The Nintendo Switch has been in high-demand since its launch in March, especially in Japan where people recently lined up in massive lines by the thousands just for a chance to buy the new console. [Thanks, Nintendo Everything.]
We’re used to seeing big lines for pre-orders in the West, but things in Japan are at a whole other level when it comes to trying to get a Switch. It is said that over 3,000 people lined up to get a Switch at Akihabara Yodobashi this weekend, but there were only 250 units available at the store.
So what they had to do was participate in a lottery for a chance to actually buy one of the 250 Switch consoles that were available at the shop. One guy on Twitter said how he was there from 8:27 in the morning and his number was around 2,600. He also speculated that the general number would be more than 5,000 and it might even reach 10,000.
If you’re wondering why this is such a big deal in Japan right now, I think the release of Splatoon 2 at the end of this week just might have something to do with it.
After looking at the winning numbers above, it must’ve been pretty brutal for the folks who were the first seven in line, as they were probably waiting over night to get the spot, and only to walk home empty-handed with the #8 ticket holder being the closest winner.
Here’s a look at the Yodobashi location in Osaka:
We always hear about horror stories from Black Friday on an annual basis, but sometimes we get the occasional feel-good story out of moments like these. That’s case here from a story that was passed along by Twitter-user @kaztsu, who witnessed someone giving away his winning ticket to a family that who wasn’t able to win one for themselves.
