Great news for import gamers and fans of obscure titles in the West. It has been revealed that Amazon Japan is now shipping video games internationally, making the process more convenient for some and cheaper for just about everyone.
Amazon Japan has long shipped books, movies and even music outside the country, so the absence of video games was always strange. Regardless, the move is better late than never and is a welcome change to those frustrated by the previous process.
Since Amazon Japan initially didn't ship video games outside of the country, this meant that importers needed to rely on third-party options like Play-Asia. As the only option for gamers hoping to get their hands on titles that would never see a Western release, this meant having to deal with issues such as reliability, long wait times and additional charges that could go as high as $10 before even considering the cost of shipping.
Now with Amazon providing the service directly, import gamers will be able to skip all the hassle and get the games directly from a first-party source. In this case, the only extra charge would come from long-distance shipping.
However, there are a few caveats that come with this change. First off is the fact that Amazon Japan is its own site independent from Amazon in the U.S. This means that you'll have to set up a new account and English Prime subscriptions don't carry over. In addition, the shipping only applies to games sold directly by Amazon itself, so third-party sellers through the web retailer don't apply.
What makes this move so advantageous for Western gamers is that Japan gets so many goodies that will never see the light of day in the West. For example, things like special edition consoles and special edition games are only released in Japan. Furthermore there are certain games that simply never make it to the West for certain reasons, such as "Dead or Alive Xtreme 3" and "God Eater 2."
Do note that not all gamers will benefit from this change. For example, Nintendo 3DS games are region-locked, so even if you were to buy a new game, you would need to purchase a Japanese 3DS along with it. If you own a PS4, Xbox One, PS Vita or PS3 then you're safe.
With all this said, there is still one thing that gamers will still need to contend with: the language barrier. The ability to play a Japan-exclusive game doesn't mean much if you can't understand it.
