NTSC-J Xbox 360 owner's manual

[StarCreator]

So I accidentily added an EU 800MSP code on my JP account..
I'm not sure what made it accept the points, did MS change something recently? Perhaps the paypal update disabled the region point-locking thing or perhaps it was because Marketplace was acting wonky earlier today with all those empty boxes on the screen.
Might be interesting to look into.

... wow, that's definitely worth testing more. Just to be absolutely sure, this was a code from a physical card and not a digitally obtained code, right?

[BT2]

So I accidentily added an EU 800MSP code on my JP account..
I'm not sure what made it accept the points, did MS change something recently? Perhaps the paypal update disabled the region point-locking thing or perhaps it was because Marketplace was acting wonky earlier today with all those empty boxes on the screen.
Might be interesting to look into.

this was a code from a physical card and not a digitally obtained code, right?

[Edit]
Post now contains an actual answer and a useful image.

Billing details shows that 800 MSP was charged with a prepaid card ending with 9JHPG.
If you look at the prepaid card you'll see dutch text and a code ending with 9JHPG.
Also, I don't believe they sell 800 MSP cards, or any multiple of it, in japan.

[bcass]

The latest NXE update now allows you to buy games directly using paypal in the dash or to buy points via the website(s). You can only do this after you've linked a paypal account to your Live account on the Live website. I tried linking my UK paypal account to multiple region Xbox Live accounts, and it linked the details without problem. Here's a breakdown of the websites that allow you to buy MSP with a linked paypal account:

Japan: Zune (No) / Xbox Live (No)
Asia : Zune (No ) / Xbox Live (Yes)
UK : Zune (Yes) / Xbox Live (Yes)
USA : Zune (Yes) / Xbox Live (Yes)

Unfortunately, the IP locking is still in place when using paypal as a payment option. You get the usual "This item isn't available from your current location" message when you attempt to make a purchase.

So, paypal has not yet been added to any of the Live services in Japan. However, the Asian Games On Demand store contains several Japanese shmups, which are cheaper than they are on the Japanese store. In fact, most of the GoD titles on the Asian store are significantly cheaper than most other regions.

[Elixir]

Are the Asian GoD titles also ip locked? I'm going to assume yes, since the Japanese ones all are.

[bcass]

Yes, they are, even when using paypal.

[Elixir]

Japanese Xbox compat. list isn't actually dead: http://www.xbox.com/ja-JP/games/backwardcompatibility

Basically JSRF, Psyvariar 2, Orta, Phantom Dust and the Fatal Frames (good luck getting a Japanese copy of FF2 though) will work. The rest are hilariously bad games.

No, Metal Wolf Chaos will not work.

[lobdale]

First post here, and forgive me if it's already been posted, but I have a US 360 here in Japan that is starting to crap out and I will probably replace it with a Japanese slim. I have two accounts on the box, a US account that I do my play on, and a Japanese account that I had to use to buy a couple things (and redeem my Muchi Muchi Pork DLC). I know I can use the license transfer on the US Xbox website to transfer the licenses for my US content so I don't need to be signed in to play them, but how do I do it with the Japanese account? Do I need to go through the Japanese Xbox website?

Thanks!

[bcass]

I think you can transfer the license by just selecting the Download Again option on the new console. It should just redownload the license, not the full game.

[StarCreator]

I know I can use the license transfer on the US Xbox website to transfer the licenses for my US content so I don't need to be signed in to play them, but how do I do it with the Japanese account? Do I need to go through the Japanese Xbox website?

I imagine you do. Just sign into the website with the email you used to create the Japanese account and it should switch over automatically.

[dieKatze88]

I know I can use the license transfer on the US Xbox website to transfer the licenses for my US content so I don't need to be signed in to play them, but how do I do it with the Japanese account? Do I need to go through the Japanese Xbox website?

I imagine you do. Just sign into the website with the email you used to create the Japanese account and it should switch over automatically.

Correct. Same process, I had to do it when my release day J360 died on me and I acquired my 4gb slim. Be aware that the Microsoft website will automatically switch to moon runes and using a on the fly translation service against the website will break its functionality, so you will have to step through the process copy-pasting text into Google Translate (or whatever you use) or by having a Japanese speaker stand over your shoulder and translate for you (I was lucky enough to do this instead)

[lobdale]

I imagine you do. Just sign into the website with the email you used to create the Japanese account and it should switch over automatically.

Correct. Same process, I had to do it when my release day J360 died on me and I acquired my 4gb slim. Be aware that the Microsoft website will automatically switch to moon runes and using a on the fly translation service against the website will break its functionality, so you will have to step through the process copy-pasting text into Google Translate (or whatever you use) or by having a Japanese speaker stand over your shoulder and translate for you (I was lucky enough to do this instead)

Ah, excellent. I'll need to look up what e-mail that was exactly on the system! Luckily I know some Japanese so I should be able to get through it alright. Hoping for a price drop after E3 next week and then I'll finally strike...

[bcass]

Why not try what I suggested first? A hell of a lot easier than having to navigate a Japanese website. I don't think the transfer tool website does anything special. I think all it does is to re-queue the games you select on the website for download again for when you next turn on your console, which is the same as just selecting the Download Again option on the new console.

[dieKatze88]

Why not try what I suggested first? A hell of a lot easier than having to navigate a Japanese website. I don't think the transfer tool website does anything special. I think all it does is to re-queue the games you select on the website for download again for when you next turn on your console, which is the same as just selecting the Download Again option on the new console.

No, it does do something special. it authorizes the Xbox to use those titles when the Xbox Live account that bought them is not signed in.

For example, I have two accounts, dieKatze88 (Japanese) and dieKatze88u (NA/USA)

dieKatze88u was where I purchased Castlevania HD on my old Xbox. When I got my new Xbox, I could only play Castlevania HD on my US account, which totally blew ass because my playtime and therefore my save were on my other profile. I had to redownload Castlevania HD on my new Xbox anyway using the Download Again function, it didn't authorize my console because my old console was still attached to the license. The Transfer tool moves the licenses from one console to another such that they can be used when a different user is signed into Xbox Live or no user at all.

[bcass]

So when I select Download Again for a title that I already have installed on my HDD, and it downloads some small file, what is it downloading? It's not downloading the whole game again.

[BT2]

So when I select Download Again for a title that I already have installed on my HDD, and it downloads some small file, what is it downloading? It's not downloading the whole game again.

Most probably the "small file" is just a check to see if you already have the file downloaded and is there for MS to save on server costs.
Seeing as how marketplace has a download manager with a resume function it´s not that hard for it to notice that you already have the file on your HDD after the first few seconds of data transfer.
Think of it as redownloading a torrent and still having the file on your HDD.

[StarCreator]

Why not try what I suggested first? A hell of a lot easier than having to navigate a Japanese website. I don't think the transfer tool website does anything special. I think all it does is to re-queue the games you select on the website for download again for when you next turn on your console, which is the same as just selecting the Download Again option on the new console.

If it didn't do anything special, there would be no need to limit its use to once a year.

[bcass]

The website tool only allows you to transfer a limited number of licenses doesn't it? A maximum of 30 or so IIRC. Can you run it again to transfer the rest? If not, then how do you transfer the licenses for the remainder? When I used it a few years ago to transfer from a PAL console to a JPN console, it appeared to only let me do it once, after which it gave me a date at which I could run it again (12 months after the current date).

The reason I thought the Download Again option via the dash was the same as a license transfer is because when you turn your console on after using the website tool, it goes through exactly the same motions as when you manually do it via the dash - a series of small files downloaded (1 per game), like when you activate a demo to become the full version.

[bcass]

OK, I just tested my theory, and it works, just as I said in my original post. My 360 is always online, which is why this hasn't affected me before. I just took it offline, and some of the XBLA games were in trial mode, in other words, the licenses were missing. So, I took it back online, went to the Marketplace page for one of the games with a missing license (Banjo Kazooie) and selected Download Again. A small file was downloaded (presumably the new license). I took the console back offline, and it's now allowing me to play it offline, it's no longer in trial mode.

So, to reiterate: I originally bought Banjo Kazooie on my old PAL console, and have just transferred the license to my Japanese console via the dash. Note - this may well only still be possible once a year, however, it can definitely be done within the dash.

[dieKatze88]

The website tool only allows you to transfer a limited number of licenses doesn't it? A maximum of 30 or so IIRC. Can you run it again to transfer the rest? If not, then how do you transfer the licenses for the remainder? When I used it a few years ago to transfer from a PAL console to a JPN console, it appeared to only let me do it once, after which it gave me a date at which I could run it again (12 months after the current date).

The reason I thought the Download Again option via the dash was the same as a license transfer is because when you turn your console on after using the website tool, it goes through exactly the same motions as when you manually do it via the dash - a series of small files downloaded (1 per game), like when you activate a demo to become the full version.

No, it lets you transfer any software licenses, video licenses cannot be transferred.

OK, I just tested my theory, and it works, just as I said in my original post. My 360 is always online, which is why this hasn't affected me before. I just took it offline, and some of the XBLA games were in trial mode, in other words, the licenses were missing. So, I took it back online, went to the Marketplace page for one of the games with a missing license (Banjo Kazooie) and selected Download Again. A small file was downloaded (presumably the new license). I took the console back offline, and it's now allowing me to play it offline, it's no longer in trial mode.

So, to reiterate: I originally bought Banjo Kazooie on my old PAL console, and have just transferred the license to my Japanese console via the dash. Note - this may well only still be possible once a year, however, it can definitely be done within the dash.

Then why the hell didn't it work for me when I re-downloaded Castlevania: HD? Maybe there's a temporary license system?

[bcass]

it lets you transfer any software licenses, video licenses cannot be transferred.

Maybe it's changed since I last used it then, because when I last used it, it only let you transfer a maximum number of licenses.

Then why the hell didn't it work for me when I re-downloaded Castlevania: HD? Maybe there's a temporary license system?

No idea. All I know is that it's letting me do it. I've just gone through a small list of games that were in Trial mode when offline to reacquire the licenses. All transferred without problem and are now fully playable offline.

[StarCreator]

Did you turn the 360 off then turn it back on, then attempt to run the games with no profile signed in? The games should show full versions even without a profile if you truly transferred the licenses.

Color me skeptical this actually happened, because if it works like you say, you can effectively duplicate your license across an unlimited number of 360s.

[bcass]

Did you turn the 360 off then turn it back on, then attempt to run the games with no profile signed in? The games should show full versions even without a profile if you truly transferred the licenses.

Yes, the 360 was physically turned off and on at each stage of testing. The console was taken offline by physically disconnecting the network cable from the router. I just took it back offline and signed my profile out so no gamertag was signed-in, and it does indeed let me play the full versions.

Color me skeptical this actually happened

Anyone is free to try it themselves. It works.

if it works like you say, you can effectively duplicate your license across an unlimited number of 360s.

How so? You can still only have 1 game license attached to 1 console at a time. Moving the license revokes usage on the old system.

[StarCreator]

How so? You can still only have 1 game license attached to 1 console at a time. Moving the license revokes usage on the old system.

Unless Microsoft has mastered the art of long distance wireless communications since the last update, I'd like to see them actually revoke usage rights on a console that stays offline.

[bcass]

Ah, yeah, I get you now. However, you'd have to sacrifice not being able to go online with that console again. For most, that would be a huge loss.

[jammiejay85]

Hi i am seriously thinking of buying a Japanese Xbox 360 within the next couple of month's i have a PAL 360 at the moment but wanted to know about my gamertag can i still use this on my new system? Also should I get the 4gb or 250gb model I obviously want to play some Japanese shmups like Do Don Pachi, Ketsui e.t.c. I realise my old hard drive won't work in a new 360 and i don't have a memory card just wondered if any of you guys can give me some more info thanks.

Jamie

[bcass]

You can use your gamertag on any 360, regardless of the hardware region.

If you foresee that you'll be downloading a lot of stuff, then you'll obviously need more than 4GB. If you don't download very much, then 4GB should be fine.

[jammiejay85]

Thanks for the quick reply bcass i think the 4gb should be fine as i only want to play Japanese shmups anyway i suppose i could get a bigger hard drive later if need be. Do the games take up much memory that's my only other question really?

[bcass]

XBox Live Indie games are usually no more than 50MB. XBLA games are usually less than 1GB. Retail/Games On Demand games can range anywhere between 400MB to 9GB, with the average being around 2GB in my experience. Remember that retail games installed onto the HDD will usually load faster than off DVD.

[moozooh]

You can also use up to 16 GB off any USB drive you have.

[jammiejay85]

That's great a big range of stuff then i have already got Do Don Pachi Dai-Fukkatsu as it was on offer on Play Asia ready for when i get my new console just can't wait now thanks again.