Why are people reluctant to import a Jap 360

[espibara]

So many people here crying over a lack of region free ports on the 360.

Given how niche and specialist our chosen hobby is, outside of cost,people must be mad not too import a jap 360 given the catalogue that is now available for it. For a relatively small investment you are gaining access to a rich selection of incredible shooters. You effectively get a whole arcades worth of shooters sitting on your desk.


I've just got my second jap 360 so I can store it away in case my current one dies on me, and you never know what will happen with stock and price levels when the 360 inevitably gets succeeded by the xbox 720.

Just interested to know what the main barrier is for importing a jap 360

[Jeneki]

The same reason some people won't buy arcade PCBs: cost. Japan-priced consoles with Japan-priced games, compared to local-priced consoles and local-priced games (where shmups are bargain bin). And that's before you factor countries with import fees.

Less people in the market for import stuff means lower prices for me down the line.

[Special World]

Like many things, a Japanese 360 costs money.

[Stevas]

For me, it's more down to lack of room/motivation. I barely have the energy to get up and change discs, let alone mess around with setting up another console when I want to play it (and my TV is already maxed out on HDMIs... and I can't be arsed to go looking for a new one just yet).

tl;dr = I is a lazy fuck.

Also, I'm not really sure of the best way to get hold of one (UK based). Hook a brother up?

[MauJustice]

The markup and the hassle. I can get 2 360's here for the price of 1 JP 360. I also have to worry about dealing with the charge being frozen by a bank, import fees and customs. If I could find one at an import store around me I would do it.

There is also the issue for me that most of the games I would really want (and own) are already region free, Mushi, Galuda 2, DFK, DS IIX (in NA), MMP/PS etc...

Right now, SDOJ and Caladrius are the only games tempting me to import one.

[Stevas]

What he said. I'd be interested in RFJ and Raiden IV too, though.

[espibara]

For me, it's more down to lack of room/motivation. I barely have the energy to get up and change discs, let alone mess around with setting up another console when I want to play it (and my TV is already maxed out on HDMIs... and I can't be arsed to go looking for a new one just yet).

tl;dr = I is a lazy fuck.

Also, I'm not really sure of the best way to get hold of one (UK based). Hook a brother up?

Play Asia for me 240quid imported with no import fees, only took 4 days to get here

[Skykid]

There's absolutely no excuse for anyone mad about shmups, it's a question that always baffles me.

I refuse to believe that gamers who put the genre high on their priority list, and are willing to spend shedloads on any LE that happens to be region free, can't invest in a second machine, especially now when they're relatively inexpensive.

I had a PAL and JP Xbox side by side for as long as I can remember. Eventually I sold the PAL one.

Play Asia for me 240quid imported with no import fees, only took 4 days to get here

Also, that's mind-bogglingly expensive. JP 360's have been available on the forum regularly for less than half that price.

[Friendly]

Hassle/price. And a Japanese 360 is also region-locked, which means you'll still need a secondary 360 for domestic releases.
Except for not being able to go online, a RGH 360 sounds like a much better (and cheaper) solution. If you use the same gamer profile on it, you can even upload your scores with your non-hacked domestic 360 (transfer them via usb stick).

[hail good sir]

I

[Friendly]

Just do it

Or save a lot of money, go the RGH-route and a winner is you.

[hail good sir]

question

[Cagar]

Like someone said a year ago when I was thinking of buying a jap 360 ;
It's the best gaming-decision I've ever made.
No matter how big cost or hassle the order is.

[emphatic]

I ordered mine as soon as Ketsui was announced. Did I wait to hear if it'd be region free, no, why? Why wait and wonder when you can just buy and be happy?

[psoslayer]

customs

[Cuilan]

And a Japanese 360 is also region-locked, which means you'll still need a secondary 360 for domestic releases.

For the most part, no.

[sirmax]

Just interested to know what the main barrier is for importing a jap 360

Too poor, can't even afford games anymore.

[Friendly]

And a Japanese 360 is also region-locked, which means you'll still need a secondary 360 for domestic releases.

For the most part, no.

Either you make region-locking your bitch, or you are the bitch of region-locking.

[Cagar]

And a Japanese 360 is also region-locked, which means you'll still need a secondary 360 for domestic releases.

For the most part, no.

Either you make region-locking your bitch, or you are the bitch of region-locking.

Or either most of domestic releases are not region-locked.

[xgunnBlaze]

In terms of price, getting a region free game is much, much cheaper. (assuming you have a western 360)

[Udderdude]

If you've been into shmups for any decent amount of time, you're already used to paying out the nose to play the latest and greatest. Just comes with the territory.

[VixyNyan]

My Japanese 360 was the first 360 I ever owned. I had it for a few years now with my first gamertag still attached to it. I never regret the purchase one bit, and to this day it still works. Its a Slim with 250gb drive and every Retail shmup "currently" available on 360 are bought and installed on it from the game discs, as shown in my Live profile. I also have a PAL box for some region locked shmups too (DFK, DS, AKS) but I plan to get the US box later too for US versions of DS, RFA and Otome X.

[Lynx Winters]

Because I have a mortgage and enough games I'm bad at.

[O. Van Bruce]

money. my shmup interest came when I'm unemployed so I have better things to invest my money. Would have been 5 years ago, then it would've been a no brainer for me.

fuck you, international financial crisis and fuck you Crohn.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Because I'm poor, and can't justify the cost when there are plenty of STGs on my PAL 360 to keep me busy.

But also I don't have the space. If I don't have the space for a DC, PS2, CRT etc and stick to ROMs I sure as hell don't have the space for a J360 to play a few STGs.

Even If I jumped on the J360 boat now most of the older none CAVE STGs are rare and expensive. Nah If these don't come to PAL and they probably won't I'll later go down the modding route and buying as many reasonably priced physical copies I can, plus it's there as a backup if my current one breaks.

[Kollision]

It was January 2009.
Today it isn't as shiny white as it was then, and I haven't even dedicated some time to the games that came with it, but alas! It's working flawlessly so far and has given me many countless hours of undeniable fun.

[Giest118]

Because DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou would be the only fucking god damn reason I would have to own a JP 360.

[Ed Oscuro]

I don't care enough to have an excuse. I'm more of a retro era guy anyway. 360's got some good stuff and I'm more focused on easy domestic side play. Besides, already a good portion of my 360 library is composed of shmups; I don't really feel the need to buy everything. And looking at Kollision's pic - Raiden IV and Otomedius - I don't think I really ought to care.

[Chaos Phoenixma]

Outside of Mushi 1, is there even a worthwhile game for Japanese 360s?

Every other worthwhile shmup seems to have been released in the US or is region free. They're aiming for multiple regions with SDOJ, so it doesn't seem like that's a reason either.

[IseeThings]

I imagine the perceived reliability (or complete lack of..) for this generation of consoles is a factor too.

Past generations you could buy a system and know it would last, know that you could still play your discs years after you bought them and that your content wasn't depending on any external services or locked to a machine / account in the unlikely event that it should fail.

This generation is nowhere near as reliable, not even now with the more modern revisions of the hardware, plus you end up with content tied to accounts and the systems which (IMHO) massively devalues both the games, and system as a whole. That makes it far less worth it because it's less of an investment.

Given the extra hassle and cost of importing something, the increased chances of it failing, the lower 'worth' of your actual product, and the near impossibility of getting anything serviced you can see why people might be put off.