Yes, but you can have trouble getting downloadable content from the playstation store to work. If you buy an american game, you pretty much always need to get extra content from the US store, even if it is free. It's a bit of a hassle but not impossible to create a second account with a US address in order to do this though. Actually many people do that anyway because the US store has more content, gets trailers and demos earlier and so on.
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It is similar with the PSP. The US store always carries more game demos and extra content than the EU one.
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I also have 2 accounts, meaning also 1 american, because as Teho mentioned, demos and trailers are often released earlier in the US Store. You can also create a 3rd japanese one, but then of course you will have to read japanese. You can't use your credit card in the US store though, it's only meant for american credit cards.
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Going back to the PS3 FAT cooling failures - it's a little more complicated.

Yes, like the 360, the movement to lead free solder and the immense heat these things can produce has lead to some contact failures, but nowhere near as many as the 360.

However,

The newer FAT models, using 65nm chips and less power therefore less heat, are less susceptible to this than the 90nm earlier release models. Check your model number here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3_hardware

Also, dust build up inside the PS3 makes the problem worse so older PS3's tend to have worse cooling from greater dust build up, therefore more likely to fail.

Since the slims are using the newer lower power chips and they are pretty new so haven't got jammed up with dust yet, they are not having cooling and solder issues - yet. They may in the future as they age.

Another complication is that firmware updates have been causing many people problems, with some firmwares causing some models to freeze in games. I had a problem with one firmware update that caused Farcry 2 to freeze about 20 minutes into a single player game. A few updates later and the issue has now gone.

Bottom line is, once your PS3 is out of warranty, think about giving it a good clean inside, especially if you're a heavy user and it's stored near the floor. I know from using PC's, that if it's on the floor, it sucks up about three times more dust that it does higher up!!!
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So true about PCs. I give my a cool clean out once a month and am always surprised how much dust has got in, even through the filters my cases have fitted. And when I repair systems I can't believe how much dust and crap is inside the systems. They need to really good clean before I can even start, and people wonder why system fans fail.

Maybe custom fitting washable dust filters to the PS3 might help prevent this?
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Washable/removable dust filters are a good idea!

They also need to be easier to take apart. These days with firmware updates and online control, surely modchips and hardware alterations are less of a concern. If I could just open up my PS3 like a grill rack and cook some food then clean the heatsinks, I would be very happy!

But then people will probably kill the consoles through static discharge.
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Does anyone know the best split screen PS3 tiles? Any genre, driving, shooting, etc

I need to stock up on a few from ebay for when friends come around.

What got me started was Army of Two, which is quite a good split screen co-op game! It made me realise how much I miss split screen gaming!
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You can play the first Resistance game in co-op, which is very cool. I tried also with the sequel, but didn't find the co-op (talking about offline modes), so I guess there isn't any?
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Are there any PS3 games that allow LAN gameplay, rather than internet? I know some 360 games do, so was wondering if any PS3 games do. I'm guessing Modern Warfare 2 might.

BTW, has anyone played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 yet? I was playing it on the PC on Friday and it is great. Very immersive with some great set pieces. Some of the scenes could be a bit shocking to some people, such as early on when you are suddenly in control of a terrorist walking through a crowded international airport shooting anyone and everyone you see. Some crawling away to find cover.

The gun battles are great too with enemy fire flying around you. Some of the enemy AI can still be tricked because of limitations, but it is quite good, if not totally realistic.

The only downfall of the game is how linear it is. Everything is scripted just like the first game, and you have to do every event given to you to trigger the next. You have no freedom at all, that games such as Far Cry offer, bit it is still enjoyable, in more of an interactive movie sort of way.
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For some weird reason, Resistance 2 lacks a co-op mode. Online co-op mode is fun, but it would've been nice to play the single player campaign with a pal.

I have Modern Warfare 2 on the PS3, but it's still packaged and untouched. Still wanting to finish Assassin's Creed II first and perhaps achieve all the Ratchet & Clank ACIT and Uncharted 2 trophies before starting the next game...
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