The reason why I'm making an X-Box 360 FAQ is to make gamers (especially for those who are interested on getting one) can have one place to refer and have their frequently asked questions, answered.

Xbox 360 Retail Configuration and Pricing





Microsoft is currently selling Xbox 360 in 3 different configurations in most country; called as Xbox 360 Elite Package, Xbox 360 Premium Package and Xbox 360 Core Package.

The differences between the packages are:

Xbox 360 Elite Package

Xbox 360 Game Console
Black Wireless Controller
Combination High-Definition Component and Standard A/V Cable
120GB Hard Drive
Ethernet Cable
Black Wired Headset
Black Colored Xbox 360 Console
Premium Chrome Finish on the DVD-Tray
HDMI Port
HDMI AV Cable
Xbox Live Silver
Xbox Live Gold 30-Day Trial

Xbox 360 Premium Package (also known as Pro Package on Asian market)

Xbox 360 Game Console
Wireless Controller
Combination High-Definition Component and Standard A/V Cable (On US and Asia console only)
HD AV Cable (D-Terminal connector) (On Japanese console only)
20GB Hard Drive
Ethernet Cable
Wired Headset
Premium Chrome Finish on the DVD-Tray
Bonus Media Remote (For limited time during launch period only)
Xbox Live Silver
Xbox Live Gold 30-Day Trial

Xbox 360 Core Package

Xbox 360 Game Console
Wired Controller
Composite A/V Cable
Xbox Live Silver

Currently Xbox 360 Premium (Asian) is selling for around RM 1400 - RM 1500 (some shop even sell as low as RM 1300) and Xbox 360 Core (Asian) is selling for around RM 1200. Japanese Xbox 360 is selling for around RM 1200 - RM 1400 (some shop sell as low as RM 900). Price for Xbox 360 Elite US version is USD 479.99 and the pricing (and release date) for Asian version is still unknown.

What are the differences between US, Japanese, and Asian console?

To make it simple, some Xbox 360 games are region coded. This means you can only play US games (NTSC/UC) games on US console (NTSC/UC). Same thing applies to Japanese and Asian console (NTSC/J). Some games are region free though, which means it can be played on console from other region.

Also take note that if you decided to purchase either US or Japanese console, you need to purchase a step-down transformer, because US and Japanese console are using 110V while our country are supplying 220V - 240V. Asia console don't need it. If you do decide to get US / Japanese unit, make sure the stepdown transformer is at least 300W.

Xbox 360 Games



Xbox 360 games that are found in Malaysia is usually either
a) US Version
b) Japanese Version
c) Asian Version

Look out for the game region before you buy. Some games are region locked, while some are region free. Games from Ubisoft are usually region free. For more information about region free games, you can refer to:

Here
Here
Here

Game Price

Games from US / Japanese are usually priced between RM 220 - RM 240, while Asian games are usually priced around RM 150 - RM 160.

Japanese and Asian games are both NTSC/J? How to differentiate?

To differentiate the game, you have to look at the games' box / packaging. Asia Region games have box art in both English and Chinese and are manufactured in Singapore while Japanese Region games have box art in Japanese / English.

Another thing is, on Japanese game you can see a CERO rating logo (equivalant to ESRB in the US) while the Asian version have none.


Japanese version. Notice the CERO rating logo on the bottom left.


Asian version.

For the games, a title from Asia seems to always work in a Japanese console, but the reverse, Japanese game on Asian console doesn't always work.

*image are taken from play-asia.com

Xbox 360 Accessories

Xbox 360 Memory Unit 64MB - USD 29.99, 512MB - USD 49.99



It allows you to save your game, your Xbox Live profile, achievement, and in-game profile and even allow you to transfer them to other 360 console. It includes a carrying case; that will fit into a keychain. Available in 64MB & 512MB version.

Xbox 360 Hard Drive 20GB- USD 99.99 , 120GB USD 179.99



It allows you to save your game, your Xbox Live profile, achievement, trailers, demos, Xbox Live Arcade, and your own music that can be used as custom soundtrack in some games. The hard drive enables you to play Backward Compatible Xbox 1 games. It comes preloaded with some bonus content, which includes Hexic HD, an Xbox Live Arcade game. 120GB HDD is included with Xbox 360 Elite and 20GB HDD is included with Xbox 360 Premium.


Xbox 360 Wired Controllers - USD 39.99

Wired controllers that comes standard with Core Package. The cable length is 9 feet. You can even download driver from Microsoft's website, and use it as PC's controller.

Xbox 360 Wireless Controllers - USD 49.99



Wireless Xbox 360 Controllers that come standard with Premium Package. It has 30 feet range, and when using Microsoft's Rechargeable Battery Pack, you can get up to 30 hours of continuous gaming.

Xbox 360 Play & Charge Kit - USD 19.99



It comes with a rechargeable battery pack. It allows you to recharge a wireless controller's battery pack while playing game at the same time. It even allows you to use the wireless controller with the battery pack removed. Play & Charge kit is available in both white & black color.

Xbox 360 Quick Charge Kit - USD 29.90



Lets you charge a battery pack in 2 hours. You can charge up to 2 battery packs at the same time. It comes with a rechargeable battery pack.

This post has been edited by mzaidi: Apr 10 2007, 01:39 PM

Xbox 360 Rechargeable Battery Pack - USD 11.99



This NiMH battery back will provide you with up to 30 hours of continuous gaming for the Wireless Controller.

Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote - USD 29.99



It lets you control your movie / music playback, TV, and Windows XP Media Center based PC. The buttons are backlight so you can see them even in the dark.

Xbox 360 Headset - USD 19.99



This is a must have accessories for those planning to get on Xbox Live. It lets you talk and listen to other gamer on Xbox Live You can use it to plan your battle tactics with your teammates, taunt your enemies, or just talk with your friends while playing. You can even use it to leave a voice message to your friends on the Xbox Live Message Service.

Xbox 360 Wireless Headset - USD 59.99



The wireless headset uses the console's built-in 2.4 GHz wireless receiver to communicate with the Xbox 360. This allows players to use the headset without an active controller from up to an estimated range of 30 ft. It runs on a rechargeable battery and has a charger included.

Xbox 360 Wireless Steering Wheel - USD 149.99



The force feedback steering wheel controller will include the standard gamepad buttons and floor-mounted accelerator and brake pedals. Featuring sleek design and cutting edge technology like dual Rumble motors and powerful Force Feedback, the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel is a masterpiece of form and function. The wheel is capable of running off the rechargable battery pack. The use of the force feedback and active resistance features will require an external AC adaptor.

Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter - USD 99.99



Don't like messy wires lying around? The wireless networking adapter enables wireless networking for your Xbox 360 console. It is compatible with 802.11 a/b/g standard.

Xbox 360 Live Vision Camera - USD 39.99 (Standard Pack) / USD 79.99 (Gold Pack)



It was announced at E3 2006. It was released on September 19, 2006 in North America.

Standard pack come bundled with:

1) Xbox Live Vision camera
2) Wired headset
3) 1 month Xbox Live Gold membership
4) 2 Xbox Live Arcade game titled Uno & TotemBall.

Gold pack come bundled with:

1) Xbox Live Vision camera
2) Wired headset
3) 12 months Xbox Live Gold membership
4) 200 MS Points
5) 3 Xbox Live Arcade game titled Uno, TotemBall, & Robotron: 2084

Xbox 360 HD-DVD Drive Add-on - USD 199.99



The external HD-DVD drive is released on 17th November 2006, and for a limited time, the HD-DVD drive will be bundled with an Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote, as well as an H- DVD copy of Peter Jackson's King Kong.

Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable - USD 39.99

This is the cable you want if your TV have support for HD. cable with Component (Y, Pr, Pb) high-definition video output, which means that you will get High-definition gaming / video output of 720p, 1080i, or 1080p.

It can also be used as composite cable for standard TV output, if your TV doesn't supports high definition.

Xbox 360 S-Video AV Cable - USD 29.99

Used for S-Video users, but it can also be used as composite cable for standard TV output. You also get Digital Optical Audio output and Stereo Audio output, which is perfect if you want to run the sound in another system. It is 8 foot in length.

Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable - USD 39.99

This cable is to be used on your monitor or HDTV with VGA input. It is a DV-15S Standard VGA Connector and it supports video outputs settings of 480p, 720p, 1080i, or 1080p. This is a cheap way for you enjoy Xbox 360 in HD resolution on your PC Monitor.

Xbox 360 Faceplates - USD 19.99



Xbox 360 faceplates that let you customize the front look of your Xbox 360 console. Matching dashboard theme can be downloaded on Xbox Live.

This post has been edited by mzaidi: Nov 10 2006, 10:16 PM

Xbox Live



Xbox Live is online multiplayer gaming and content delivery service which supports voice chat via headset and soon, video chat through the Live Vision Camera.

There are 2 Xbox Live subscription types:

Xbox Live Silver
- Available for free to all Xbox 360 owner
- Create a Gamertag
- Access to Xbox Live Marketplace
- Send and Receive Text / Voice Message
- Play game online for free on special weekend

Xbox Live Gold
- All the Silver level benefit
- Play Online Multiplayer Game
- You can download some exclusive content earlier than Silver member
- Enhanced gamer feedback
- Enhanced friend list management

You'll get Silver membership for free; and you get Xbox Live Gold 1-month trial with your Xbox 360 (Not applicable on Xbox 360 Core).

How much does Xbox Live Gold membership going to cost?

1-Month Gold Membership - USD 7.99
3-Months Gold Membership - USD 19.99
12-Months Gold Membership - USD 49.99

You can pay for the membership fees with either credit card or by purchasing Xbox Live Subscription pack. With the 12 months membership, you'll get 1-month membership free; for a total of 13 months.

Don't have credit card? You can get Ambank Prepaid Credit Card. Find out how you can get it here

Also available are Xbox Live Premium Gold Pack:

Xbox Live 3-Months Premium Gold Pack - USD 39.99
This package contains:
- 3 Months Gold Membership
- Xbox 360 Headset
- USD 10 Xbox 360 Game Rebate
- 100 Microsoft Points

Xbox Live 12-Months Premium Gold Pack - USD 69.99
This package contains:
- 12 Months Gold Membership + 1 month bonus
- Xbox 360 Headset
- USD 20 Xbox 360 Game Rebate
- 200 Microsoft Points
- Bankshot Billiards Xbox Live Arcade Game

Unfortunately you can't redeem the game rebate here in Malaysia.

Gamertag

Gamertag is the universal gamers' username on Xbox Live. Your friend can locate and message you from Live.

Reputation

A rating provided by the Xbox Live community to a Xbox Live member to indicate how he/she is perceived by other Xbox Live members.

Gamerzone

Gamerzone is an indication of an Xbox Live member style of social gaming. The Choices are:

R&R - For those who just want to hang out and play
Pro - For competitive gamer who must win at all cost
Underground - For gamer who takes an alternate approach to gaming
Family - For gamer who wants to play in a friendly family-like enviroment.

Gamercard

Gamercard summarizes a user profile on Xbox Live. It contains the following information:

- Gamertag
- Gamerscore
- Reputation
- Gamer Zone
- Location
- Motto

This is an example of a Gamercard:





Gamerscore

Each time you complete certain Achievement on your Xbox 360 games, you'll be awarded with some points that are called Gamerscore. On average, an Xbox 360 games will award you around 1000 Gamerscore; while Xbox Live Arcade game offers around 200 Gamerscore each.

All games must have 1,000 Gamerscore in the base game - the title could ship with less than 1,000 Gamerscore but anything added later must be free. Game developers also now have the option of adding an additional 250 points via downloadable content (for a total of 1,250 Gamerscore) - this content can be either free or paid. Xbox Live Arcade titles may add up to 50 points via downloadable content (for a total of 250 Gamerscore).

Xbox Live Marketplace



Xbox Live Marketplace is a place where you can download or purchase content. You can download game and movie trailers, game demos, Xbox Live Arcade games, Gamertag pictures, and Xbox 360 Dashboard's theme.



In the Live Marketplace, the currency used is called Microsoft Points (MS Points). MS Points can be obtained either using Credit Card or MS Points reload card. 1600 MS Points can be purchased at USD 20.

Xbox Live Arcade





Xbox Live Arcade is where you can download and purchase Live Arcade games. Gamers can download trial version of the games and later purchase it if they like. Each game are priced between 400 - 1200 MS Points (USD 5 - 15). Full version of Xbox Live Arcade games allows gamers to unlock Achievement, Gamerscore, Leaderboards, and bonus content. To download games from Xbox Live Arcade, you must have a Memory Unit or Hard Drive.

Backward Compatibility

With Backward Compatibility, you can play your original Xbox games on your Xbox 360. Every game will be upscaled to 720p / 1080i and Anti-Aliasing will be applied. This will make the video quality sharper and clearer than the original Xbox. But there are some things that you have to consider first:

1. You need a hard-drive. This is not a problem for those who purchased Premium Package, but for those who stuck with a Core system, you need to fork out some money to get the Hard-Drive.
2. Not every Xbox game is Backward Compatible. If you're interested to play original Xbox game on your Xbox 360, you're advised to check their compatibility list first.
3. You can't import your save data from your Xbox. There's no official way to transfer save games from your original Xbox to Xbox 360. So you have to play the games again. There are an unofficial way to transfer the save data, but I'll answer that in the FAQ section.

This post has been edited by mzaidi: Apr 10 2007, 01:41 PM

Xbox 360 FAQ:

Q1. I don't have HDTV, so will I notice any difference on Xbox 360 compared to Xbox/PS2/GC?

A1. You will notice some difference. Xbox 360 has more processing power when compared to older consoles such as Xbox/PS2/GC. Remember how you can see how PS2 has better graphic compared to PS1 (because PS2 has better processing power compared to PS1) on the same TV? Although you can play Xbox 360 on standard TV; you'll miss its full potential. A cheaper alternative is to play Xbox 360 on your PC's monitor.

____________________

Q2. I got myself an Xbox 360, and I have a TV. How to hook it up to get the best video quality?

A2. I'll list all the possible solutions you can do.

Composite
This is the cable with 3 wires in one, which splits to a white, red, and yellow colored connector. The yellow one carries the video, while white and red carried sound. This can be found on most TV now.

S-Video
Same as Composite, but instead of yellow connector; you got a round connector with smaller sticks inside. The luminance and color information are carried on separate but synchronized signal. This results in improved details and brightness. If your TV have both S-Video and Composite; use S-Video.

Component
Component cable looks just like a Composite Cable; but instead of just 1 connector for video, component cable use 3 separate connectors to carry video signal. This gives us better video quality. Component cable supports 480p, 720p, and 1080i mode, while composite and S-Video only supports 480i.

VGA
Looks like your PC monitor's connector. It lets you to connect your PC to a monitor. A monitor can easily display 720p and 1080i mode with no problem. You might want to try this as an alternative if your TV at home doesn't support HD resolutions.

In order of video quality:

1: Component (best)
2: S-Video
3: Composite (worst)

Like I said above, if your TV doesn't support HD resolution, you can try VGA on your PC monitor as an alternative. This will be explained in the next question.

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Q3. How can I play Xbox 360 on my PC's monitor?

A3. You must purchase Xbox 360's VGA HD Cable. Official cable from Microsoft is selling for around RM 120 - RM 130. You can get third party cable for around RM 50, but if your monitor doesn't have VGA in port and/or your PC speaker doesn't have RCA in port, you'll have to buy separate adapters. Microsoft's official cable does include both adapters.

Picture of official Microsoft VGA-HD cable:



These are the resolutions that you can unlock using the VGA HD cable:

640x480
848x480
1024x768
1280x720
1280x768
1280x1024
1360x768
1920x1080

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Q4. Can you put image comparison between the different video cables?

A4. Yes, here they are:


Composite Cable


Component Cable (480p Mode)


Component Cable (720p Mode)


VGA-HD Cable (1024x768)


VGA-HD Cable (1280x1024)


*image are taken from gamespot.com

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Q5. If my TV / Monitor have a 4:3 aspect ratio, will I still be able to play games at full screen?

A5. Yes, you can. The Xbox 360 is compatible with both 16:9 (widescreen) and 4:3 aspect ratio TVs / monitors. Just make sure that you set the video settings properly so the Xbox 360 knows which type of TV / monitor you have. Be warned that some games will force you to play games in widescreen mode (example, Condemned: Criminal Origins), so if you're using 4:3 aspect ratio TV / Monitor, expect to see black bars on the top & bottom of the screen. This is frequently known as Letterbox Mode.

____________________

Q6. Why does the screen look stretched with the VGA cable?

A6. This issue occurs when you configure your Xbox 360 console to display in widescreen format and the monitor or TV uses a Normal display mode with a 4:3 aspect ratio.

Configure the Xbox 360 console to display in Normal mode. To do this, follow these steps:
a. Start the Xbox 360 console without a disc in the disc tray.
b. In the System section of the Xbox Dashboard, select Console Settings.
c. In the Console Settings area, select Display.
d. In the Display Settings area, select Screen Format.
e. In the Screen Format area, select Normal, and then press the A button on the controller or on the remote control.

____________________


Q7. If I didn't subscribe to Xbox Live Gold, will I be able to download game / system updates?

A7. You can download updates without subscribing to Xbox Live Gold. All you need is an Xbox Live Silver membership, and of course, internet connection to your Xbox 360.

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Q8. I want to subscribe to Xbox Live Gold / Buy MS points but I don't have a credit card. Gameshop near my house doesn't sell Xbox Live Subscription Pack / MS Points Card. Any help?

A8. You can get Ambank Prepaid Credit card. Some former have tested the card, and you can use it to renew your Xbox Live Gold membership and purchase MS Points. Find out how here

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Q9. I'm sharing my Xbox 360 with my siblings / spouse / parents / friends / pets. Is there any way that I can manage saved games so that when I play, only my saved games show up and when my siblings / spouse / parents / friends / pets only their saved games show up?

A9. Yes you can. Just create a different Gamertag for each of you. And when you want to play, sign in into your own Gamertag (and when they play ask them to sign in into theirs). Only saved games associated with your Gamertag will show up, while saved game for other Gamertag will remain hidden.

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Q10. I thought the Hard Drive was supposed to be 20GB. Why I'm only seeing 12GB?

A10. There are some preloaded contents (Trailers, Music, Pictures, and Arcade Game) on the Hard Drive. If you delete the preloaded contents, you can gain around 1GB of free space for a total of 13GB. The total capacity of the Xbox 360 Hard Drive is 20 GB. Of this amount, approximately 7 GB is reserved for system use. Approximately 4 GB of that portion is reserved for game title caching and other hard drive-specific elements in games that support the hard drive, and an additional 2 GB is reserved for use by the Xbox 360 backwards-compatibility software. This leaves you with almost 14 GB of free space, rounded down to 13 GB in the Dashboard, to save game files, downloadable content and music, and other media.

____________________

Q11. Can 2 or more gamers with the same game title but different region coding play on Xbox Live together?

A11. Yes, you can.

____________________

Q12. Can we play Xbox games using Xbox 360 console on Xbox Live competing with other gamers who still playing their Xbox game on their original Xbox?

A12. Yes, you can.

____________________

Q13. I'm using wireless controller, how can I check how much battery power I have left?

A13. Press the Xbox "Guide" button, the battery life indicator will appear on the top left of the screen.

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Q14. Why does the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion loads slowly on the Xbox 360?

A14. Oblivion uses the Xbox 360 hard drive extensively to cache game data. This is done to optimize all loading the game does. It has been found in rare cases on some Xbox 360s that the cached data can get overly fragmented. This exhibits itself by the game taking a long time to load anything from menus, dialogue, sounds, objects, levels, and more.

To solve this problem, reset your Xbox, and hold down the A button as the game is booting up. If any button is held while Oblivion is loading, it will clear its hard drive cache, and create a new one.

Once you see the "Bethesda Softworks" logo video, the game is already loaded, and the cache should have been cleared.

Note, this does not effect your game in any way other than loading. You will not lose any saved data.

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Q15. How do I change my Xbox 360 Dashboard theme?

A15. To use a theme, follow these steps:
1. Turn on the Xbox 360 console, and then sign in to your profile.
2. Press the Xbox Guide button on your Xbox 360 Controller or remote control.
3. Select Options, and then select Themes.
4. Select one of the default themes, or customize your own theme.
When you customize your own theme, you can customize the Dashboard trim or guide background.

When you customize the Xbox Guide background, you can modify the Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) color attributes to create the exact color that you want.

You can also use a custom image as a background.

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Q16. Why does my console freeze sometimes?

A16. This could be due to a number of factors including: poor ventilation of the console, or issues with the specific disc (e.g. its dirty etc). See the knowledge base article below for how to troubleshoot this problem: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907586

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Q17. What do I do if I get 3 flashing red lights on my Xbox 360 console?

A17. See the article below: Xbox 360: Three red lights flash on the Ring of Light

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Q18. Why do I see an unclear display or graphical or polygon issues with some games?

A18. This could be due to a settings issue with your TV setup. Use the article below to troubleshoot this issue: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911151

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Q19. My console doesn't seem to power on. What can I do?

A19. Use the article below to troubleshoot this issue: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907588

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Q20. Any *ahem* games available for Xbox 360?

A20. Buy original!

More FAQs will be added later

This post has been edited by mzaidi: Nov 10 2006, 10:08 PM

Very nice Guide! This deserves a Sticky Great job dude and I just want to add-on something

I believe many normal TVs nowadays also have the ability to support Component and S-Video input. My Philips 21" TV from 2002 supports Component and I am using that right now. So first thing is to check if your TV supports Component. If it does, use that. It's WAY better than Composite input. If it doesn't have Component, see if it has S-Video. Then if you want you can buy the S-Video cable and use that. Difference between Component and S-Video is not huge, but compared to Composite it is. So it goes like this:

1. Component (Best)
2. S-Video
3. Composite (Worst)

maybe i suggest a little correction?

The power supply voltage, its V (volts) not W (watts) and our country is 240V... and the stepdown is recommended to at least 300W.

Added



Corrected W to V. Our country is 240V? But from this link, and this link it's stated as 220V.

let just said our country supports 220v - 240v

This post has been edited by DjiNn: Jul 14 2006, 03:01 PM

Added.

Thanks for mzaidi for creating this useful faq!

this is really good,deserves a sticky...hmm,too me i think VGA looks better than component,component might look a little too sharp.

Hopefully this will keep the noobs away from asking the same questions over and over again.

can put picture how does RCA,component etc etc looks like?

Yah, hopefully. That's one of the reason I wrote this guide / faq.



Image comparision added. I can't find image for S-Video cable; I'll probably add it in the future.

Don't have a 360 yet- planning to steal one soon!

Just 1 Question - if you have a plasma/LCD with RGB connector, which gives better quality (component or RGB)? or no difference?

of course component,but if u have a plasma with a VGA input,i reccomend u use that as it is not too sharp but still very neat,on my personal lcd i use component on the plasma i use VGA.

Include a link to the Ambank Card thread for people who wants to get points but don't have a CC and don't want to hunt for the Prepaid cards.

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=311648

mzaidi , thank you very much for posting this FAQ , yeah...i know it's posted in other threads but too much to read plus it confuses me a lot....the whole guide in a thread made me understand a lot ....thanks bro

Btw , what does NTSC means ? and why Japan and Asian has the same NTSC which is NTSC / J ?

This post has been edited by nshady: Jul 16 2006, 03:48 PM

Yes, both are NTSC/J. To differentiate between Asian and Japanese games, you have to look at the games' box / packaging. Asia Region games have box art in both English and Chinese and are manufactured in Singapore while Japanese Region games have box art in Japanese / English.

Another thing is, on Japanese game you can see a CERO rating logo (equivalant to ESRB in the US) while the Asian version have none.


Japanese version. Notice the CERO rating logo on the bottom left.


Asian version.



Answer from Wikipedia:



I'm going to add this to the FAQ.

This post has been edited by mzaidi: Jul 16 2006, 04:26 PM

is the D-terminal is as same as DVI-D?

Nope.


D-Terminal Connector


DVI Connector