We previously saw Pokemon card stores in Japan implement pretty drastic measures like using facial recognition to fight scalpers. It looks like PlayStation Japan is doing something similar with the PS5 Pro due to a surge in demand. There’s also a touch of what Valve did with the Steam Machine, imposing a certain number of hours played already on the PS4 or base PS5.
According to machine translation of the raffle page, PlayStation Japan says that, to be eligible for the lottery, participants must have a Japan-based account, and a total of 60 hours logged between the PS4 and PS5, from 27 September 2024 onwards. Applications for the raffle will close on 7 October. Those lucky enough to have been selected must then complete the purchase of the console by 2 November.
It’s unclear what is suddenly causing the demand for the PS5 Pro to spike so significantly. The console has, after all, been out for nearly two years, and has seen a couple of price hikes. Of course, there are two potential suspects. One is the impending Grand Theft Auto VI launch in November. It’s pretty safe to say that it will be the biggest game of the decade.
The other potential cause of these stringent measures by PlayStation Japan is, of course, scalpers. They have been a problem since when the base PS5 first launched, and it’s no surprise that they’re rearing their ugly heads once again. Add GTA 6 to the equation and it’s pretty obvious why they’re active again. Then there’s the whole memory shortage crisis compounding the problem
On a related note, it looks like Japanese gamers are buying their consoles once again rather than renting. Early last year, we saw reports noting that the PS5 rental business was booming, with prices being pretty reasonable, at least at the time.
(Source: PlayStation)
