It’s March 3 in Japan. The Nintendo Switch is officially on sale, and in some locations, there are the lines to prove it.
Because of online sales, it’s increasingly hard to predict how a console will do by checking out launch day lines.
That being said, folks came out in Tokyo to line up for the new Nintendo hardware on this chilly morning. Via Twitter, here’s how things look at various shops across the metropolis.
https://twitter.com/embed/status/837446105818263552
https://twitter.com/embed/status/837445856072622081
https://twitter.com/embed/status/837463711736438784
https://twitter.com/embed/status/837459139253039109
https://twitter.com/embed/status/837432026668003328
https://twitter.com/embed/status/837446076277764096
https://twitter.com/embed/status/837481957604761600
https://twitter.com/embed/status/837481309672898560
Here’s Yokohama.
https://twitter.com/embed/status/837437945376169984
Typically, there are long lines at Yodobashi Camera, one of Japan’s biggest electronics retailers.
https://twitter.com/embed/status/837243225999958016
However, as this sign notes, there are only enough consoles for pre-orders.
https://twitter.com/embed/status/837419793372237824
Thus, there weren’t lines at Yodobashi Cameras in Tokyo.
https://twitter.com/embed/status/837459037469851649
As well as in Osaka.
https://twitter.com/embed/status/837444406554697728
Or rather, significantly shorter lines only for those with pre-orders. Yodobashi Camera says it will have more stock at a later date.
Things, however, appear different in rural parts of the country, which isn’t that unusual for hardware launches.
https://twitter.com/embed/status/837442974862594048
Above is a local Yamada Denki with no one in line.
https://twitter.com/embed/status/837367109118144513
This guy got to his nearby Toys R Us early.
https://twitter.com/embed/status/837382668270481408
https://twitter.com/embed/status/837441543183052800
Earlier this year, Nintendo pre-orders drew lines in Tokyo, so it’ll be interesting to see Japanese sales numbers once those become available.
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.
