Playstation 2 import news

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PlayStation2 import news centre

09/04/00

Our PS2 stocks are all 1st generation

Our PS2s are all first generation (for the time being) which means you can watch ANY DVD and record the DVD to VHS tape!!!

06/04/00

New games available

The games just keep on coming! Kessen, Dead or Alive II, Tekken Tag Tournament, & Driving Emotion have now joined Sony's formidable line-up.

20/03/00

PS2 shortages fade out

After the initial shortage of PS2's, stocks are no longer in short supply. We can happily fulfil any size order as of today.

17/03/00

PS2 plays region 1 (USA) and region 2 (Japan & Europe) DVDs.

We all believed it was possible to play region 2 (Europe) DVDs on PS2. Well, it is actually possible to play region 1's (USA) also! Please refer to our import faq for further details.

14/03/00

PS2 is finally here, but stocks are fairly limited

We are finally due to take delivery of our first shipment of PS2 within the next few days. However stocks will be very limited and we will do our best to keep you up to date on the situation. If you have registered, you will be given priority on our waiting lists. We have heard reports of many PS2's selling for £850 to £1000 in various retailers outlets and web auctions. We hope you will find us to be one of the most competitively priced retailers of PS2. Please click here to place your order.

06/03/00

Sony sells 980,000 PlayStation 2 consoles in two days

An unsurprisingly chuffed Sony this morning announced it sold 980,000 PlayStation 2s in Japan over the weekend - just 20,000 units shy of its one million-machine target.

What's 20,000 units among friends? Quite a lot really, especially when a good proportion of the total number of machines sold hasn't actually shipped yet.

Sony was forced to admit that while it took 380,000 orders over the Net, only 120,000 customers - less than one third of the total -received their console. The reason: we're ten days behind schedule on production, Sony confessed to Reuters, thanks to a shortage of memory cards.

Still, like movie opening weekend numbers, the initial sales of the PlayStation 2 are less important than the console's performance over the coming months. Sony is now predicting it will have shipped 1.4 million PlayStation 2s by the end of March, down on its original prediction of 1.5 million. Given the high level of as yet unfulfilled orders, Sony is going to have to work very hard to catch up.

However, Sony presumably believes it is still on course to ship six million consoles between the start of April and the end of the year.

03/03/00

Japanese government places export controls on PlayStation 2.

The Japanese government has declared any attempt to export Sony's PlayStation 2 - due to go on sale in Japan on Saturday - illegal.

Well, OK, we exaggerate a little. Japan's Department of Trade and Commerce (DTC) hasn't banned exporting the eagerly anticipated console per se, but last year the Japanese government passed the International Foreign Exchange and Trade Law. This statute, according to the Nikkei newswire, forces anyone who wants to ship strong encryption technology out of Japan must obtain permission from the DTC first.

And, thanks to its support for Sony's MagicGate copyright protection technology, the PlayStation 2 ships with strong encryption. So anyone expecting to ship consoles to US and Europe ahead of the official launch dates is going to have a tough time doing so.

That said, it's not clear whether the law applies solely to the commercial exportation of the consoles, or takes in attempts by individuals to buy a PlayStation 2 from a Japanese supplier.

Equally, we're unsure whether each exporter requires permission from the DTC or whether all it takes is for the government to say 'yes' to PlayStation exports as a whole. If the latter, then any one exporter can make the application and once granted it and others can start shipping consoles.

But don't expect Sony's blessing -- it's unlikely to want to promote exports. Console vendors in the past have always frowned on such cross-territory trade.

Indeed, it's notable that Sony's official PlayStation Web site contains a warning that exporters need DTC permission, so it clearly is out to hinder anyone who wants to get a console out of Japan.

This said, we remain confident we will be able to ship stock by mid-March.

The waiting begins in Japan...

01/03/00

No confirmation yet on pricing and availability

Otherland Toys regretably finds itself unable to confirm pricing and availabilty for Japanese PS2. We are constantly monitoring supplies and export controls from Japan regarding PS2. Unlike other vendors, we will not ask for any deposits or take any orders until we have firm details on pricing and delivery. In the meantime, please register here to be placed on our waiting list. More information coming soon.

14/02//00

Otherland Toys to supply Playstation2 videogame consoles and software direct from Japan

We aim to cater for the videogame enthusiast with an interest in the latest imported Japanese and US videogames.

The Japanese launch of the Playstation2 is scheduled for March 4th 2000. We expect to receive our first shipments of hardware and software from Japan within the launch week.

Demand for PS2 will be overwhelming in Japan. Inevitably this means that we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet all orders immediately.

We will prioritise the shipping of orders based on when you registered your interest. At this stage, registration is free and does not carry any obligation. As of Feb 13th, 376 people have already registered, so dont delay!

Please take your time to read our import PS2 faq here. If you would like to take a look at Sony's press releases on PS2, please click here.

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