Engadget Japanese retail PS3 unboxing

In addition to that test unit we've been kicking around, our peeps over at Engadget Japanese are enjoying their own hard-won Japanese PS3 of the 20GB variety. The 80,000 PlayStation 3 units available on Saturday for the launch were sold out almost instantaneously, and most retailers in Japan didn't take pre-orders, so we're guessing there was a good bit of personal sacrifice involved in bringing this box home. Keep reading for unboxing pics aplenty.

[Farris @ Nov 11th 2006 5:41PM]

eBay, HO!!!

/thundercats voice

[Ed @ Nov 11th 2006 5:44PM]

Not impress.

[shirizaki @ Nov 11th 2006 5:58PM]

Sony called you Engadget, they're going to sue you for importing.

[effward @ Nov 11th 2006 9:14PM]

This is in Japan, they didn't import it.

[Rick Person @ Nov 11th 2006 6:02PM]

There is one picture on Gizmodo of the PS3 from an angle and it looks all scratched up (like bad swirling on a dark paint job). I wonder if all consoles will look this way or just some of them. Would piss me off if I got one like this and had paid over $600 for it!

[Xayzer @ Nov 11th 2006 6:03PM]

Looks great from the outside, but not from the inside. A bit disappointed, I am. The Wii's boxing looks much better. Well, it doesn't really matter anyway, it's a PS3 for God's sake!

[James @ Nov 11th 2006 6:12PM]

Lame. It's the 20GB version.

[ericdrum @ Nov 11th 2006 6:21PM]

Riiiiiiiidge Raaaaaaacer.

[David @ Nov 11th 2006 6:23PM]

Wow. By spending close to $700 you would think you could get some better packaging.

[funkbass23 @ Nov 11th 2006 6:43PM]

What do you mean? It's the 20gb version.

[tekdroid @ Nov 11th 2006 7:48PM]

unbleached biodegradable cardboard is the way to go. Imagine millions of these thrown out, which will be the case soon. We can't just keep heaping unrecyclable garbage in the dumps worldwide (stricter environmental laws are really pushing biodegradable materials; remember when almost everything used polystyrene packaging inside, even walkmans?).

I'd actually prefer if the box was unbleached and very cheaply printed like you see with many monitors, pc cases, etc (instead of the coated cardboard and elaborate printing you see on the box). Low-impact packaging is the way to go. Besides, nothing is worse than handling polystyrene or some shiny coated plastic-on-cardboard; natural cardboard feels far better in the hands! Or is it just me?

[JonSedar @ Nov 11th 2006 6:26PM]

it's only a couple of pictures, granted, but I get no impression of zing!, excitment or passion with this unboxing...

where it ought to look like all your best christmases in one, it instead looks a bit flat and, well, dull.

was it always this way or have I just gotten old?

[Rishard @ Nov 11th 2006 6:38PM]

Can someone please check the blu-ray playback.

[Riine @ Nov 11th 2006 6:53PM]

dang, makes me want to buy one now but i told myself to wait until MGS4. and i think the wait will also allow for any bugs to be worked out. so its a win-win situation

[TJ @ Nov 11th 2006 7:08PM]

"Wow. By spending close to $700 you would think you could get some better packaging."

...you buy something for the packaging? do you buy books for their covers? or shirts for their hangers?

[Andir3.0 @ Nov 11th 2006 7:14PM]

Some people have run out of things to complain about. We call them trolls, please, don't feed the and they'll go away.

[Ferny @ Nov 11th 2006 7:35PM]

anyone else notice that the cardboard in the fifth pic down, that it is shaped like the ps3 itself?

[Josh* @ Nov 11th 2006 7:57PM]

It's so hard to be enthused by anything PS3-related right now. Where's the magic? :(

[carltonbanks @ Nov 11th 2006 8:19PM]

So........................ you all are actually writing posts on the wrapping of the unit, and how cheap it looks, sad but the ones that are upset that it came in a cardboard box doesnt need a unit. I mean if your going to use the cardboard box after you take the unit out of its containings then by all means be upset but we all know that its going in the trash anyway.

Till next week, where I will probably be standing next to the same ones who are so APPALLED by the PS3 wrappings (GOD SPEED)

[Unregistered @ Nov 11th 2006 8:21PM]

Josh: I think you'd feel the magic when the box is in your hands :)

[Dark Goob @ Nov 11th 2006 8:26PM]

Don't you people realize: they're already loosing money on the console. Why would they spend extra to make "nice packaging"?

You should be THANKFUL you get to pay Sony only $700 for this awesome technological advancement that will change the world!!

-=DG=-

[Dark Goob @ Nov 11th 2006 8:28PM]

PS -- At least they used the cool font from Spiderman movies for the logo!

[humpty @ Nov 11th 2006 9:34PM]

Listening to Sony-haters whine about packaging is like listening to 4 year-olds cry when they poop their pants.

[Phantam @ Nov 11th 2006 10:15PM]

crappy packaging, cheap construction, poor choice of material... ya i'll stick with my 360 and wii

[myscrnnm @ Nov 11th 2006 11:10PM]

"There is one picture on Gizmodo of the PS3 from an angle and it looks all scratched up (like bad swirling on a dark paint job). I wonder if all consoles will look this way or just some of them. Would piss me off if I got one like this and had paid over $600 for it!"

Highly unlikely. I believe the PlayStation 3's case is made on with the same manufacturing process as that of the PlayStation Portable's faceplate. Therefore, the bottom should be a flat black plate with a polycarbonate layer on top. The "swirling" that you see is probably something resulting from the lighting and the reflective nature of the PlayStation 3's surface.

[Eric @ Nov 11th 2006 11:15PM]

What's with the Ridge Racer V? My PS2 plays that.

[ZeldaX @ Nov 11th 2006 11:15PM]

@ DG

how the hell can a wanna-be computer change the world? its just a computer with a undecided format in it. Nintendo is changing the way we play. ��

[lifesux @ Nov 11th 2006 11:25PM]

the 60GB on yahoo japan is around $800, on ebay it's over $1500.
to myscrnnm, every PS3 (60GB) costs sony more than $600 to make, which is a fact that sony never make profit just by selling devices.

[Greg @ Nov 11th 2006 11:44PM]

Can on guys, who cares about the box, what is important is hte PS3 itself!!! Personally, I am fine with this package ;)

[Rob @ Nov 12th 2006 1:41AM]

This is the machine from Sony that is supposed to change the future? All that expense and waiting and technology, and Sony still packages cheap .99 cables in the box. Unimpressed.

[Dave @ Nov 12th 2006 5:06AM]

Awesome!

[bjl @ Nov 12th 2006 6:58AM]

OH GOD I WANT ONE

the only reason im gettin a 360 is tdu, gears and crackdown

i bet a million bucks that the day i go to get my 360, there'll be some super-awesome-happy-fun-deal with ps3s somewhere
I'M SPLIT IN HALF

[kiwizznz @ Nov 12th 2006 8:00AM]

The 20gb version aint lame, I think buying the 60gb version is pretty much useless unless you plan on using it with your psp. Otherwise the wireless and card reader aint worth paying for. I waited 17 hours and got my 20gb version and just smacked in my old 80gb laptop hard drive.

I had been blogging http://blogger-off.com the progress on the night. Although I was first, most of the 60gb line was filled by Chinese people going to sell them.

[myscrnnm @ Nov 12th 2006 2:34PM]

"I don't think it has anything to do with the angle, definately swirl marks to me."

It looks more like the particular unit has been scratched. Most likely rubbed against an abrasive surface. From the other PlayStation 3 units I've seen, this is pretty much unpresent. And I'm pretty sure this results from after the manufacturing process.

[Mrfreezie @ Nov 12th 2006 2:47PM]

"When removing the substance, when it makes slide, simplicity."

Google translations FTW!!

[yosi @ Nov 12th 2006 2:52PM]

can some1please test and try if you can playstation 1 and playstaion 2 games on it.

[blackout @ Nov 12th 2006 3:44PM]

i am disapointed in the lack of styrafoam...what will i have to feed to my siblings now...

it looks nice and it will be sitting pretty next to all my other consoles circa megadrive :D

[Kazuya @ Nov 13th 2006 6:48AM]

I'm so pissed that the packaging is poor - that means I can't display it in my living room.

Guess it'll just have to sit where the rest of my packaging boxes go, the bin.

[Ramiro @ Nov 13th 2006 5:12PM]

i want one so badly..

[Kenneth Paul @ Nov 13th 2006 9:18PM]

*PLEASE READ*
I myself am neither a fan boy nor am i a hardcore gamer but when faced with this first hand story i was shocked not so much at the hype etc but that a multi million dollar company like sony would want this much hype over a product rather than selling a half ready consol (i have done some research and found ps3 updates already availible, now thats a good thing but on launch ??) sell a solid reliable piece of equipment that everyone can get i mean why dont manufacturers stop the mentioned below by making many more consols and releasing them at the same time worldwide now that would make great tv and great for gamers dont you all think just one world knowing you are just getting home doing he same as a japanese gamer and getting online at the same time all to play for the first time together well i can dream cant i



The PS3 launch a cakewalk? Far from it. We don't usually let readers take the reins (fearing y'all would rub us out of a job), but Tokyo-based reader Dirk Benedict sent us this doozy of an email, complete with first hand reporting, a pic and video. His observations struck a cord with me: Things that I saw at launch, which at the time seemed small, but in hindsight, really, weren't. Hit the jump for video of the PS3 chaos and Dirk's email in full:

At the worldwide sales debut of PlayStation 3, Sony's newest console attracted dozens of media outlets and thousands of people willing to camp outside overnight for a chance to score the 60,000 yen game system.
Minutes before the clock struck 7:00 A.M. and Sony's new PlayStation 3 console would officially go on sale, a company representative addressed the crowd of media and the new face of early bird game console buyers - Chinese nationals.

"Everybody, the PlayStation 3 is the door to a new world of interactive entertainment," the spunky Japanese rep trumpeted as SCE CEO Ken Kutaragi joined her on stage.

Unfortunately for her and the rest of the Sony entourage, the men and women standing patiently in the front of the line either didn't understand what she was saying, or didn't care - the first buyers of PS3 were largely elderly Chinese men and young Chinese women with shaky Japanese language skills.

This became readily apparent when Kutaragi welcomed the first official PS3 owner on stage for an on-spot interview. A 26-year-old Chinese man politely stood on stage while the organizers earnestly tried to squeeze some information him.

Questions like "When did you start lining up?" and "What games will you buy?" were left unanswered as the young man shook his head, refusing (or unable) to respond. The Japanese media would later catch up with him, confirming suspicions that the first PS3 buyer didn't understand Japanese. An eyewitness claimed the young man didn't purchase a single game for his brand-new PS3.

This is the true face of the PlayStation 3 debut in Japan. Hardcore gamers are not here waiting in line overnight, buying a first-run PS3, and running home to play some good old next-gen gaming. Rather, opportunistic Japanese businessmen have the largest presence, hiring poor Chinese men and women to wait in line for a PS3, one which will later be sold on web auctions to wealthy gamers around the world for exorbitant amounts of money.

THE LINE

Some waited patiently for the clock to strike 7 A.M., others pushed.

Around the corner of Bic Camera, the line continued on and was partitioned by a television news van. With one hour left of waiting, this became a troublesome spot for Bic Camera employees who tried to calm a crowd of increasingly agitated people, upset over the lack of organization, cramped spaces, and increasing number of people cutting in line. Soon pushing ensued, men began yelling at one another, and some women began crying for help.

Without the presence of Tokyo police officers, the Bic Camera employees were temporarily able to bring order to the line, most armed with their weapon of choice - ear-splitting megaphones.

The levy broke soon afterwards, as a truck attempted to pass through the narrow street, forcing the organizers to push back to the line closer towards the wall. Or in other words, squeezing together a line of people already packed like sardines.

The pressure was too much as the line busted open and more pushing ensued (which broke out in front of the waiting truck), causing those waiting in back to push forward, inching themselves closer to the finish line with a prideful Kutaragi waiting.

One man truly leveled-up - the chaos allowed him to push forward from roughly 200th in place all the way up to 20th in line.

The Tokyo police would eventually arrive just prior to 7 A.M. - fifty minutes after the pushing first took place.

A gruff-looking Bic Camera manager was the first to realize the problem - nobody in line understood the directions his employees were screaming. He quickly grabbed one of his Chinese-speaking employees, put him on top of a ladder, handed him a megaphone, and instructed the young man to address the crowd in Chinese.

CLOCK STRIKES SEVEN

To the relief of everyone, the final countdown took place at 6:59 A.M. as Kutaragi made a quick speech and officially kicked off the retail debut of PlayStation 3.

But what took place at the cash registers moments later would put a big, fat exclamation point on what can only be described as a failure of a hardware launch.

"Thank you for your patience!," welcomed the cashier to the first PS3 buyers. "What game software would you like with your purchase?"

"Hai," the consumer nodded, not understanding the question.

Most cashiers soon figured out that the men and women standing in front of them didn't speak Japanese. Some would then repeat the same question in English, and would all get the say reply, "Only hardware."

Based on my observations of the first twenty PS3s sold at Bic Camera, they were all purchased by Chinese nationals, none of whom bought any software. After making their purchase, television crews asked for interviews but all were declined. These temporary owners of PS3s would then make their way down the street where their bosses waited. After several minutes, a dozen PS3s were rounded up, as their Japanese business manager paid out cash to those who waited in line for them. I witnessed a homeless-looking Chinese man, in his sixties or seventies get paid 20,000 yen for his services and was then sent away.

The sales spree continued back over at the registers, and not everything was running smoothly. One elderly Chinese man, next in line to buy a PS3, was in a state of panic. He explained to a Bic Camera employee that his "friend" has his money, but that he is further back in the line. After further investigation, these poor Chinese are not given the 60,000 yen to purchase the PS3 until minutes before their reach the registers, perhaps out of fear that some will run off with the money. The Bic Camera employee assisted the elderly gentlemen, escorting him back to the cash registered after he received the cash from his good "friend."

The transactions continued, tired-looking Chinese carried away their newly purchased PS3s, and avoided eye contact with journalists asking for interviews. All but one young man - a Chinese exchange student studying in Japan. He was willing to go on camera and was excited to talk about his new purchase.

The television reporter started off with a few questions that the young man didn't understand, so she stuck to simple questions: "Why is PS3 good?"

"It's interesting," the young student said with a grin.

"What game will you play on your PS3?" she asked.

"The tennis game," he replied. Among the four software titles that launched with the PS3 in Japan, there was only one sports title - Sega's golf game. The student was perhaps referring to the recently released "Minna no Tennis" on PlayStation 2. Either way, it was obvious he was no gamer.

The young man would later head over to Yurakucho Station, where he added his purchased PS3 to a collection of consoles bought by his friends, which no doubt will be sold online in an auction later today.

TIME FOR CHANGE

Today I witnessed the most disturbing side of the video game industry in my three decades of game fandom. It's not the Chinese that I'm upset about. Who can blame them? If you're poor and without a good job in Japan, 20,000 yen to wait in line isn't a bad deal. And for ambitious people like the Chinese students I encountered who scored five PS3s, this hardware launch could net them thousands of dollars in profit through online auditioning - that's more money for them to spend on tuition. These are the lucky Chinese kids in Japan, getting an education, and trying to get ahead in life. If these kids are good students, who's to say that they should be playing PS3 instead of using the console to afford more education?

But this story isn't about the hardships of Chinese in Japan. It's about how poorly run hardware launches are done in Japan and why they should change.

Sixty seconds before Kutaragi kicked off the launch, rain started to fall on hundreds of people in line, many without umbrellas. People were pushed and yelled at by out-of-control campers without the presence of a single police officer (even though a police box was located one block away), and hundreds more are still waiting outside as I write this, with the rain pouring down. Meanwhile, true Japanese gamers are waiting. Based on the record-breaking attendence of this year's Tokyo Game Show, there are tens of thousands of Japanese interested in playing (not selling) PlayStation 3. They are waiting for their chance to play Ridge Racer 7 or Genji II (or maybe not), but still the interest is there. And should they line up again when the next shipments of PS3s come in? Hell no. As evidenced by the ongoing DS Lite storages in Japan, patient Chinese and their crooked Japanese bosses will be there too, waiting.

This is the true story of the PlayStation 3 debut in Japan. This is the kind of expose that Japanese media are prevented to run because of their nationalism and close ties with big business. While it's honorable to not smear their own countrymen (Sony) for their botched launch, the truth must be told.

WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN

Sony should be scolded for staging a national launch event with 80,000 units. An extreme lack of supply ignited an extreme surge of demand - that of which poor Chinese and opportunistic Japanese took full advantage of today.

If Sony and major retailers like Bic Camera or Yodobashi Camera are going to participate in launch day festivities like today, police need to be present.

If measures aren't taken to try and curb rampant scalping of hardware through online auctions, then retailers must address their customers - Mandarin-speaking Chinese. Don't bother having your employees shout into megaphones all morning long - nobody understands a word they are saying.

CONCLUSION

As a fellow foreigner studying in Japan, I can tell you the hardships that many of us face everyday. The intent of this story is not to point fingers at hard-working Chinese nationals. Rather, I think this subject needs to be brought to light. This is the truth that no Japanese media wants to touch.

all thanks go to Dirk Benedict and his exellent reporting skills