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

DoctorZ

Member
Nintendo is a fool to not at least have made the XL take faceplates too. They do look neat. I think their decision to omit the reg 3ds is kind of smart. I don't honestly think it's as big a seller as we want to believe.

It's not, the numbers show this. The price points are close enough to where consumers see the two and think "Why would I buy the smaller one when it's not much more to get the larger one?"

I feel like a small subset of people take into consideration the small differences between the old 3DS and 3DS XL. The only real differences were the PPI of the screens, overall size and how comfortable they felt to different people. Other than that it was, big screens vs small screens.

I think Nintendo knows this and wanted to keep the regular N3DS price high, near the LL/XL price point. They tried to make the regular model more appealing hoping to maybe balance out the sales a bit more with the colored buttons and face plates. After seeing that people still were buying the N3DS XL more often in Japan they decided "Screw this, if people aren't going to buy it than we shouldn't spend all the extra cost in launching in the US with the N3DS since we also have to launch with face plates. They could have only launched with a few face plate designs.

If reports are true and the N3DS XL outsold the regular 2:1, maybe that is similar or less skewed in EU, but more heavily skewed in the US. I wouldn't be surprised if the XL to Reg ration in the US was 3:1 since the XL's release.
 

DoctorZ

Member
I'm still confused as to why they did not release a Black charging cradle for the N3DS. I really want to get one, but I don't particularly want to have mismatched colors. Oh well, I may just wait and hope they eventually release a black version.

How about grabbing the Boo face plate and a white stand?

Here's a crap edit.

MwzEZRE.png


I decided to get he black over the white N3DS so ended up not ordering a stand with mine. Was going to get the mint one, but also didn't like the un-matched stand and N3DS. But now that I think of it this isn't a bad combo since I also ordered the Boo faceplate. Maybe on my next order I'll grab a white one.
 
Any other Hakoboy impressions? How does the 3D effect work on something so planar looking?

BoxBoy is pretty awesome. Great 2D puzzle platformer that is constantly teaching new mechanics. No 3D effect though, but the art design is so charming that I don't notice it. I'm up to World 6-3 and haven't lost interest in the slightest.
 

Yasawas

Member
Yeah! I have camo on white too, I like it very much. When the European model launches I'm getting a black one and putting it on then and grabbing the white Monster Hunter plates for the JP machine though, I love those
 

Halabane

Member
The mint stand does not look bad with the black, my son has that combo. But it is kind of odd there isn't a black stand.

Since NOA is not going to sell me a black N3DS for me...how hard is it to get a UK version here in the states? Is there a Tenso/Amazon path? Least this will give me a english variant for games I would like to play in English.
 
There's no 3D effect in the game. It's completely disabled, at least as far as I've gotten.

The game is excellent though. It7s incredibly clever and iterates on its mechanics really well. The time-trial and collection stages you can unlock are brutal.

BoxBoy is pretty awesome. Great 2D puzzle platformer that is constantly teaching new mechanics. No 3D effect though, but the art design is so charming that I don't notice it. I'm up to World 6-3 and haven't lost interest in the slightest.
It's great to hear you are having a good time with the game. The instant i saw the video it was clear Nintendo has yet another great puzzle game concept on their hands, just like with Pushmo. No surprises about the 3D effect, the visuals are too plain to take any advantege of it.

Hopefully it gets localized and sold also on the Wii U
Nintendo is a fool to not at least have made the XL take faceplates too. They do look neat. I think their decision to omit the reg 3ds is kind of smart. I don't honestly think it's as big a seller as we want to believe.
Foolish would have been to allow the LL to swap faceplates, you need to give people reasons to consider a second model and it is a neat feature to close the gap in sales with the other model

i don't agree with the notion that NOA decided not to release regular size due to the sales delta. The faceplates exist to create a 2nd revenew stream and to get people interested in the other model. The decision should have been taken if the N3DS regular size didn't improve the sales difference.

My take on the matter is the Nintendo gets better margins out of the XL and NOA decided to go with it only. Maybe some outsold stock of the original model has something to do with the decision.
 
Yeah, it looks like Solaris Japan is the only import store left that has it, but it's crazy expensive (3,591 yen).

Your only other option is to buy it from a amazon.co.jp marketplace seller and use Tenso to get it shipped to you. I have no idea if Nintendo will ever send more stock to stores :/. A shame, as it's such a nice cover plate.


Quite a few places have it now, check here. (amazonJP actually had it a couple of days now, but they were sold out instantly...)
Looks like I missed out on all of them, I even tried Bic and Yodobashi; no luck. HOWEVER! It's still in stock at Rakuten, where I was able to place an order for ~MSRP (2160y / $18): http://books.rakuten.co.jp/rb/13093683/?scid=wi-ich-search-all-non-snav2

Also grabbed the Kirby plate, Boo (too many awesome pictures in this thread to keep putting it off), a cradle for my Majora's Mask US New 3DS XL and a irodori series Keys Factory N3DS XL trunk case. Phew.
 

bms2993

Banned
Okay, just went ahead and secured me a cover plate, hori screen protector and hori case. Might take a while longer to ship this time since I ordered from Nippon-Yasan and they like to process it for awhile. That's alright though. I'll live.
 
Actually I may have spoken too soon, the order isn't showing up in my Rakuten order history. Has anyone used them before and run into this issue? I was able to find my order confirmation page by going through my history so I have that (complete with an "order confirmed" and an order number) but I never got a confirmation email either. I sent them a machine-translated email using their Contact Us form so hopefully that works. Just wondering if it takes some time for orders to show up? The top of the page says 5-10 minutes, and it has been far longer than that.
 

slowlyandsurely

Neo Member
Hey, guys. I'm considering importing a N3DS LL but I'm not sure from whom. I'm torn between AmiAmi and Amazon Jpn. The LL is currently $170 for Metallic Blue/Black at AmiAmi and $158 for Metallaic Blue and $163 for Metallic Black at Amazon Jpn. As an aside, why the discrepancy in price between Metallaic Blue and Metallic Black? Is it just a simple case of supply and demand?

Anyway, for those who've bought theirs from Amazon Jpn, how much do they charge for shipping to Tenso/Noppin? Also, what about shipping rates between the two? Whose are more favorable if I opt for (Registered) Sal Small Packet? The package would weigh approximately 600g and it would be shipping to Europe. Will having to pay for shipping twice negate the cheaper cost relative to AmiAmi's price, or is the "local" shipping cost from Amazon Jpn to Tenoso/Noppin negligible enough that it would still wind up costing less? And for recent buyers from either site, what firmware version have your units been coming with? Thanks for any insight.
 
Been a while since i updated my 3DS collection pics, added quite a lot of games since i last did proper pics.

SAM_1277%20res.jpg

SAM_1279%20res.jpg

SAM_1281%20res.jpg

SAM_1282%20res.jpg

SAM_1285%20res.jpg

SAM_1286%20res.jpg

SAM_1288%20res.jpg

SAM_1292%20res.jpg


About another 10 or so games and i'm done until some new stuff gets released later on.

How is the Cooking Mama Sweet Shop game? Been eyeing it for a while on eshop
 

bms2993

Banned
May I ask what GAF thinks? Should I even consider playing my import new Nintendo 3DS any further without a Hori screen protector? It's coming soon since I ordered it earlier today along with a cover plate and case! Should I just leave it alone to risk any more dust or debris floating around and onto the screen? I hate how dust builds on the edges of the screen when you wipe it with a micro fiber cloth. :0

Am I being too OCD?
 
May I ask what GAF thinks? Should I even consider playing my import new Nintendo 3DS any further without a Hori screen protector? It's coming soon since I ordered it earlier today along with a cover plate and case! Should I just leave it alone to risk any more dust or debris floating around and onto the screen? I hate how dust builds on the edges of the screen when you wipe it with a micro fiber cloth. :0

Am I being too OCD?

I never understood why people buy those things at all, to be honest. I still have my original DS Lite, which suffered through Elite Beat Agents and both Ouendan games played furiously for an unseemly amount of hours among plenty of other things, and it still works great and the touchscreen is fine, and I never once put a screen protector on it. Hell I've been playing it this very weekend (got on a Castlevania: Circle of Ecclesia kick).

I say go play and have fun, don't sweat it too much.
 

outsideroom302

Neo Member
I haven't spent much time on the Japanese 3ds eshop and I was wondering if you guys had any recommendations for JP eshop only games (obscure hidden gems are welcome too).
 
I haven't spent much time on the Japanese 3ds eshop and I was wondering if you guys had any recommendations for JP eshop only games (obscure hidden gems are welcome too).

Hakoboy (ハコボーイ) is amazing, get it!!!

Grab the crane game (バッヂとれ〜るセンター) for free, if you haven't yet. Checking in each day for your free plays is pretty fun.
 

kubus

Member
Hey, guys. I'm considering importing a N3DS LL but I'm not sure from whom. I'm torn between AmiAmi and Amazon Jpn. The LL is currently $170 for Metallic Blue/Black at AmiAmi and $158 for Metallaic Blue and $163 for Metallic Black at Amazon Jpn. As an aside, why the discrepancy in price between Metallaic Blue and Metallic Black? Is it just a simple case of supply and demand?

Anyway, for those who've bought theirs from Amazon Jpn, how much do they charge for shipping to Tenso/Noppin? Also, what about shipping rates between the two? Whose are more favorable if I opt for (Registered) Sal Small Packet? The package would weigh approximately 600g and it would be shipping to Europe. Will having to pay for shipping twice negate the cheaper cost relative to AmiAmi's price, or is the "local" shipping cost from Amazon Jpn to Tenoso/Noppin negligible enough that it would still wind up costing less? And for recent buyers from either site, what firmware version have your units been coming with? Thanks for any insight.
I have no idea why the two colors have different prices, I'm guessing it's simply a supply and demand thing like you said.

Anyway I haven't bought my 3DS from amazon Japan but I'm pretty sure shipping within Japan is free, as long as you buy from amazon directly and not a marketplace seller. You can try it out by proceeding with checkout until you get to the confirmation screen.

I would recommend going with the amazon route instead of AmiAmi because the latter will write down the actual value of your order on the package so you will definitely have to pay custom fees. With Tenso you have complete freedom over what will be written down on your package with regards to contents, value, etc. So if you want you can write down a very low value and have it slip by customs (the downside to this is that you will also only by insured for that amount of money).

Also, I'm pretty sure Impotaku imported his New 3DS from Amazon.co.jp via Tenso and he escaped customs fees. If you go back to some of the earlier pages of this thread, maybe you can find more information there because he posted about it and answered questions about it too. Or you could PM him.

As for shipping options, Tenso's EMS Express option is relatively cheap and you'll get your package within 4 days. Their other (slower) shipment options are only cheaper by a small margin so I always go with EMS Express. It gives the luxury of having tracking info as well, and that's always nice when you have expensive stuff on the way.

Hope this helps!
 

Juice

Member
This thread is making me glad I bought my n3DS on Amazon US with Prime. Domestic 2-day shipping with Sunday delivery was worth the $30 premium I paid to avoid the lag and customs.

Knowing I have Amazon support if I need to return it is pretty great too
 

Impotaku

Member
Are the Doraemon games any good?

The Doraemon dames are pretty low budget but they are usually fun. Only played 2 out of the four i have so far, they all follow the films they are based on. Currently playing through himitsu dougu museum been enjoying it so far although they are not a patch on the ones Sega made for the DS those were amazing. SF dotabata party is also a good one but that one you get more enjoyment if you know all of the characters that Fujio created, love seeing the manga panels as you land on the chance spaces, makes a nice boardgame although the CPU can cheat like crazy sometimes.

How is the Cooking Mama Sweet Shop game? Been eyeing it for a while on eshop

I'm kind of biased as i love all the mama games well all except babysitting mama that's where i drew the line lol. But i have all the others, it's just as good as the others in the series. They are all obviously cake or sweet based this time so it all comes down to weither you'd get bored making just sweet stuff, the shop part of the game is a new addition though. After making the items you place them in the shop then you have to deal with customers wandering around wanting to buy, the more money you get the more you can customize your shop and increase it's size.

There is a demo on the eshop of it i think.
 

kubus

Member
^
Yep I have the same screen protector on my N3DS. They're fantastic and you don't even see them.

One tip though: don't use the included cardboard thing to get the air bubbles out, use something softer. Otherwise you risk scratching the screen protector.
 

bms2993

Banned
^
Yep I have the same screen protector on my N3DS. They're fantastic and you don't even see them.

One tip though: don't use the included cardboard thing to get the air bubbles out, use something softer. Otherwise you risk scratching the screen protector.

Thanks for the feedback and advice. :)
 
I'm kind of biased as i love all the mama games well all except babysitting mama that's where i drew the line lol. But i have all the others, it's just as good as the others in the series. They are all obviously cake or sweet based this time so it all comes down to weither you'd get bored making just sweet stuff, the shop part of the game is a new addition though. After making the items you place them in the shop then you have to deal with customers wandering around wanting to buy, the more money you get the more you can customize your shop and increase it's size.

There is a demo on the eshop of it i think.

Thankies for the feedback! I'm a sucker for things revolving around sweets and I love the Cooking Mama series. The inclusion of a shop intrigues me, so I'll be sure to check it out! Thanks again
 
Has anybody ever had any trouble getting their New 3DS (Japanese) to connect to their wifi network? Everything else in my house is fine, including my American 3DS, but my New 3DS either won't connect to the network at all or sometimes connects and then drops mid-update.

I'm following all of the steps in the OP and I've even used my American 3DS to translate the menus. Not sure what's wrong but it's hard to troubleshoot without speaking any Japanese :p

Here are some pictures for JapanGAF. The first one is me (i think) successfully setting up my connection. the second one is what happens mid-update and cancels the download

BGYYZGN.jpg

A762AbA.jpg
 

Juice

Member
Does anyone have a Japanese Club Nintendo code I could have? I'd happily send you a few bucks for it. I'm trying to go all-digital on my new n3DS but I can't register for club nintendo without a code (and hardware doesn't carry one anymore)
 
Has anybody ever had any trouble getting their New 3DS (Japanese) to connect to their wifi network? Everything else in my house is fine, including my American 3DS, but my New 3DS either won't connect to the network at all or sometimes connects and then drops mid-update.

I'm following all of the steps in the OP and I've even used my American 3DS to translate the menus. Not sure what's wrong but it's hard to troubleshoot without speaking any Japanese :p

Here are some pictures for JapanGAF. The first one is me (i think) successfully setting up my connection. the second one is what happens mid-update and cancels the download

BGYYZGN.jpg

A762AbA.jpg
Ironically it's the reverse for me. My US XL has to be positioned a certain way from a certain spot in my room just to get a decent connection, especially when downloading from the eshop. My Japanese nXL? Works like a dream no matter what
 
Yeah, I think there's something actually wrong with it. I reformatted the system and it's still doing the same thing. Connects to the internet fine until it needs to update, then it downloads for a couple seconds and disconnects with an error.
 
I used this video:

Screen Protective Filter for Nintendo 3DS XL: http://youtu.be/h1xbJC9_wSY

It's not a video for the 'New' models, but it's more or less the same exact application.
I've just bought one for my future n3DSLL, but the version that also blocks blue light. It uses the same application method as the one in the video so that's a big plus.

Always worried about application of protection filters, and didn't know this existed. Thanks for the tip ;)
 
Unnngh... the pixel density of the n3DS is just good. Moving on to nXL is going to be an adjustment next month.

Been playing Phoenix Wright Trilogy all day as I've never made it past the first case in the first game on DS. The 3DS conversion looks phenomenal and I have the 3D at maximum.

Hmm... I might need to take further advantage of this digital sale.
 

Doombear

Member
I've just bought one for my future n3DSLL, but the version that also blocks blue light. It uses the same application method as the one in the video so that's a big plus.

Always worried about application of protection filters, and didn't know this existed. Thanks for the tip ;)

Mind linking which one you got Intern, or PMing if you'd rather? I usually don't use them, but that thing is nearly invisible. Also, blue light blocking filter? What is the benefit there?
 
Mind linking which one you got Intern, or PMing if you'd rather? I usually don't use them, but that thing is nearly invisible. Also, blue light blocking filter? What is the benefit there?

I bought this one: http://www.hori.jp/products/new3dsll/new_3dsll_bluelightcut_film/

The benefit is for your eyes, blue light is the part of the spectrum that can go right to the back of your eye and could cause quicker strain, mood problems and/or retinal damage.
 

Armaly

Member
Has anybody ever had any trouble getting their New 3DS (Japanese) to connect to their wifi network? Everything else in my house is fine, including my American 3DS, but my New 3DS either won't connect to the network at all or sometimes connects and then drops mid-update.

I'm following all of the steps in the OP and I've even used my American 3DS to translate the menus. Not sure what's wrong but it's hard to troubleshoot without speaking any Japanese :p

Here are some pictures for JapanGAF. The first one is me (i think) successfully setting up my connection. the second one is what happens mid-update and cancels the download

BGYYZGN.jpg

A762AbA.jpg

Weird, have you tried accessing your router and manually entering your 3ds info?
 

bms2993

Banned
Anyone else find dust begin to build on the sides of their screen? You go to wipe it off and it just gets pushed to the side of the screen where the lip of the screen is? My screen protector SHOULD arrive this week or the next and I don't want the dust on the lip of the screen to interfere with it when I put it on. Might want to invest in one of these...
81WDVkSdXNL._SL1500_.jpg
 
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