I’m currently living in Ireland. I haven’t decided yet on whether I’m staying here permanently or will return to the US. I’m flying into Boston tomorrow, and plan on buying an Xbox 360 and bringing it back with me to Ireland.
My question is: Will I definitely need a step-down transformer for using it in Europe, if so, what should I be looking for specs-wise in getting a transformer, and will it pose a problem running for hours at a time off the transformer, assuming adequate ventilation/cooling procedures are followed? I said one question - I didn’t say it was a short question:p
If I don’t have a chance to check in here again before my flight, thanks in advance for any helpful info. I’ve done the usual Google searches, but I’d rather see what (knowledgeable) Dopers have to say on the issue.
ETA: If this question belongs in GQ instead, I’d be grateful for a mod moving it over.
As far as I know you’ll just need an actual outlet converter
Most plugs that use a transformer (that big ol’ clunker half-way between the outlet and your xbox) use that to step-up/down the power anyway, so it should automatically do it regardless of the wattage coming in, you’d just need a way to actually convert the wall socket plug.
Mind you, this is info I found when I moved to Japan, which is a completely different story in a lot of aspects (US runs on 110 volts and Japan is reasonably similar at 100volts, whereas Europe runs on something like 240 I think). But I’m pretty sure that it’ll do it automatically and transformers are only needed for things that don’t have them automatically built in (like a toaster oven or a fan or something)
That said, good on you for getting an x360. I love mine and the games coming out this month and really all the way through the end of the year are looking to be excellent
I appreciate the response, man. I’m inclined to agree with your appraisal, as I work in a small computer shop where just about every day I get American tourists looking to plug in their laptops, and I walk them through the whole “check-your-power-adapter’s-voltage-range-listing”, which is invariably 110v-240v. My boss (the owner) also thinks that I’m getting my panties in a wad for no good reason, but I’ve been spooked by some online comments to the effect of “OMG!! The Xbox 360 uses more power than the the TVA puts out in a year! You need a cold fusion, 2-kilowatt transformer or your Xbox 360 will explode into eleventy billion pieces!!11!1”.
I will keep a close eye on the voltage ratings. As a side question, do you (or anyone else) know if you can plug a European power adapter into a North American console? Because that would just take care of the whole thing quite nicely.
ok I just did some quick research (thanks google) and it turns out you do need a power adapter. One guy said he used his american console in israel for awhile but it eventually shorted out. Also you cannot use a Euro x360 cable on a US x360. A converter shouldn’t cost you more than $30 though.
Thanks again for your help. I’m assuming that you don’t work for Microsoft, so please allow me to say that this situation,
seems completely fucking retarded to me. It has, ultimately, DC input, right? So why the hell would they make the different versions have different DC inputs? Aaargh!
It’s worth noting that a lot of Xbox 360 games are region locked. This is aside from the NTSC/PAL differences. It means that a PAL 360 will be unable to play a 360 game purchased in an NTSC country, and vice versa. Not all games are like this, but a significant number are.