New Sony Aibo ERS-1000: Buying in Japan or in US for usage in Europe?

[Dominic C.]

Hi all,
I am looking to buy a new ERS-1000 and looking for advise. My wife is Japanese and we have 2 kids. We live in Belgium and at home we speak both English and Japanese. I will visit both Japan and US in person this year and I am wondering if I am better off buying the Aibo ERS-1000 in Japan or in the US for usage in Europe? I already read guides pointing at differences for used models from Japan and difficulties to activate outside Japan, but in our case my wife's family lives in Japan and we could easily purchase one and activate it together while on a trip in Japan I think? Outside of the price differences, are there any reasons you would suggest an option over the other? Also, can the ERS-1000 be setup to understand multiple languages or is it only English OR Japanese? Would be happy if someone cna point me to an existing FAQ or guide countaining some of those answers

Thank you very much!

 

[Chris]

Hi all,
I am looking to buy a new ERS-1000 and looking for advise. My wife is Japanese and we have 2 kids. We live in Belgium and at home we speak both English and Japanese. I will visit both Japan and US in person this year and I am wondering if I am better off buying the Aibo ERS-1000 in Japan or in the US for usage in Europe? I already read guides pointing at differences for used models from Japan and difficulties to activate outside Japan, but in our case my wife's family lives in Japan and we could easily purchase one and activate it together while on a trip in Japan I think?

Welcome Dominic. If you have family in Japan it’s probably easier going with a Japanese Aibo. That way if you ever needed repairs it would be easy to send to your family members who could facilitate this process locally. You would also get to choose more colour options such as the new Kinako colour.

If you have never experienced Aibo in person while travelling to Japan I would also visit Lovot, it might be a more child friendly option. Aibo is quite delicate and unsure about its suitability for young children.

Outside of the price differences, are there any reasons you would suggest an option over the other?

The only reason the US version might be better is that it comes with the premium plan dances for free. Otherwise if you purchase from Japan the premium plan dances come seperate for a slight additional cost.

Also, can the ERS-1000 be setup to understand multiple languages or is it only English OR Japanese? Would be happy if someone cna point me to an existing FAQ or guide countaining some of those answers

Thank you very much!

Currently Aibo from Japan can only understand Japanese or English. I’m unsure if US Aibo can understand Japanese. I’ll look into this and get back to you if I find any information on this.

These existing Aibo FAQ guides are a good resource to investigate:

ERS-1000 Aibo Frequently Asked Questions | Virtual Paws

Get answers to your questions about the ERS-1000 aibo here!

virtual-paws.com

USA vs Japanese ERS-1000 | Virtual Paws

If you're tempted to purchase a used Japanese aibo to save some money, read this first. There may be things you'll miss out on!

virtual-paws.com

Importing Guide | Virtual Paws

Importing things from Japan can be super intimidating. It really isn't that hard - let me walk you through it step by step!

virtual-paws.com