Japan, Technology and Computing
PS3 Madness!
Utter madness I tell you.
On Saturday, Sony started selling the PS3 in Japan, but due to parts supply problems, only 80,000 were available. Now, I could have a rant about how Sony have lost it, the machine is overpriced and unreliable etc etc. But I won’t.
What I will talk about is the scenes of uttermost chaos. I saw some footage on Japanese TV on the Sunday. It was pretty nuts, but it seems the Japanese media kept a few things quiet too. Anyway, here’s some foreign news reporting video footage. Here’s some raw footage of the queing at Bic Camera in Yurakucho, this was obviously later in the day when things calmed down a bit.
2006 Nov 13 Gavin
Typical, but here’s the thing, I wandered along to my local shopping centre place on Sunday afternoon and in the kids/games section they have a couple of PS3 boxes on the shelf, ready to be sold, with no one taking the slighest bit of interest. I always wonder why anyone in Japan thinks it worth it to go into central Tokyo to get into the rush at Bic Camera or wherever in Akihabara when the local places have all the kit and usually cheaper. Must be the gang mentality…
Ehhhhh?? They have units for sale in the local stores!!! That’s just nuts.
I found another write up on the launch, and how certain stores approached it.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=21020
Must laugh at the bit stating it had sold out by 6am, 1 hour before it’s due to go on sale!
Must admit it, I don’t feel the need to get one at all. Apparently it’s a power hog as well, chomping up loads of electricity. I’ll stick to my PSP I think for my minimal gaming needs.