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FierceInvalid · Joined: 06 Jul 2003 Posts: 9

I'm going to be moving to Japan hopefully early next year and I want to have a PS2 there. I'm hoping to use it as a video game and DVD movie platform (I don't currently have a PS2). This means that I need a Japanese console - even a chipped North American PS2 can't play Japanese DVD's. So my question - how easy is it to either find English versions of PS2 games in Japan, or to get a PS2 chipped in Japan so it can play NA games?

Note: Since I don't have a job yet I don't know where I'll be living, so it may not be Tokyo, but it will definitely be a good-size city (in the league of Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya) since I won't settle for anything less.

guest of Japan · Joined: 28 Feb 2003 Posts: 1601 Location: Japan

It's not easy at all. It's pretty slim pickins in the games department. As for getting it chipped I've heard their is a plug in play version that you can get online. Otherwise you might have to go to the Philipines.

Celeste · Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2003 9:48 pm Post subject:

It's not easy at all. My husband bought a Japanese PS2. We now have a very expensive dust collector in the living room because the games are frustrating to play as they are all loaded with kanji. Also, the dvd function can only play NTSC-J so you can't get any dvds or games from anywhere but japan. (I think you would be better off getting a gaming system and games from N. America and buying games from Amazon or having someone from home send them to you. We ended up buying a multi-regional dvd player as well. We may well be getting a regular NTSC PS2 also.)

mc · Joined: 20 Jan 2003 Posts: 90 Location: Aichi, Japan

As the others have said, not easy or worth it at all.

Why don't you bring your own gaming system/games and then buy a cheapo DVD player over here? You can get a new DVD player for less than 8,000 yen now (minus the bells and whistles, of course).

shmooj · Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK

bshabu · Joined: 03 Apr 2003 Posts: 200 Location: Kumagaya

smooj is right. Amazon won't send anysoftware to Japan. But you can send them to someone in the USA and have them send it here.

Wolf · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 1245 Location: Middle Earth

I bought a PS2 only after my Japanese was good enough to take a stab at Japanese video games.

The pickings are slim indeed. PS2 play PSX games, and a few "international" (ie English) games are available. I remember the following:

PSX:

Metal Gear: Solid (international)
Biohazard/Resident Evil series (all of them had English dialogue with Japanese menus. Kind of like using a computer with a Japanese OS.)

PS2:

Final Fantasy X: International
Dead or Alive: 2
I think one of the Gran Tarismo series was available in English as well.

However, many games do not require in depth langauge skills to play. Most of the fighting platform games were like that. With a specific vocabulary, a lot of sports games would be an option as well.

kovac · Joined: 12 Apr 2003 Posts: 78

I brought my chipped PS2 with me to Japan....though currently I had to buy a voltage convertor and it will only play 60hz games on my TV (all my PAL games just flicker) thus having to buy a PAL to NTSC convertor costing me almost as much as a new PS2 !!!!

There is a store in Akihabara called Hollywood Game which deals in UK/US games at the same prices as Japanese games...just down the lane from LAOX...good store

foster · Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Posts: 485 Location: Honkers, SARS

I know a few people who nipped over to Hong Kong and bought game consoles of many different kinds and games in HK and were able to use them in Japan...for a fraction of the price as Japan (excluding airfare!!) Very Happy

If you decide to come to HK for a DVD/PS2 shopping trip, I would definately say it is worth it. Tons of knock offs here, although you best not go too crazy,as border patrol is getting tight here.