How to import games
It's easier than you think
We love Britain at Pocket Gamer. We do. Every last, green grass-coated bit of it. But the reality of not being the US or Japan means we're often a little late in getting some of the latest and greatest game releases. And it can be worse – quite a few never see the light of day on UK shelves at all.
However, thanks to the PSP and DS's region-free games playing ability, you're able to import games from abroad and enjoy them on your handheld in exactly the same way as you'd play a local release. It's actually an easy and painless process, as you'll see below.
Note: The legality of importing games is currently a somewhat grey area. You do it at your own risk. We're not telling you to do it, we're saying how you might go about it should you want to! On your head be it.
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Know what you want Because you may be importing from countries other than America, it's best to know roughly what a game's name is in Japanese. We find Wikipedia to be the most helpful in this regard. You should also look out for information on changes in localisation, as you may not receive exactly the same game as one that has been specifically tailored for a particular market. |
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Choose an importer For this How To, we'll be using the respectable Play Asia. Your importer is important because they'll be shipping your package a long way, so you need to be able to trust them on delivery dates, postage costs, and that they'll actually send it! (Although there are obviously exceptions, we don't recommend eBay for importing games for these reasons.) |
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Find the right game The game you're buying will be designed to be sold in another country (e.g. Japan), so it may well not be in English. Play Asia helpfully labels the country of origin for each game – if the site you're using doesn't, check carefully, or you'll end up doing a crash course in Japanese translation. (Of course, for certain types of game this won't necessarily be a problem.) |
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Check the costs Importing isn't just great for finding rare games. It can also be good for saving money. In particular, sites such as Play Asia trade in US dollars, which means European buyers may benefit from good currency rates. But always check postage costs to make sure you're paying what you think you are. Use a currency converter (such as http://www.xe.com) if you're not sure about conversion rates. And don't forget that orders over a certain amount can face tax and duty charges. |
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Check the game When the game arrives, test it immediately. Because of the distance between yourself and the supplier, it can be difficult and frustrating to resolve problems, and the longer you leave this, the worse it gets. Certain problems are easily solved. For instance, if the game appears to be in a language other than the one you expected, always check first for an option to change the text. |
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Keep your eyes open Pocket Gamer sometimes reviews games from Japan and often from the US well before they hit UK shores. If you'd like to check out the origin of a game we've reviewed, simply look for the 'Version' listing in the game information section at the start of our reviews. We'll always mention any potentially problematic issues, such as language barriers, so you know what you're getting yourself into should you wish to import the title. Don't miss our other DS and PSP How Tos. |