[Image via Sankei News

Kotaku East East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am. Prev Next View All

Today, the PlayStation VR went on sale. Earlier this summer when pre-orders got underway in Japan, folks lined up. And today? Those without them did exactly the same thing.




Japanese retailers only got a limited number of units for those who didn’t pre-order, so at many large shops, people actually had to line up for a chance to buy one. They would get a number, and people would then be selected at random for that opportunity.

Here are winning numbers at the Sofmap store in Tokyo’s Akihabara.


Just how long did the lines get? According to Sankei News, for example, around 180 people lined up at the Yodobashi Camera in Osaka to buy the PlayStation VR. This is even more impressive considering that the headset was available for pre-order on a couple different occasions, with people seeming to line up each time.

Inside Games reports that at the Yodobashi Camera in Shinjuku, around 70 people were in line by 5am, and the store cut off sales for the day, because it didn’t have anymore stock.

This morning, Famitsu took this photo at the Bic Camera in Tokyo’s Yurakucho:




Sellouts seem to be common at numerous shops. The sign at the Yodobashi Camera in Tokyo’s Akihabara, for example, sales the PlayStation VR has sold out.




As does this one in Yokohama.


Long lines appear common in the metropolitan areas. Below are more photos of the Tokyo and Osaka launches:







In case you missed it, you can read Kotaku’s PlayStation VR review right here. You don’t even need to stand in line to do so!

Advertisement