Chaos erupted yesterday at Japan's Yodobashi Camera megastore in Akihabara, due to the retailer's PlayStation 5 restock; ultimately, authorities were called and sales of the console were canceled. In the few months since its launch in mid-November, the latest hardware from Sony hasn't gotten any easier to find.
Stock shortages continue to plague both sales of the system and the countless customers who are eager to get their hands on one. And Sony's struggle to meet the unprecedented demand isn't the only issue, either. Supply constraints are also feeding the continued prosperity of the resale market, which has, unfortunately, yet to take a hit. Earlier this week, a scalper group managed to purchase every restocked PS5 from UK retailer Argos before orders for the device even went live online. Such circumstances were bound to lead to pandemonium.
Kotaku reports that one of Japan's biggest Yodobashi Camera stores erupted in chaos yesterday, because of its PS5 restock. A massive crowd of people packed into the retail center, pushing and shoving each other, as well as staffers, in a scene that can only be described as bedlam. According to Twitter user AJapaneseDream, the chain's Akihabara location is one of two in Tokyo that doesn't require customers to possess Yodobashi Camera's black credit card to complete electronics transactions - a system put in place at other stores to thwart resale attempts. Yesterday also marked a rare instance wherein the store issued numbered tickets on a first come, first served basis. Evidently, this exacerbated the situation, creating a perfect storm for the chaos on display in footage captured by those in attendance. The scene became so unruly that cops were called, eventually culminating in the cancellation of all PS5 sales.
This suggests that PS5's poor sales in Japan aren't due to disinterest. Japanese gamers are as eager as everyone else for a chance to purchase Sony's new system, but ongoing stock limitations continue to make securing the console a gamble. But what's especially disheartening about the scene at Yodobashi Camera is that Japanese officials expanded the state of emergency in Tokyo earlier this month, following another surge of coronavirus infections. As of two weeks ago, Tokyo counted among the hardest hit areas in the country.
Sony's and Microsoft's console shortages could remain an issue well into 2021. This is according to chip manufacturer AMD, whose CEO, Lisa Su, recently explained that AMD is struggling to fulfill demand on the processing chips that power PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The global pandemic and trade war between the United States and China have made the manufacturer's job especially difficult.
Source: Kotaku, AJapaneseDream