Been looking forward to this game hope they have sorted the frame rate issues

That is the going rate though. same price for PC

Not really much of a deal :laughing: