Description of the regional differences of Xbox 360 consoles

If you are thinking about buying an Xbox 360 console, you should be aware that 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.

This article describes how to find which region your Xbox 360 console was manufactured for. It also describes some of the problems that can happen if you use your Xbox 360 console in a region for which the console was not designed.

Note You cannot convert an Xbox 360 console for use in another region.

Note Xbox console accessories do not have regional encoding or region-specific requirements.

Before you buy an Xbox 360 console, you should find out which region the console was manufactured for. To find the intended region, take a look at the box. The bottom of the sticker on the side of the Xbox 360 box includes information about the region the console was manufactured for. The upper-right corner on the back of the package also indicates the television standard that the console supports (for example, NTSC, NTSC-J, or PAL). The lower-left corner of the package indicates the game region and the DVD movie playback region that the console supports.

Note If you do not know your console’s region or if you no longer have the package, contact Xbox 360 Support to determine the region that the console was manufactured for.

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.

Additional support

Please visit the following Web site for information about how to contact Xbox Customer Support: