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Japanese Nintendo 3DS Import Thread | Brand New 3D, Same Old Region Lock

Impotaku

Member
I know in th UK that you can definately use a UK credit card on a Japanese 3DS, not sure for other countries though.
 

kubus

Member
More supplements to my 3DS youkai watch games turned up today, medals galore :)

2 boxes of booster packs for each of the new series plus a new binder to accomodate them all.
[awesomeness]

Filled in the missing gaps with more purchases, some of the rarer medals. Got the newest 8 orange daikichi medals from the arcade game and the latest rare legend yellow medal from the lotter at the medaland website. Also some binder inserts for the newest series and a small binder for my non main series sets.
[more awesomeness]

Getting addicted to those games sure is expensive but also a lot of fun hehe
Man, I don't wanna know how much money you spent on all of this stuff, but it must feel amazing to have a huge and organized collection like that :D. I love how dedicated you are to collecting all the medals. If only I jumped into the Youkai Watch craze earlier, I might've started collecting them too but I'm already getting lost hearing you talk about all the variations and special limited collector whatever versions, haha.
 

Mask

Member
I had to cancel my Nippon Yasan New 3DS order as they wanted me to pay before the 9th of October, and I don't get paid until like a week later.

I'll just try ordering it again when I get paid.
 

Impotaku

Member
It's probably down to the country you live in & the type of credit card you use. Some countries seem to have more problems than others.

For me i live in the UK & i use my UK visa & that seems to work fine for both the Japanese eshop on 3DS & Wii/WiiU.
 

Josephl64

Member
It's probably down to the country you live in & the type of credit card you use. Some countries seem to have more problems than others.

For me i live in the UK & i use my UK visa & that seems to work fine for both the Japanese eshop on 3DS & Wii/WiiU.

I live in the states with a Mastercard which is what makes it odd, but oh well
 

Zornica

Banned
I live in the states with a Mastercard which is what makes it odd, but oh well

mastercard has been known to cause problems when buying in or from japan for a few years now - but thats mostly related to ATMs... Visa should work fine though, no matter where you're from

I'm kinda baffled that amazon.jp isn't able to use some kind of automatic debit transfer system... creditcard payment seems to be my only option, but I'd rather use my "debit card" (as in, please take the money from my bank account)
 

StayDead

Member
Yeah my Visa Debit card (UK) has had no issues what so ever with the eshop.

I feel sorry for people with Mastercard as I've seen UK sites not accepting it as well :s
 
So during lunch time I went to Yodobashi Camera today and to my surprise, they were already showcasing some covers:

imagejsjty.jpg


I don't know if this has been discussed before, but the surprising bit is that one of them is made of a different fabric - something soft and exactly the design I wanted to get:


I bet it will look like shit after some time , so I guess I will pass
 

Impotaku

Member
That's the suede cover there is also a wood one with the same design. They also have that same design on a few of the plastic covers too.
 

mrback

Member
So during lunch time I went to Yodobashi Camera today and to my surprise, they were already showcasing some covers:




I don't know if this has been discussed before, but the surprising bit is that one of them is made of a different fabric - something soft and exactly the design I wanted to get:



I bet it will look like shit after some time , so I guess I will pass

thanks for the pics, getting quite excited now, any demo pods knocking around? looks like those covers are attached to units as well.
 

Josephl64

Member
oh so from what I'm taking from this is that Visa is more accepted worldwide than Mastercard? Thought they were on par...might have to get a Visa.
 

kubus

Member
I use Mastercard on my Japanese 3DS and it has worked without a hitch so far. I can't really pinpoint why foreign credit cards work for some and don't for others :(.

In other news, I just paid off my New 3DS order at Nippon-Yasan! Can't waaait :D. I think all the covers I ordered are just normal plastic though :(. If I knew about the different textures I might've bought some different ones, but oh well! There's always the next order :p
 

Impotaku

Member
Besides the 2 expensive 3000yen wood/suede ones there are i think 4 that have the mario & enemies pattern on & they are all embossed plastic like this
71ahRr3SiEL._AA1500_.jpg
 

kubus

Member
^
Ooh, I actually got the mint colored version of that, so I hope it's textured like that as well! It looks so cool :D
 
That's the suede cover there is also a wood one with the same design. They also have that same design on a few of the plastic covers too.
Besides the 2 expensive 3000yen wood/suede ones there are i think 4 that have the mario & enemies pattern on & they are all embossed plastic like this
71ahRr3SiEL._AA1500_.jpg
Oooh, I somehow mixed up the cover plate I want with the suede one I posted. I wanna get #023, so I should be fine, since it seems to be plastic. Thanks for the clarification!

thanks for the pics, getting quite excited now, any demo pods knocking around? looks like those covers are attached to units as well.
Yeah, those are non-functional N3DS units. No demo units as of yet. I was worried about the normal N3DS size, which I've preordered (right now 3DS LL owner), but it seems borderline alright - sizewise. Wondering about the screens tho.
 
Should I import the Japan New 3DS soon? Or should I wait it out for Australia.

I don't know, I'm torn apart between those two.
Because I have a normal 3DS for Australia and I want to get a packaged version of Gyakuten Saiban III Trilogy HD. Help?
 

StayDead

Member
Brian★;132678428 said:
Should I import the Japan New 3DS soon? Or should I wait it out for Australia.

I don't know, I'm torn apart between those two.
Because I have a normal 3DS for Australia and I want to get a packaged version of Gyakuten Saiban III Trilogy HD. Help?

It all depends on a) if you have any interest in learning Japanese (as playing games help a lot) or have a large interest in games that come out in Japan but not PAL territories (which can suck if you don't know the language). Buy one if you want to play games on it you wouldn't be able to play otherwise, if not just wait for Australia.
 
It all depends on a) if you have any interest in learning Japanese (as playing games help a lot) or have a large interest in games that come out in Japan but not PAL territories (which can suck if you don't know the language). Buy one if you want to play games on it you wouldn't be able to play otherwise, if not just wait for Australia.

Ok. Thanks!~
Just imported one.
 

Zornica

Banned
I still can't decide if I should get the white or black n3ds... I guess the white one would probably work best with most face plates design wise... although the black one seems like the way to go for more interesting plates that have yet to be announced. something made out of metal for example.

maybe j-gaf can help me with this one:
I'm not quite sure where to buy the system from. At first I wanted to order it from amazon for 16400 yen, but I don't want to use my credit card as the exchange rate is crap in comparison.
My only two options are either cash or my (japanese) debit card/bank account. I'm from europe, so I'm used to just puting in my account details and have them take the money directly. But that doesn't seem to be as common over here.

Could you recommend any other cheap (web or retail) stores where I could buy the system using the payment options mentioned above? (preferably for less then 17000 yen. )

------------------------------------------------------

on the 3ds games front: I just gave "Airport Hero" a try... it's strangely addicting so far...
 
Demo units are here!
Sadly they only had LL units to test, but this thing feels like v1.0 compared to the launch unit I had and to the LL I own atm. The D-Pad has some grip to it now which feels great imho. 3D is really waaaaaaaay better. Not perfect but very close to it. The only real downside for me was the new stick(?). Piece of rubber which doesn't move at all. Feels really weird. Games will recognize from which side you are pushing, which I couldn't test, but I don't like it at all tbh.
 

Beckx

Member
One more week
until I get the shipping notice and then wait for it to get to Tenso then for Tenso to send to me but still
One more week!
 

StayDead

Member
Demo units are here!

Sadly they only had LL units to test, but this thing feels like v1.0 compared to the launch unit I had and to the LL I own atm. The D-Pad has some grip to it now which feels great imho. 3D is really waaaaaaaay better. Not perfect but very close to it. The only real downside for me was the new stick(?). Piece of rubber which doesn't move at all. Feels really weird. Games will recognize from which side you are pushing, which I couldn't test, but I don't like it at all tbh.

Does the circle pad feel more secure?
 

Zornica

Banned
Demo units are here!

Sadly they only had LL units to test, but this thing feels like v1.0 compared to the launch unit I had and to the LL I own atm. The D-Pad has some grip to it now which feels great imho. 3D is really waaaaaaaay better. Not perfect but very close to it. The only real downside for me was the new stick(?). Piece of rubber which doesn't move at all. Feels really weird. Games will recognize from which side you are pushing, which I couldn't test, but I don't like it at all tbh.

I guess I'll have to pay a visit to the nearest Yodobashi or BIC camera tomorrow...
they should have at least one demo unit, right?
 

Impotaku

Member
I still can't decide if I should get the white or black n3ds... I guess the white one would probably work best with most face plates design wise... although the black one seems like the way to go for more interesting plates that have yet to be announced. something made out of metal for example.

maybe j-gaf can help me with this one:
I'm not quite sure where to buy the system from. At first I wanted to order it from amazon for 16400 yen, but I don't want to use my credit card as the exchange rate is crap in comparison.
My only two options are either cash or my (japanese) debit card/bank account. I'm from europe, so I'm used to just puting in my account details and have them take the money directly. But that doesn't seem to be as common over here.

Could you recommend any other cheap (web or retail) stores where I could buy the system using the payment options mentioned above? (preferably for less then 17000 yen. )

------------------------------------------------------

on the 3ds games front: I just gave "Airport Hero" a try... it's strangely addicting so far...

If you happen to be in Japan you can still order from amazon without having to use your credit card you can select to pay for your order at a convinience store so then you can pay in cash.
 

mrback

Member
So does anyone know when these will ship from the likes of playasia, Nippon yasan? Do they ship worldwide when they get the stock or do they wait till the 11/10-14 UK dude here
 

yankee666

Member
Demo units are here!

Sadly they only had LL units to test, but this thing feels like v1.0 compared to the launch unit I had and to the LL I own atm. The D-Pad has some grip to it now which feels great imho. 3D is really waaaaaaaay better. Not perfect but very close to it. The only real downside for me was the new stick(?). Piece of rubber which doesn't move at all. Feels really weird. Games will recognize from which side you are pushing, which I couldn't test, but I don't like it at all tbh.
Nice, do they have any metallic blue units in display? I really want to see a real photo of it from outside.
 
So does anyone know when these will ship from the likes of playasia, Nippon yasan? Do they ship worldwide when they get the stock or do they wait till the 11/10-14 UK dude here

According to Nippon yasan's info page on Preorders:
https://www.nippon-yasan.com/cms.php?id_cms=10

Pre-orders are sent on the day of the official release in Japan. (subject to receipt of full payment and only if you do your order early)

Don't know about play-asia
 

perorist

Unconfirmed Member
According to Nippon yasan's info page on Preorders:
They actually only start preparing your order on the day of release for pre orders, usually not shipping it. My average time from preparing to shipping from them is 4 days. I've only had one time where they shipped immediately on the same day.
 
They actually only start preparing your order on the day of release for pre orders, usually not shipping it. My average time from preparing to shipping from them is 4 days. I've only had one time where they shipped immediately on the same day.

So we should be expecting the N3DS deliveries to happen near the end of the month? Alright. Not too bad considering how good their prices are.
 

Zornica

Banned
If you happen to be in Japan you can still order from amazon without having to use your credit card you can select to pay for your order at a convinience store so then you can pay in cash.

oh, I haven't even thought of that. there is also a cash on delivery option, right?
are there any extra fees?

also, how reliable is amazon.jp when it comes to deliveries on launch day? I'm not really worried about getting it later than anyone else, but I'm most likely not at home on either friday or monday...

edit: got to play n3ds today. Even though I'd still love to buy one at launch, I'm probably going to wait for a few weeks/months. I just can't decide which color to pick
 

Impotaku

Member
oh, I haven't even thought of that. there is also a cash on delivery option, right?
are there any extra fees?

also, how reliable is amazon.jp when it comes to deliveries on launch day? I'm not really worried about getting it later than anyone else, but I'm most likely not at home on either friday or monday...

edit: got to play n3ds today. Even though I'd still love to buy one at launch, I'm probably going to wait for a few weeks/months. I just can't decide which color to pick

Not sure on fees you'd have to go check on Amazon Japan & find out but they do offer the service, with marketplace sellers some offer COD & some don't.
 

Impotaku

Member
Got fed up of not having streetpasses because where i live there is hardly any relays so i decided to build my own using the spillpass pi guide on the net, http://www.spillmonkey.com/?page_id=5

This morning all the parts i needed turned up from Amazon so i have spent the past hour putting it all together & installing the raspberry pi disk image and setting it all up. I was a bit nervous as i have zero experience with using a rasp pi, thankfully though it all booted up & within mins i started getting street passes and loads for all the japanese games i own it's awesome.

The green light is going mad, As a bonus any neighbours in the flats that have a 3DS will now be wondering why the hell they are getting streetpasses at home LOOL.

SAM_1163%20res.jpg

My pi case of choice, it looks fantastic, got a led piglow board installed which i plan to configure into the code that will pulse when i get another wave of streetpasses.
SAM_1164%20res.jpg

All set up and powered on.
SAM_1165%20res.jpg

Tadaa green light streetpass success.

The advantage of this method is it constantly cycles streetpass relay points so you never stop getting them.
 

Impotaku

Member
It has to have a certain chipset in it for it to work, the exact model is BELKIN 150N (F6D4050)

The rasp pi board has to be the older B model & it has to be revision 2 they are pretty hard to find as mostly they are out of stock or they only have the newer B+ models.

I found both on amazon, these are links to the exact products i used.

wifi dongle
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0026IBI1O/ref=ox_ya_os_product_refresh_T1

Rasp pi model B revision 2
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B008PT4GGC/ref=ox_ya_os_product_refresh_T1

All info to do it is in the fantastic spillpass pi website link i posted in my earlier post.
 

mrback

Member
Got fed up of not having streetpasses because where i live there is hardly any relays so i decided to build my own using the spillpass pi guide on the net, http://www.spillmonkey.com/?page_id=5

This morning all the parts i needed turned up from Amazon so i have spent the past hour putting it all together & installing the raspberry pi disk image and setting it all up. I was a bit nervous as i have zero experience with using a rasp pi, thankfully though it all booted up & within mins i started getting street passes and loads for all the japanese games i own it's awesome.

The green light is going mad, As a bonus any neighbours in the flats that have a 3DS will now be wondering why the hell they are getting streetpasses at home LOOL.

SAM_1163%20res.jpg

My pi case of choice, it looks fantastic, got a led piglow board installed which i plan to configure into the code that will pulse when i get another wave of streetpasses.
SAM_1164%20res.jpg

All set up and powered on.
SAM_1165%20res.jpg

Tadaa green light streetpass success.

The advantage of this method is it constantly cycles streetpass relay points so you never stop getting them.

You've really piqued my interest with this, fairly easy to do then? Didn't even know you could do this.
 

Impotaku

Member
If you can get all the bits needed then yeah it's pretty straightforward, it involves just writing the image to a sd card then putting it in the raspberry pi. Once it's all assembled and the SD card in it will automatically boot & run without no input needed.
 
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