Hi guys,
I got a friend to buy an XBox 360 250 GB+ Kinect bundle from US and and seriously regretting the decision Firstly, he had to pay customs duty (7K) which brought the cost close to what it would've be in in India. But that's ok. The bigger problem is the power supply which is 110v. I've been googling a lot and believe that MS will exchange the US power supply to Indian (220v) without charge! That made me very happy. However, my email to them brought a response which did not address my question on exchange but made me more anxious (full text of response given below). Some questions for the forum. I do understand that answers to these are available on the net but there is a lot of confusion so I'm requesting help:
Text of the response from XBox support centre:
Thank you for contacting online support for XBOX. I am Travis and I will be helping you today with this issue.
As I understand, you want to convert the console for use in a different region. I will be providing the needed information for this query.
Xbox 360 consoles are designed for use in specific countries or regions. This sometimes called "region locked." If you use your Xbox 360 console in a region other than where it was intended (for example, if you move to a different country or region), the console may not work as expected, or you may damage your Xbox 360 console. We recommend that you only use your Xbox 360 console in the region that the console was designed for.
We cannot convert an Xbox 360 console for use in another region.
If you use your Xbox 360 console in a region that it was not manufactured for, any of the following problems may occur:
. Games or movies may not work correctly.
. Power voltage differences may damage the Xbox 360 console. Power voltages can be different in different countries or regions. Some conversion devices adapt foreign power supplies to work with local voltages, but these devices may not work as expected. Additionally, these devices often do not work with high-power devices such as desktop computers and Xbox 360 consoles. In some cases, these devices can damage the Xbox 360 console.
Note :
If you use a power converter and the console is damaged, the console will not be covered under warranty.
. A television may not work correctly. Because television standards can be different in different countries or regions, local televisions may not function correctly with an Xbox 360 console from a different region.
Depending on the power requirements of your Xbox 360 console, the console package might have included a 203-watt power supply, a 175-watt power supply, or a 150-watt power supply. The power supplies used by the original Xbox 360 console are not compatible with the Xbox 360 S console. The Xbox 360 S console uses only a 135-watt power supply.
We do not recommend that you use any power source other than a standard alternating current (AC) power source for an Xbox 360 console. We cannot recommend any alternative power source. If you use a non-standard power supply, you can damage your console and void your warranty. You can use a non-standard power supply at your own risk.
If the steps provided did not resolve the issue, we recommend you to contact us directly through XBOX Customer Support at 1-800-4MYXBOX (1-800-469-9269) for further assistance.
If you are not from the United States please visit : Set Your Default Country or Region - Xbox.com and select your region or country. Once selected, you can scroll down and on the lower left on the web browser, click ' Contact Us ' and click on ' Call Us' to display the appropriate support contact number for your region.
If you need to reply to this e-mail, please reply 'with history' (include any previous e-mail) or reference to Service Request Number 1161584466 so we can expedite our service to you.
Thank you for visiting Xbox.com. If you should have future questions on Xbox products or services,please be sure to revisit our Web site as we are continually adding information to enhance our service.
Best Regards,
Travis
XBOX Support Services
Microsoft Xbox Support | Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, Kinect, and Games for Windows - Xbox.com
I got a friend to buy an XBox 360 250 GB+ Kinect bundle from US and and seriously regretting the decision Firstly, he had to pay customs duty (7K) which brought the cost close to what it would've be in in India. But that's ok. The bigger problem is the power supply which is 110v. I've been googling a lot and believe that MS will exchange the US power supply to Indian (220v) without charge! That made me very happy. However, my email to them brought a response which did not address my question on exchange but made me more anxious (full text of response given below). Some questions for the forum. I do understand that answers to these are available on the net but there is a lot of confusion so I'm requesting help:
- Anybody had a similar experience with XBox?
- Does Microsoft indeed exchange PS bricks without charge?
- Do you recommend that I buy a new XBOX Power supply in case MS does not oblige? There are some available on ebay for Rs. 2.5-3K.
- How abaout converters? MS email seriously discourages using the same.
- Is region locking a serious problem? Does this mean I can not buy any games in India?
Text of the response from XBox support centre:
Thank you for contacting online support for XBOX. I am Travis and I will be helping you today with this issue.
As I understand, you want to convert the console for use in a different region. I will be providing the needed information for this query.
Xbox 360 consoles are designed for use in specific countries or regions. This sometimes called "region locked." If you use your Xbox 360 console in a region other than where it was intended (for example, if you move to a different country or region), the console may not work as expected, or you may damage your Xbox 360 console. We recommend that you only use your Xbox 360 console in the region that the console was designed for.
We cannot convert an Xbox 360 console for use in another region.
If you use your Xbox 360 console in a region that it was not manufactured for, any of the following problems may occur:
. Games or movies may not work correctly.
. Power voltage differences may damage the Xbox 360 console. Power voltages can be different in different countries or regions. Some conversion devices adapt foreign power supplies to work with local voltages, but these devices may not work as expected. Additionally, these devices often do not work with high-power devices such as desktop computers and Xbox 360 consoles. In some cases, these devices can damage the Xbox 360 console.
Note :
If you use a power converter and the console is damaged, the console will not be covered under warranty.
. A television may not work correctly. Because television standards can be different in different countries or regions, local televisions may not function correctly with an Xbox 360 console from a different region.
Depending on the power requirements of your Xbox 360 console, the console package might have included a 203-watt power supply, a 175-watt power supply, or a 150-watt power supply. The power supplies used by the original Xbox 360 console are not compatible with the Xbox 360 S console. The Xbox 360 S console uses only a 135-watt power supply.
We do not recommend that you use any power source other than a standard alternating current (AC) power source for an Xbox 360 console. We cannot recommend any alternative power source. If you use a non-standard power supply, you can damage your console and void your warranty. You can use a non-standard power supply at your own risk.
If the steps provided did not resolve the issue, we recommend you to contact us directly through XBOX Customer Support at 1-800-4MYXBOX (1-800-469-9269) for further assistance.
If you are not from the United States please visit : Set Your Default Country or Region - Xbox.com and select your region or country. Once selected, you can scroll down and on the lower left on the web browser, click ' Contact Us ' and click on ' Call Us' to display the appropriate support contact number for your region.
If you need to reply to this e-mail, please reply 'with history' (include any previous e-mail) or reference to Service Request Number 1161584466 so we can expedite our service to you.
Thank you for visiting Xbox.com. If you should have future questions on Xbox products or services,please be sure to revisit our Web site as we are continually adding information to enhance our service.
Best Regards,
Travis
XBOX Support Services
Microsoft Xbox Support | Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, Kinect, and Games for Windows - Xbox.com