Everybody wants to get their hands on the best next-gen consoles that the gaming industry could offer now, like Sony's PlayStation 5. Unfortunately, in Japan, Sony's very own home country, fans still have a hard time purchasing one of the long-awaited consoles.
As Kotaku reported, full-scale chaos erupted at the Yodobashi Camera electrics megastore in Akihabara after a vast shipment of PS5 restocks arrived. As the video below reveals, people pushed and shoved each other to the point where cash registers and staff went to save themselves.
"I've never seen that kind of insanity in japan before," Dave Gibson, Tokyo-based lead UI/UX designer of Pokemon, tweets.
To make the matter even worse, the Japanese authority has declared a state of emergency following the resurging number of COVID-19 outbreaks in the country, with Tokyo being the city with the highest number of cases.
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What Did Go Wrong?
Up to this writing, several retailers require a black credit card to purchase a PS5 in the country to avoid third-party purchasers that could potentially ruin the market price by reselling the console at an extremely high price.
The store's region, Akibahara, is only one of two Yodobashi Camera stores in the city that does not require such provision, hence the riot. Police were called to the scene, and the sale was canceled.
Sony seems to have a rocky relationship with players from Japan. Many experts and fans accused the tech giant of prioritizing the West over the Japanese market. The US and Canada market has seen more PS5 restocks than its own home turf. Sony's decision to move PlayStation HQ to California in 2016 also added more fuel to the fire.
However, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan vehemently denies the reports as inaccurate and reassures Japan's instrumental role in promoting the PlayStation 5 to what it is today.
"The Sony stance is that the Japanese market remains incredibly important to us. We have not been as excited about the engagement of the Japanese game development community as we are now for many years," says Ryan, as reported by Essentially Sports.
When Will Sony Restock PS5?
This is a question that almost nobody has an answer to.
Like Amazon UK, several retailers have quietly added more stocks of PS5 and sold out in a matter of minutes earlier this month. Others, including Walmart, GameStop, Argos, and Target, have also sold out their remaining stocks.
However, reliable leaker @Ps5Instant revealed on Twitter that Sony is gearing up to ship over three million units of PS5s worldwide until April. Although it's still unconfirmed information, the Twitter account has amassed over 62,3k followers, so here's hoping.
