Reports out of Japan suggest that the recently announced model SCPH-15000 of the Sony PlayStation 2 might be better equipped to handle territorial lockout on DVD movies. Tricks that allowed DVD movies from outside Region 2, Japan, to be played on the PS2 will no longer work. Now, the consoles can only play DVDs specifically manufactured for for their respective regions.
It should be noted that these reports are purely speculative at this time, as Sony of Japan has only cited ease of manufacture as the reason for the slight modification. GameSpot will bring you confirmed details as soon as they are available.