The PlayStation 5 is in incredibly high demand, so much so that the console is practically sold out worldwide, meaning there’s always a scramble whenever new PS5 stock arrives in stores. For most of the world, the scramble for PS5s happen online, but not in some Japanese stores.
Recently, the PS5 was restocked in Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara, a major electronics store. Given that the PS5 shipment allocated to the Akihabara branch was pretty big, well, this happened:
Oh my God!!!! ヨドバシps5 pic.twitter.com/v2ilIadbFk
— Dave Gibson ⠿🗼 (@AJapaneseDream) January 30, 2021
So why did chaos erupt in this PS5 drop? For one, this Yodobashi Camera branch allowed any buyer to purchase a PS5; for comparison, other branches required buyers to have a special Visa Gold Point Card Plus to get one. Meanwhile, other branches also had ticketing and/or raffle systems in place to manage crowds (and to thwart resellers).
Coupling these with the fact that the PS5 shipment was reportedly in the hundreds, it’s no surprise then that lots of gamers tried to squeeze their way in to secure a PS5, even with social distancing recommendations and the recent state of emergency order in Tokyo.
https://twitter.com/yamato__1234/status/1355340748766334979
While it wasn’t a full blown riot in the store, the PS5 sale caused enough chaos and disturbance that the police was called in to disperse the crowd.
https://twitter.com/illizuvert/status/1355336465048190983?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1355336465048190983%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsoranews24.com%2F2021%2F01%2F31%2Fps5-chaos-at-akihabara-as-customers-rush-to-grab-new-consolese38090videose38091%2F
Given this chaotic PS5 drop, here’s hoping more PS5 stock releases soon so gamers won’t have to scramble for one. Though we expect PS5 stock to stabilize only in the second half of the year.
Sources: Kotaku, SoraNews24