240v Gaming Consoles (mostly PAL, I'd say) in U.S./Canada

[Deleted User]

What's the easiest method to get a PAL-voltage console to run in a country where they use like 120v?

I've looked into it, I saw adapters and whatnot, but they feel they'd take too much space unnecessarily.

Here's a map:

 

[izy]

depends on the console most are multivoltage

like the ps2 fat and below are not and need a stepdown converter if its an internal psu

if its external you can get an alternate power brick for your region

ps3 is multivoltage even if it doesnt state and everything above should be also

 

[Taleweaver]

I've looked into it, I saw adapters and whatnot, but they feel they'd take too much space unnecessarily.

It seems to me that you've answered your own question.

From memory : ohm's law states U=RxI... So if the voltage(U) is roughly half of what is designed for (Europe has 230 volt standard) and the resistance (R) being the same - the console - then the current roughly doubles. Which could fry your console.
I can't say much about multivoltage, but I wouldn't take a chance and go with a converter in between. 'too much space' sounds like a silly excuse for the safety of your device (or for you, for that matter)

 

[FAST6191]

3 main things to consider, sometimes also earthing if you live in a place that does not necessarily always use it (or depending upon the age of your household wiring may not have it).

Input Voltage

Frequency

Output voltage

Put 120V on a device designed for 240 and not a great deal will likely happen, though it will also not likely work (in the simplest case scenario with straight transformers you get half the output voltage and go from there, in the best something more might happen but it will be variable as little regulators do their very best to keep up). As mentioned though it is usually easy enough with modern electronics to have things take either input

Frequency has two main issues.
Most 120V regions also use 60Hz frequency, which is easier on electronics than 50Hz (see duty cycle if you want more there) but in some scenarios means less power gets delivered (usually though it is the opposite and things designed for 60 get run on 50Hz and get overdriven).
Some devices will use or match the input frequency for various purposes, the Amiga's "tick pulse" being the most notable here but audio equipment also comes into play if you are heading down that path (particularly with some record players and tape players).

Output voltage. Owing to the way semiconductors work there is a reason most things you will have seen up to a few years ago will have used 12V, 5V (aka TTL) and 3.3V which is also what most game consoles (and PC power supplies) operate under.
To that end it is often possible to fabricate a new supply from a PC power supply, or even get a nice plug in adapter, or get an adapter for the region you want and plug that in. Sometimes people will also make replacements for consoles that have internal supplies.

If you are going to go single shot then you will want a step up supply to turn 120V into 240V. Cheaper ones (which is to say honking great transformers wired 2:1) there will only do 60Hz output, frequency matching gets far more annoying with 3 main options
1) VFD. Modern power electronics means you can generate arbitrary signals of pretty much any frequency. Variable Frequency Drives then get used to make these, though not being sine waves most of the time it can make things more tricky unless you start doing smoothing and whatever else on top.
2) Rotary phase convertor. Silly expensive and inefficient, also used more to generate three phase power than simple higher voltages of given frequency. In essence they are a motor attached to a generator that has the required voltage.
3) Poor man's inverter. Uninterruptible power supplies often have their batteries break and get sold on for next to nothing (or used to, today people doing solar installs like them). Wire in a simple replacement supply (usually 12 or 24V DC to match the old batteries) and they will output a lovely sine wave (they tend to have to be sine wave as putting square or something nasty onto an expensive server tends not to make you friends with the people responsible for them) at whatever voltage (presumably 240V in this case as you sourced one from a 240V-50Hz location). Be aware there are multiple types of UPS that do different things with regards to isolation and matching phase of the mains input.

It should be noted many North American household power supplies have three phase in and thus you can generate 240V by splitting the phases (tumble driers and the like often requiring such things in conventional domestic setups, and some house workshops also wanting them). If you know what you are doing here then so it goes. It is rare.

Short version. Seek a local replacement or a drop in replacement if you can. If you have to adapt check you don't need frequency matching (again mostly just the Amiga, which has workarounds) and either get a step up inverter or possibly consider splitting the phase to make a 240V out for your game console rather than a drill or tumble drier like most people will know it for.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

Depends on the console, as mentioned.

The NES, N64, GC, Wii, Wii U and Switch should all work fine with a US AC adapter, since they use external power bricks. The SNES, however, will need a stepdown converter.

For Sega, the Master System and the Mega Drive (along with it's various addons) should work also work fine with a US AC adapter. The Saturn and Dreamcast, however, will need a stepdown converter.

For Sony, the PSOne (the slim one, NOT the original), most of the Slim PS2s (the newest model that has no PSU will not work) and all models of PS3/PS4 will work. The OG PS1, phatty PS2, and latest Slim PS2 all will require a stepdown converter.

For Microsoft, the Xbox 360 and Xbone should work fine but you will need to buy a US power brick for them. The OG Xbox, however, does not work and will require a stepdown converter (I think you can also swap the PSU, if you wanted to, but that might be more hassle than it's worth depending on how good at DIY you are).