Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

NTSC-UK Xbox 360 Import FAQ (by HumanEnergy)

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    NTSC-UK Xbox 360 Import FAQ (by HumanEnergy)

    Many thanks to HumanEnergy for getting this started. Much appreciated.

    Where can I get an Import Xbox 360 console?

    Play Asia sell both Japanese and Asian consoles.

    JPN / Asian Pro System - US$399.90 / £201.20
    Japanese Core System - US$299.90 / £150.88

    Please click on our play-asia banner before ordering (If you don't see, it refresh a few times - it's a random cycle).

    The Pro system is the Japanese / Asian name for the Premium pack.

    While these may seem like a bargain price you'll have to add delivery via UPS for £42 (should take two to three working days to arrive). You'll almost certainly have to pay import VAT as well, which should be approx £43 for the Pro and £34 for the Core.

    Other online shops which sell JPN / Asian Xbox 360's: Yes Asia

    Online shops which sell American Xbox 360's: NCSX, Video Games Plus

    What games will work with an import 360?

    JPN / Asian Xbox 360: TSC-J Japanese, NTSC-J Asian and NTSC-J Korean games. They will also run NTSC-U American and PAL games that are region free and known to work with JPN / Asian consoles.

    USA Xbox 360: NTSC-U America games and any NTSC-J and PAL games that are region free and known to work with American consoles.

    PLAY-ASIA keep a useful list fairly up to date

    How much do the games cost and where can I get them?

    Perhaps the biggest selling point of the Asian 360 is the fact that Asian games are incredibly cheap compared to PAL releases.

    At current exchange rates the average price for a new Asian release is around £22. Asian budget re-releases clock in at just over £12.

    Japanese new releases are usually around £33 each.

    American new releases are usually around the £30 mark as well.

    Once again Play Asia seem to be the best place to buy from. Games sent by standard airmail shipping only adds around £1.50 to the price and they usually take just over a week to arrive.

    It's possible you could be caught for import VAT but in over a year of ordering games from them I haven't paid import VAT once. You can use UPS for delivery (not economical on small orders but if you buy a lot of games at once you might want to use them) but that does mean you're virtually certain to pay import VAT.

    (There are around two Japanese games that will not run on an Asian system. I can't remember what games they are but both have an Asian release anyway so you won't miss out. I personally haven't found any Japanese games that won't run on my Asian system yet but apparently one or two do exist If someone can let me know what the games are I'll update this section)

    Can I play original Xbox games on my Import Xbox 360?

    Yes, but not very many if it's a Japanese or Asian console! Xbox 360 backwards compatibility has different levels of support in each region. As the original Xbox was a huge flop in Japan there are very few backward compatible original Xbox NTSC-J games.

    The small list of backwards compatible original Xbox NTSC-J games can be found on the Xbox Japan Web Site.

    IF an original PAL or NTSC-U Xbox game is region free AND it is on the UK or US backwards compatibility list, it will work on an JPN / Asian Xbox 360.

    Off the top of my head the UK versions of Halo and Half Life 2 will work on the JPN / Asian 360, but region free Xbox games that are also on the backward compatibility list are very thin on the ground.

    With an American console you're in much better shape as the US backwards compatibility list is very extensive. Region free PAL and Japanese games that are on the UK / JPN backwards compatibility list will run on an American console.

    Does Xbox Live work properly?
    Will I have to sign up for a JPN / Asian / US account?
    Will I only be able to play against other JPN / Asian / US players?


    Luckily Xbox Live is a global service so you can sign up for a UK Xbox Live account no matter what region your console is from. You sign up for a UK Live account in exactly the same way you would as if you'd bought a PAL console, there is no difference at all.

    You can, of course, play against players from anywhere in the world no matter where your console is from. So even if you have a Japanese copy of Dead or Alive 4 you can still enjoy a fight with your mates in the UK with their UK copies of the game.

    Of course, if you buy a game that is only available in Japan then 99% of the people you play against will be based in Japan. The other 1% will be intrepid importers such as yourself

    Can I download UK marketplace content and use it with my JPN / Asian / USA games?

    The general rule of thumb is yes you can.

    For example, I've downloaded various add-ons for Oblivion from the UK marketplace and they work with my Asian copy of Oblivion. I've downloaded extra music tracks and car unlock keys for Ridge Racer 6 and they worked with my Japanese copy of RR6.

    (If anyone knows of any UK content that doesn't work with a JPN / Asian / US game let me know and I'll list it here).

    Do I need a stepdown transformer?

    The Asian Xbox 360 comes with a 220v power supply with a standard three pin UK plug, so no stepdown or socket adapter is required at all. It's 100% plug and play.

    The Japanese and American 360's have 110v power supplies and need a beefy 300w stepdown. You can also use a UK power supply with an American or Japanese console and it will run without needing a stepdown, but spare UK power supplies can be expensive to source so you're probably better off with the stepdown.

    Will UK video leads work with an Import 360 system?

    Yes they will, any component, VGA or RGB scart lead that you buy here in the UK should work with any Import 360.

    However, if you the RGB scart lead in a non-RGB scart socket, or if you use a composite cable in your TVs A/V socket, your TV will need to be NTSC compatible to display a colour picture.

    If you're playing in HD or using RGB scart you won't have to worry about any NTSC/PAL issues.

    (I believe this is correct but could someone with better technical knowledge please confirm).

    What about other peripherals?

    All peripherals are region free so anything you buy in the UK should work with an any Import 360 system. I've personally used UK joypads, play and charge kits and memory units with my Asian and my Japanese 360s. You can also mix and match peripherals from any region with no problems.

    That also means that if you were on holiday in the USA and picked up a spare joypad, memory card, etc., you should be able to use it with your UK or JPN / Asian console.

    (If anyone knows of any peripherals that aren't region free please leave a message).

    Does the above apply to the HD DVD player add-on?

    The HD DVD drive is regionless so you can use an HD DVD drive from the UK with your Import 360. I have used a UK drive with an Asian 360 and I have no problems at all. You could also use a US or Japanese HD DVD drive if you wanted. Any combination of
    drive and console will work.

    As HD DVD is currently a region free format you can buy HD DVD films from anywhere in the world and they will work on your HD DVD drive.

    What region of standard DVDs does an Import 360 play?

    Japanese Xbox 360: Region 2 DVDs

    Asian Xbox 360: Region 3 DVDs (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia and The Philippines)

    USA Xbox 360: Region 1 DVDs

    The HD DVD player add-on takes its region coding for standard DVDs from the console it's connected to. For example, if you connect the drive to a USA 360 it can only playback Region 1 DVDs. If you connected the same drive to an Asian 360 it would only be able to playback Region 3 DVDs, and so on.

    ------------------------------

    Thanks to Bleeders for his import PS3 FAQ, whose format I nicked when writing this
    one

    I started this out as an FAQ for Asian consoles so if anyone wants to add more info about American / JPN consoles please do so.

    If I've got anything wrong or you feel there's something that needs to be added leave a message below. Hope this helps a few people!
    Last edited by charlesr; 20-04-2007, 08:14.

    #2
    I personally haven't found any Japanese games that won't run on my Asian system yet but apparently one or two do exist If someone can let me know what the games are I'll update this section)
    Call of Duty 2 (USA and PAL versions) - don't work on ASIAN system
    Saints Row (Australian version) - doesn't work on NTSC/J systems
    Shin Sangoku Musou 4 Special (Japan) - doesn't work on ASIAN system

    According to this list

    Comment


      #3
      Cheers for that. When I wrote the FAQ I was thinking more specifically about Japanese games that won't run on an Asian system, as that often gets brought up when people are thinking of importing an Asian 360, and most people will just be buying Asian and JPN games.

      Do you know of any other Japanese releases apart from Shin Sangoku Musou 4 Special that don't work on the Asian 360? From what I've heard there's only about one other.

      Comment


        #4
        Just used this FAQ to confirm play and charge kit is region free, so thanks.

        Comment


          #5
          Just realised a lot of people ask where to get a stepdown from on the forum, so here's a link to the one I bought from Maplin. I've been using it to run a Japanese 360 for well over a year with zero problems. It's the £39.99 300W model.

          Comment


            #6
            I have a question regarding Marketplace Points. My Xbox Live account is registered in the USA, but my credit card is in the UK, so I can't buy Marketplace Points that way.

            Can I go onto eBay, buy a prepaid card (it's about 1600 Microsoft points for a tenner) from America, and register that without problems? Once again: my account is registered in America, and my Xbox 360 is also from America (just making doubly sure it's all OK).

            Comment


              #7
              Yes, if you have a USA Xbox Live account you'll have to buy MS Points cards from America. The country the console is from shouldn't make any difference, it's just the country the Xbox Live account is registered in that matters. Same for every other region:

              USA account needs USA points card
              JPN account needs JPN points card
              UK account needs UK points card, etc..

              I've been trying (in vain) to find somewhere that sells Japanese points cards so I can grab some paid content from the Japanese Marketplace but no luck finding anywhere yet. It's a shame that points cards aren't region free!

              Comment


                #8
                Just out of curiosity,
                has anyone had any interactions with Microsoft over warranties in the UK with regards to Imported consoles?

                Comment


                  #9
                  There have been a few on here, both successful and unsucessfull. Some have got back their console repair, some have ended up with a PAL unit, some have even had their unit shipped internationally.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    ok, not 100% on the 360 power supply situation so...

                    I currently have a UK PAL Xbox 360 Elite using the power cable and the long black box thingy that ships with it. I've just imported a US xbox 360 Premium from VG+ (more RPGs announced as region locked = me, pretty angry) which should be here shortly.

                    The question is, can I use my existing power cable + black box (that shipped with the UK PAL machine) and just plug it straight into the US x360 (ala PS3) or will I have to buy one of these step down thingys? I'm assuming the black box that the UK power lead goes into IS a step down converter?

                    If I can't use the existing cable, can someone give a link to an exact step down converter model that will work with a US 360.

                    Many thanks.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Yup, your UK power supply will plug straight in to your US Xbox 360 and it'll work fine.

                      DO NOT mix and match though, i.e. don't use the US black box with the UK lead, or nasty things will happen UK black box + UK lead with the US 360 is fine though.
                      Last edited by EJG1980; 30-04-2008, 18:33.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        well, my 360 arrived however the connector to plug it into the US 360 is slightly different to my UK model. The US model has two black "teeth" like things (that can be moved by depressing the buttons on either side of the connector) between the 6 golden connectors, the Uk model just has one solid black bit of plastic between the golden connectors and this stops it from being inserted into the US machine. I'd post a pic but don't have my camera with me right now.

                        Looks like I'll have to go for a stepdown convertor and use it in tandem with the US power supply. Any suggestions on which one to use?

                        Comment


                          #13
                          There are 2 basic versions of the 360 (Zephyr & Falcon):

                          - Zephyr units come with a 203w power brick

                          - Falcon units come with a 175w power brick

                          A Falcon 360 will happily run using either a 175 or 203w brick but a Zephyr will only work with a 203w brick. Using a 175w brick with a Zephyr would damage the console so Micrsoft changed the connector to physically prevent it (the problem you have).

                          It sounds like your US 360 is a Zephyr unit whereas your UK 360 is a Falcon.

                          You can double check this by looking at the barcode on the side of the console box (if you see 175w it's a Falcon / 203w and it's a Zephyr). If you don't have the box check the manufacture date on the back of the consoles (anything after approx. 08/2007 is likely a Falcon.....anything earlier is likely to be a Zephyr).

                          If that's the case then your best best would be to by an older (203w) UK power brick to run your US 360. It's a neater and cheaper solution than buying a step-down.

                          Hope this makes sense!!

                          Comment


                            #14
                            cheers for the info tom, I knew it was an older model as there was no hdmi connector, just component, didn't know they'd changed the power adapters though. I've gone for a step down converter rather than trying to find an old uk power supply as I should be able to use t with future consoles that I import as well. Thanks again for the info.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              I've got a 203W PSU going if you do change your mind.
                              Kept you waiting, huh?

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X