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