Released on October 13th, PlayStation VR has been available to consumers worldwide for more than three months. Although reports have shared what appears to be a low adoption rate, there is one area of the world where it’s seeing incredible demand: Japan.
Having arrived on the same day as in the West, PlayStation VR hit Japan like a storm last October. It sold out within hours of becoming available, prompting enormous second-hand costs. A drought of stock has made matters worse for consumers looking to buy one.
Seemingly out of nowhere, a massive shipment arrived in Japan this week, and was put on shelves today. Retailers shared the news with many customers, who marked their calendars and made an effort to arrive early in the morning.
The result was something that is usually only seen with new console launches. Long, organized lines have formed at shops such as Sofmap, Super Potato, Bic Camera, and Trader throughout Tokyo and other major cities, documented by thousands of social media posts.
Sofmap and Bic Camera were reported to have used a raffle ticket system to determine who in-line would be able to purchase one of the low volume PSVR headsets in stock, rather than using a first-come, first-serve system. Sadly, this means that a large number of people walked away empty handed.
Sony has shipped most of its PSVR stock to the U.S. and Europe where it forecasted the bulk of demand. In these two regions the headset can be commonly found at retailers. Although Japanese consumers have the option to import, shipping and exchange rates are expensive.
