Can we buy Japanese Nintendo Switches because they're cheaper and not region locked?

Anyone know? They're 29,980 Japanese yen, about $350 Australian. And they're not
region looked

Compared to the $500 we're getting charged, it seems silly not to buy foreign if we can

Comments

  • +1

    Yes you can. Just bare in mind that some gwmes will be displayed in Japanese when they contain English and Japanese languages in cart by default.
    Same goes with the switch os will be stuck in jap

  • -1

    It's often a good thing as Japan has more games, but keep in mind the eshop will be locked to Japan too.

    • +3

      "The Nintendo Switch system is not region locked, but we recommend that players buy games within their region to ensure full service and support. The user will access the Nintendo eShop that corresponds to the country identified in their Nintendo Account. (Up to eight user accounts can be created on a single Nintendo Switch system.)"

      From http://kotaku.com/nintendo-answers-and-avoids-our-switch-que…

      • +2

        That presumably means you could have an account for JP and one for AU.

        • I can confirm this, just set it up. have 2 users, one linked to the AU eshop and the second linked to the JP eshop.

          Prices are slightly different and depending on the game, will be cheaper on different eshops.

          example:
          VOEZ AU$27 JP2500yen(~AU$29) —-> slightly cheaper in au store
          Snipper Clips AU$30 JP1800yen(~AU$21) —> much cheaper in jp store

      • +1

        I wonder how that will affect game classification in Australia if bypassing would be so much easier. There are quite a few games even on the European eshop that they can't be bothered going through the Australian classification process. Given Steam is introducing GST I think things might get complicated if you can dodge GST just by an account setting, but then again that is kind of how Sony do things.

  • worldwide voltage?

  • +1

    this guy has a jap one - you can see it at the end of the video playing splatoon 2

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bHjIdLoUNw

  • Only issue you would have is warranty.

    I recently had an issue with a DS i bought in Japan (region locked model) and i contacted Nintendo for repair.. they were unwilling to repair the unit.
    I asked them specifically if i would have the same issue if i bought a switch from overseas (as they are not region locked) and they advised me that They WILL NOT repair or cover any non Australian sourced unit as the warranty is local not international.
    Even if you are willing to pay for the repair (to ensure genuine parts etc) they will NOT do it.

    Just as long as you are aware for warranty or repairs you can not deal locally then go ahead.
    For me 30-40 bucks extra is worth it for the local cover.

    Also:
    They're 29,980 Japanese yen, about $350 Australian
    If you buy online add around $50-60 for shipping forwarded (as no online retailers will ship to Australia)
    and
    according to reports they are sold out with back orders until mid June at present in Japan.

  • Going to Japan in a few months and thinking of buying one, if there are any in stock that is. From what I can gather, when the Switch is first turned on, it starts with a setup where you can select language and region.
    I'll buy the games in Australia, unless I can find a cheaper copy on Amazon or Ebay etc.

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