Questions for you DS Importers.

[Kevman]

I was Recently looking into buying some DS Systems/Games from Japan but have a few questions before I invest.

First off is the Enamel Blue DS Lite which is absolutely gorgeous, and it will replace my fugly Polar White DS Lite (I hate White Consoles). I am kind of skeptical though about buying this due to compatibility. Obviosly the charger won't be any good without some kind of step-down convertor which I don't want to shell out the money for. I can use the American DS charger though right, or will I have to use a convertor of some sort?

Secondly will a Japanese DS connect to a American Wii? I know I don't want to miss out on the DS Dowloads via Nintendo Channel or DS compatible games so if this is the case I might not get one.

Then there is the issue with language barriers. I hate most RPG's and know there text heavy so I don't plan to buy any but I do have concern for the game I do plan to get. Which are...

Jump Ultimate Stars
Daigasso! Band Brothers DX
Ouendan
Rhythm Tengoku Gold
and few others that don't come to mind.

If these are very text heavy please warn me before I dish out $50 for a game I can't play.

Lastly is compatibility with GBA games. I know the DS has no region protection but I'm unsure of the GBA. I would like to play my American GBA games along with imports like Rhythm Tengoku.

Thanks in advance.

~Kevman

EDIT IF YOU HAVE SOME SUGGESTIONS I WOULD BE HAPPY TO HEAR THEM.

[moses155]

all nintendo hanhelds are region free and any ds in any region are the same so any game will work on it

[Doctor Fugue]

There shouldn't be a problem with electric current. Plus or minus 10 volts is perfectly fine and you won't need a step-down convertor or anything. I would just use the same charger that you get with it. (You are in the States, right? Europe would be a different matter)

I don't know about connecting a JP DS to a US Wii. Hmmm...it should work?

Language barrier: I have both Ouendan games and they are perfectly easy to play without knowing any Japanese. You will miss out on the story sequences...but there are translations, the pictures speak for themselves generally and they do not affect gameplay. I might mention here that the Ouendan games are by far my favourite DS games; both are excellent.

I also have Jump Ultimate Stars. You will need more Japanese for this. There is quite a bit of menus and text; especially when it tells you the level requirements for passing...you must be able to read it to find out exactly how to pass the level. But, there is a translation at gamefaqs...you just need to have it handy all the time. I was actually really looking forward to this game, but I realize now it is not exactly what I wanted. There's a million pounds of content and stuff to do, but I just didn't get excited by it.

I also have Animal Crossing from Japan; don't bother with that unless you are fluent.

If you are only getting a JP DS for the colour, you might want to wait and see if it comes to the States. I really like the red one that is out now. As the above poster said, there is no region-locking so there isn't really any other reason to get one.

[gradualmeltdown]

The DS is physically exactly the same worldwide. The AC adapters come in 2 flavors 100v-120v and 220v-240v. 100v-120 is for US and Japan while 220-240 is for UK and Europe. All DS hardware is the same, just different AC charger included in each region. Short answer, you could use your US adapter and the one that comes with it will be exactly the same.

Wi-fi will work fine. I have a Japanese DS fat and a US DSlite. Mario Kart works just fine if you use the same region carts. Cross region doesn't work. This makes me believe if you have a American Wii it will have no idea how to tell what kind of DS you have

Jump Ultimate Stars and Daigasso! Band Brothers DX require a lot of text. Kind of borderline. Ouendan, Bleach, Taiko DS are all nice.

[Ivo]

A note on wall chargers - for DSs, I wouldn't worry about it. You can get a USB charging cable that is very small and portable for less than 5 bucks. It works about as well as the wall charger I'd say (I personally don't notice significant delay), but it's easier to carry with you and will work anywhere you have a USB port.

Ivo.

[Mr. Stripe]

Rhythm Tengoku Gold

I just wanted to say that I'm very excited for this game. The one for GBA was super great!