Chaos as Japan gets their PS3's.

[Libertine]

Queues around the block as Playstation 3 hits stores in Japan | the Daily Mail

Queues around the block as Playstation 3 hits stores in Japan

Last updated at 13:40pm on 11th November 2006

Sony's PlayStation 3 made its highly anticipated debut in Japan to long lines on Saturday, with local stores selling out their supplies of the video game console in a pattern that's expected to be repeated around the world.

Throngs of people lined up for hours around Bic Camera, an electronics retailer in downtown Tokyo, to get their hands on one of the consoles.

The enthusiasm was so great, clerks with megaphones asked the crowd to stop pushing, warning that all 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, among the buyers who queued up at Bic Camera, snaking around the building in a complete circle.

But would-be buyers were turned away even before the store opened at 7 a.m.

The retailer refused to say how many machines it had, but a spokeswoman speaking on condition of anonymity per company policy said the store had wrapped up sales of its entire supply by 1 p.m.

Short supplies were reported elsewhere, too.

Sanae Saito, a clerk at Yodobashi Camera Co. chain, said her store's stock had already sold out Saturday morning, although she declined to say how many machines were available.

"It's all sold out with the people in line now," she said. "So many people waited in line."

Plagued with production problems, Sony Corp. has managed to ready only 100,000 PlayStation 3 machines in time for its debut in Japan.

When it goes on sale in the United States on Nov. 17, some 400,000 PS3 consoles will be available there.

The console's European launch has been pushed back until March.

It was not immediately clear whether the console sold out at all retailers, and Sony said that information would not be available for several days.

Ken Kutaragi, the head of Sony's game unit known as the "father of the PlayStation," said he was thrilled by the reception to the PS3.

"I am so happy so many people are waiting," he said in an informal countdown ceremony at Bic Camera.

"Thank you for waiting from late last night. Please enjoy next-generation entertainment."

Powered by the new "Cell" computer chip and supported by the next-generation Blu-ray video disc format, the console delivers nearly movie-like graphics and a realistic gaming experience.

Sony will be losing money for a some time on each PS3 sold because of the high costs for research and production that went into the highly sophisticated machine.

Game makers, including Sony, must recoup the exorbitant development costs for the machines by selling software, and programming the PS3's cutting-edge hardware is an expensive and time-consuming task.

Only five games were on sale for the PS3's Japan launch date.

Sony expects to lose $1.7 billion in its gaming division in the fiscal year through March 2007.

The red ink is coming at a time when the Japanese electronics and entertainment company, known for the Walkman portable audio player and "Spider-Man" movies, is struggling to stage a comeback.

In recent years, Sony has fallen behind in key products like flat-panel TVs and digital music players.

But it has been making progress with a two-year revival by getting back to basics in its consumer electronics operations.

But a major fumble in its PS3 business could prove a huge blow at a time when it's seeing its brand image badly tarnished by a massive global recall of lithium-ion batteries for laptops.

In an unprecedented move, Sony slashed the price for the cheaper PS3 model in Japan ahead of its launch by 20 percent to about $420 in what some critics have scorned as a desperate effort to maintain market share in the face of intense competition with Nintendo Co.'s Wii console and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360.

Wii goes on sale Nov. 19 in the U.S. and Dec. 2 in Japan. The Xbox 360 has had a year start.

Prices vary by retailer, but the more expensive model, with a 60-gigabyte drive, sells in Japan for about $510.

"It's a bit expensive, but I really wanted it," said Hirotoshi Iwadate, a 23-year-old hospital worker, clutching a big bag with his new PS3 after standing in line since 10 p.m. Friday.

"I came here straight from work."

Tatsuya Mizuno, analyst for Fitch Ratings in Tokyo, believes it will be hard for Sony to maintain the 70 percent market share domination it has built with previous PlayStation consoles, and Sony will likely lose some of that market to rivals, especially Nintendo.

Sony has sold more than 200 million PlayStation series machines over the years.

The PS3 was initially promised for worldwide sales for spring this year but was postponed in March to November. In September, the European sales date was delayed by another four months.

Although Sony is sticking to its plan to ship 6 million PS3 machines worldwide by the end of March next year, Mitsuhiro Osawa, analyst for Mizuho Investors Securities Co., thinks Sony may fall short of that target. "There may not be enough machines to go around, and people will buy Wii and Xbox," Osawa said. "For all you know, it may take Sony five years to get back the money it's invested in PS3, even 10 years if it doesn't watch out." Others were more upbeat. Kazuharu Miura, analyst with Daiwa Institute of Research, said the initial losses weren't surprising and the PS3 business was likely to produce solid profits for Sony by 2008, even if the machine's market share may slide to as low as 60 percent. "Success of a game machine doesn't depend on market share but on whether it can get a return on its investment," he said.

[Marvin Wong]

Wow, that's crazy!!! What would it do in the US?

[.Freed.]

People will be injured maybe severely, you know us Americans have no patience whatsoever and will do anything to get our hands on something we want. But Im not getting a ps3 till next year.

[Negative Creep]

Originally Posted by Marvin Wong

Wow, that's crazy!!! What would it do in the US?

Probably the same thing that happened in Japan, I'll bet. There will be douches that will maim people that are waiting in line just to get their PS3, and actions like that, I will never fully understand.

I'm half tempted to wait out in line with my brother to get a PS3, and then sell it back over eBay for three or four times the amount it normally retails for... that kind of cash would buy me a crapload of new Xbox 360 games over the next several months... or it'd pay for a month's worth of my home mortgage... or it'd pay for a vacation...

... but I seriously doubt I'd maim someone to get a PS3... unless of course, they tried maiming me first.

[Sparkplug1990]

Originally Posted by Marvin Wong

Wow, that's crazy!!! What would it do in the US?

I have to totally agree, that is crazy!

[Mael]

Anyone remember the Elmo Incident? Moms crushing other moms in line just to get thier hands on the Tickle-Me Elmo doll. Same thing is going to happen with the PS3 release. Even though I couldn't get a PS3 atleast I can watch people get hurt. I should get a lawn chair and a lunch and sit across the parking lot at BestBuy and watch the carnage........muhahaha.

[Cylon]

Originally Posted by Mael

Anyone remember the Elmo Incident? Moms crushing other moms in line just to get thier hands on the Tickle-Me Elmo doll. Same thing is going to happen with the PS3 release. Even though I couldn't get a PS3 atleast I can watch people get hurt. I should get a lawn chair and a lunch and sit across the parking lot at BestBuy and watch the carnage........muhahaha.

Yea I remember that....It's quite sad what people will do in order to get a materialistic item, such as an elmo doll or the PS3. I wasn't planning on getting a PS3 at launch anyway, simply because I don't feel like fighting with people (And the price obviously plays a big part as well). I just don't understand how someone could possibly want something trivial so bad, that they will put another person's safety and health in danger.

[OTTER]

People are ****ing ridiculous. I didn't know about Tickle Me Elmo...wow. I always say 6 months is a good wait. You can all get trampled and spat on and **** to get a buggy system the first day it comes out, only to have major problems soon in, while I'll get the perfect one 6 months later, and at a lower price. GGthxnore.

[Negative Creep]

Originally Posted by OTTER

...to get a buggy system the first day it comes out, only to have major problems soon in...

Exactly the reason why I plan on selling a PS3 to some overanxious, wealthy, and underinformed person on eBay for three times the asking price!

Gotta love capitalism!

[Superstar]

Originally Posted by Negative Creep

Gotta love capitalism!

Yes...Yes you do. I've heard people are even selling reservations.

One question though...why are Australians and Europe always put off last. Japan gets it, then America and we are put off for four months.