Pre-orders of Sony’s PlayStation Portal sold like pancakes in Japan, with one Japanese user taking to X to make the report. Per user, @Genki_JPN, the Remote Play device was sold out from all Japanese retailers in just 12 hours. These include Sony’s online storefront itself, Sony Store, Rakuten Books, as well as Amazon.
Sales do not lie, and for a product selling out completely within only half a day is highly suggestive that Sony has a winning product on sale. But while that would be the initial interpretation of the data, Genki makes a caveat by saying to take the information with a “grain of salt”. That is because Japan continues to have an issue with scalpers who are leveraging the market conditions to make money.
If what the X user is insinuating is true, it implies that the stocks meant for sale to avid customers came into the hands of opportunists seeking quick money. It is uncertain, however, the extent of that possibility if indeed it was a fact.
Yet, the possibility of the opposite is also true. Another X user commented that if the data seems to suggest a genuine high demand from Japanese consumers, it could be because Japanese people find portable gaming appealing. That is, amid big screens that occupy substantial spaces in every household and Japan’s relatively smaller spaces.
Right now, it’s really hard to tell what caused the PlayStation Portal to sell out in Japan, especially as obscure as the product is right now. Particularly, among consumers in the Western market.
Meanwhile, pre-order sales of the same device in the US and the UK paint a different picture. As of writing, some retailers in said regions still have plenty of pre-orders left.
