Possible to buy retro consoles and video games in English?

TokyoJoeblow

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I usually play PC games these days and have been thinking about buying a Playstation 4 or Nintendo Switch, but aside from a couple games...most new games don't interest me.

I'm steering more toward just buying a retro console to play some games I grew up playing, which would be much more fun.

I have been to Super Potato in Akihabara, but I know there are various other retro game/console shops in this area that I'm planning to check out next time I go to Tokyo.

Does anyone know if any of these shops sell English versions of retro consoles or games?

I realize it is Japan and most likely the answer is no because most of the customers are Japanese. I can understand Japanese pretty well, but some RPG games I enjoy playing have really deep stories that will be difficult to really follow all the way through in Japanese...

I'm trying to avoid buying an English console with games online and having them shipped from overseas, which will cost a small fortune due to the weight.

The console I mainly want is a Playstation 2, but a Playstation 4 with the software set to the English language is OK too, but I want to play classic Playstation 1 and Playstation 2 games on a Playstation 4 without using services like this: https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/can-finally-play-ps2-games-ps4-heres-3465834

Are there any Playstation gamers on here that have come across English games here in Japan?
 
Are there any Playstation gamers on here that have come across English games here in Japan?
There used to be a special shop in Akihabara that sold western version of games - but it closed 5 years ago.

I have rarely seen used shops selling English versions of old games.

Emulators are popular when used on a PC... I have a Japan PS4 that I use in English... my PSN account is for America and I usually import games or get them digitally.

That all said, I stick to PC most of the time.

I still have an xbox360, ps3 (original fat boy) and a PSP sitting in storage. I had a PS2 but sold it to someone who was desperate to get one of the American versions.
 
I'm steering more toward just buying a retro console to play some games I grew up playing, which would be much more fun... I want to play classic Playstation 1 and Playstation 2 games
Omg, is PS1 considered retro gaming? Lol. Shit I feel old. Anyway, have you heard of the PlayStation Classic mini console that’s coming out this Xmas? Might be something to look into for your ‘retro’ gaming desires.
 
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There used to be a special shop in Akihabara that sold western version of games - but it closed 5 years ago.

I have rarely seen used shops selling English versions of old games.

Emulators are popular when used on a PC... I have a Japan PS4 that I use in English... my PSN account is for America and I usually import games or get them digitally.

That all said, I stick to PC most of the time.

I still have an xbox360, ps3 (original fat boy) and a PSP sitting in storage. I had a PS2 but sold it to someone who was desperate to get one of the American versions.

Yes, I have installed and tried pretty much every emulator available on the internet. Not always, but there are often different issues with all of them...some won't even properly install, run, some won't load the games or say the file is corrupt even upon reinsall, some will not save my games, some will save my games and then delete them, some will freeze up and then I need to do a hard restart.

Of course, a lot of these issues or my fault, but I'm no expert with computers and especially console emulators. It just seems much easier for me to just buy a legit console with legit games as nothing beats the real thing anyway.

Well, that sucks about that one shop closing down. I assume they just didn't get enough business. Maybe another shop like that will open up someday.

I keep reading on other forums to just order a retro consoles and games using sites like PlayAsia or Amazon Japan. Has anyone used PlayAsia? I guess they are based in Hong Kong and the shipping costs are low...but I have no idea how good their service actually is.

As for Amazon Japan...why would they have English consoles and games available? Aren't the products sold on there...products from within Japan? Maybe any English consoles and games available on Amazon Japan are sold from foreigners living here in Japan? They wouldn't be overseas sellers right?
 
Omg, is PS1 considered retro gaming? Lol. Shit I feel old. Anyway, have you heard of the PlayStation Classic mini console that’s coming out this Xmas? Might be something to look into for your ‘retro’ gaming desires.

Yes, that might be perfect but I'm hoping that when it is released here in Japan...it will be able to be run in English and also support retro Playstation games in English not just newer games, which mostly games I don't want to even play.

I do like how PlayAsia has this feature where if you want to buy a rare PS1 or PS2 game that is sold out, they can track down locations or people that are selling that particular game and then they let you know.

It would be great if I could purchase classic games from PlayAsia for Amazon Japan and then just throw them on the Playstation Classic Mini to play.
 
I used to be a regular customer of play Asia... but since their shipping changed, I’ve not gone back. It took nearly 20 days for one game to reach me. Compared to 5-7 days previously.
 
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Omg, is PS1 considered retro gaming? Lol. Shit I feel old. Anyway, have you heard of the PlayStation Classic mini console that’s coming out this Xmas? Might be something to look into for your ‘retro’ gaming desires.

I’d probably pass on the PS mini classic. Been checking out the early reviews and apparently Sony is using a third party emulator in the unit. (You’d think that since they created the original they’d be using something they developed in-house, but it looks like they’re kinda half-assing this thing). Even the onscreen interface is pretty basic.

For retro gaming I’ve been playing around with retroarch/emulation station on old PCs and OpenEmu on old Macs and they’re way better than these mini classic consoles that have been coming out lately. Have an old Mac mini that’s running everything from Atari 2600 up to Dreamcast/PS1/N64 with no problems. Some of these emulators even let you upgrade the graphics a bit so they look even better than the original.
 
I used to be a regular customer of play Asia... but since their shipping changed, I’ve not gone back. It took nearly 20 days for one game to reach me. Compared to 5-7 days previously.

Although waiting 20 days itself is annoying, my main worry is situations where you pay for a game...and it just never comes.

Have you or anyone else you know had situations like this before with PlayAsia or any other service?

Have you since switched to Amazon Japan?
 
This shop in the 2nd floor of Nakano Broadway sells American versions of games from the 360/PS3 era. They have PS4 games too. Might be cool to check out.

http://gamestation.ocnk.net/

I work across the street from there. I think there is another that has original 90's Nintento too downstairs. Interest place for a few hours visit. My favorite 80's bar is right in that area.
 
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So, after seeing the selection of games included with the Playstation Classic, I have decided not to buy one.

It would just be a lot better to buy a Playstation 4 or possibly a Nintendo Switch as I'm seeing some good games for both consoles.

I'm checking online for the current prices of these consoles now, but has anyone on here purchased either of these recently?

I'm assuming some smaller game shops might be selling these consoles at cheaper prices than what is listed online.
 
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Although waiting 20 days itself is annoying, my main worry is situations where you pay for a game...and it just never comes.

Have you or anyone else you know had situations like this before with PlayAsia or any other service?

Have you since switched to Amazon Japan?
It always comes, I've never had one that didn't show up.
The issue with PlayAsia is new to me - the shipping wasn't so slow before. (Mind you, they ship it quickly, it's just the service they use takes forever and I didn't see a way to pay more for expedited or priority shipping)

I use Amazon Japan for some things, but not games. I just don't buy games that much... and the ones that I want, I'll usually buy in America and bring them back with me on each trip, which is 2-4 times a year.
 
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Well, I still do own a PS2 console which is collecting dust at my parents' house. I wanted to avoid having her mail the console with a handful of classic/rare games because it might cost a lot due to the weight...there is also a chance my younger brother might want to keep it.
 
Maybe any English consoles and games available on Amazon Japan are sold from foreigners living here in Japan? They wouldn't be overseas sellers right?
I got a lot of English pc games and foreign books and dvds from amazon Japan. Some are shipped internationally.
 
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I'm trying to avoid buying an English console with games online and having them shipped from overseas, which will cost a small fortune due to the weight.

The console I mainly want is a Playstation 2, but a Playstation 4 with the software set to the English language is OK too, but I want to play classic Playstation 1 and Playstation 2 games on a Playstation 4 without using services like this: https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/can-finally-play-ps2-games-ps4-heres-3465834

Are there any Playstation gamers on here that have come across English games here in Japan?

Not sure if you're looking for a brand new one but I'm actually about to sell my european PS4. It's in good condition around 3 years old or so. I don't play games anymore (exgf kept nagging) abd only use it for Netflix. It comes with a japanese charger and the PS4 is region-free except for blu-ray but quite a few discs are region-free (and who buys overpriced blu-ray discs anyway when you can pirate movies for free)

Comes with:

Final Fantasy X & X-2 HD Remaster Limited Edition
Final Fantasy Type 0 HD
Final Fantasy VII (linked to my PSN account though)
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 4
Diablo 3 Ultimate Evil Edition
The Elder Scrolls Online (linked to my PSN account though)

Also got an old PS Vita with discontinued OLED screen (is superior to the new LCD models) and a few games (mostly JRPG)

If you buy both you can have my PSN account with trophy level 9 :p Bought some digital games for PS4 and Vita but don't remember the names off the top of my head

Private message me if interested (or anyone else for that matter)

Here you can see all the games and trophies:

https://psnprofiles.com/Great-BoBaFeTT
 
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