Slimy Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Quote Electronics stores in Japan have sold out of PlayStation 3 consoles after thousands of gamers queued for hours in the cold to buy them. Large queues meant some shoppers were turned away even before stores opened at 0700 local time (2100 GMT). The console officially went on sale on 11 November but Sony only made 100,000 machines available on launch day. Instead of opening at midnight, stores organised lotteries to decide who in the queue would get a long-awaited PS3. Line dance Outside Bic Camera's flagship Tokyo store more than 1,000 people queued for their chance to buy a PlayStation 3. Shop attendants with microphones warned impatient customers that sales would end if there were any injuries. "Standing in line today is the only way to make sure I got one," said Takayuki Sato, 30. Tomoaki Nakamura, 41, said: "I've been waiting for this day to come for so long. I'll play it all through the weekend. No time for meals." The head of Sony's game unit head, Ken Kutaragi, known as "the father of the PlayStation", expressed his gratitude to those who had waited. "I hope you will enjoy the next-generation entertainment to your heart's content," he said. The company said it would be a few days before they knew whether all retailers had sold out of all their PS3 consoles. Earlier, bloggers catalogued the numbers of people waiting outside stores. Brian Ashcraft who toured electronics stores in Tokyo for game blog Kotaku described the scene as "organised chaos". The BBC News website also received e-mail messages from those queuing outside stores. Game gear The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is being sold in two configurations. The more expensive version has a 60GB hard drive and wi-fi on board and costs, in Japan, 60,000 yen (?270). The cheaper version has a 20GB hard drive, lacks the wi-fi and will cost 49,980 yen (?222). European prices are expected to be higher than direct comparisons suggest. Both versions include a wireless controller, a Blu-ray high-definition DVD drive and a port so they can work with a high-definition display. Buying a PS3 also gives owners free access to the online PlayStation Network where they can meet and take on other gamers. Sony expects five games to be available at launch including Ridge Racer 7, Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight, Genji, and Resistance: Fall of Man. Like other next-generation consoles the PS3 offers gamers much more detailed graphics than ever before. The IBM-developed Cell chip inside the console uses seven separate processing cores which can be used to make the physics in game worlds more realistic and allow computer-controlled enemies to behave with great sophistication. "The image quality is so superb you'd almost think it's a real movie," gamer Hisafumi Funato said after trying it out at a demonstration event in downtown Tokyo. "I want one, especially if I don't have to stand in a long line." Cost crunch The PlayStation 3 was originally supposed to go on sale in early 2006 but production problems and shortages of key components forced a delay. The European launch of the console has been pushed back to March 2007. This has also meant that there are only 100,000 consoles for gamers in Japan. Sony said 400,000 will be available for the US launch on 17 November. Despite the shortages, Sony said it was confident of shipping six million PS3s by the end of March 2007. Although Sony has dominated home console gaming since the launch of the first PlayStation in 1994 its lead is under greater threat than ever before. Arch-rival Microsoft released its Xbox 360 console in November 2005. By the end of 2006 Microsoft hopes to have sold about 10 million Xbox 360s. Also due to launch in November is Nintendo's Wii console which is far cheaper than the PlayStation 3 or the Xbox 360. It goes on sale in the US on 19 November. Analysts expect Sony to lose money on every console sold for some time to come. "For all you know, it may take Sony five years to get back the money it's invested in PS3," said Mitsuhiro Osawa, analyst for Mizuho Investors Securities, "even 10 years if it doesn't watch out." BBC News Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/511461-playstation-3-sells-out-at-launch/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quick Shot Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 USA should share some of those consoles with japan :p Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/511461-playstation-3-sells-out-at-launch/#findComment-588037379 Share on other sites More sharing options...
trix Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 well with the amount that they had available this isn't suprising at all! (damn sony for having to make us wait untill next year untill we can get it :pinch:) Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/511461-playstation-3-sells-out-at-launch/#findComment-588037380 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matrix XII Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Well done Sony, with 480,000 units available for the whole world! I wonder what would have happened if they launched when they said they were in March, what would people have gotten? A Sony sticker? haha Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/511461-playstation-3-sells-out-at-launch/#findComment-588037390 Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemo Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Quick Shot said: USA should share some of those consoles with japan :p F that... You can send your console over :) Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/511461-playstation-3-sells-out-at-launch/#findComment-588037391 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inplode Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 No way they sold on 200 ! :rolleyes: ps3 launch = JOKE Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/511461-playstation-3-sells-out-at-launch/#findComment-588037394 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Lyle Global Moderator Posted November 11, 2006 Global Moderator Share Posted November 11, 2006 Inplode said: No way they sold on 200 ! :rolleyes: ps3 launch = JOKE thats nothing, there was such a shortage.. and hardcore sony fanboys, and "must have it" people are the only ones who got it.. xbox 360 sold out 3,000,000 on launch didn't they? Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/511461-playstation-3-sells-out-at-launch/#findComment-588037402 Share on other sites More sharing options...
L3thal Veteran Posted November 12, 2006 Veteran Share Posted November 12, 2006 lylesback2 said: xbox 360 sold out 3,000,000 on launch didn't they? 3 million? What? :huh: Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/511461-playstation-3-sells-out-at-launch/#findComment-588038432 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trong Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 lylesback2 said: thats nothing, there was such a shortage.. and hardcore sony fanboys, and "must have it" people are the only ones who got it.. xbox 360 sold out 3,000,000 on launch didn't they? Yeah... Didn't the Xbox 360 only ship out like 350,000 to the US at launch? EDIT: It's not like anyone didn't expect the PS3s to sell out? Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/511461-playstation-3-sells-out-at-launch/#findComment-588038444 Share on other sites More sharing options...
eilegz Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 darkside of ps3 launch http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/top/foreigner...side-214130.php Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/511461-playstation-3-sells-out-at-launch/#findComment-588038448 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+vlsi0n Subscriber¹ Posted November 12, 2006 Subscriber¹ Share Posted November 12, 2006 L3thal said: 3 million? What? :huh: :rolleyes: I'm happy people can finaly stop waiting!!! Now they will see it is time to get a 360! Okay, I'm joking.. calm down, best wishes :). Let the battles begin ;). Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/511461-playstation-3-sells-out-at-launch/#findComment-588038457 Share on other sites More sharing options...
naap51stang Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Supply & demand..........CAPITALISM at its best! :alien: Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/511461-playstation-3-sells-out-at-launch/#findComment-588038460 Share on other sites More sharing options...
devBrian Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 What a shock! Holy hell! The world as we know it has flipped its axis and chaos consumes the earth... Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/511461-playstation-3-sells-out-at-launch/#findComment-588038466 Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahfunaki Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 i didn't see this coming... Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/511461-playstation-3-sells-out-at-launch/#findComment-588038478 Share on other sites More sharing options...
I am Reid Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Can someone name a major counsle that did NOT sell out on launch? I dont think so Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/511461-playstation-3-sells-out-at-launch/#findComment-588038479 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryne Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 eilegz said: darkside of ps3 launch http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/top/foreigner...side-214130.php Thanks for that post, it was really interesting. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/511461-playstation-3-sells-out-at-launch/#findComment-588038490 Share on other sites More sharing options...
S7R1K3R Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 It was a given that this was gonna sell out considering how few consoles they had to sell. Now waiting for the marketing machine to tell investors that they are doing well since they "sold out". Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/511461-playstation-3-sells-out-at-launch/#findComment-588038497 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ambience Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 ^Same with every other console that's launched recently. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/511461-playstation-3-sells-out-at-launch/#findComment-588038616 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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