Online Japanese PlayStation Vita orders Sell Out

Two major online Japanese stores appear to have sold through their initial pre-order stock of the PlayStation Vita almost immediately going on sale, indicating the machine could be heading for shortages when it launches in Japan in December.

Online stores Amazon Japan and Yodobashi are both now reporting that the machine is out of stock - and it was only available to pre-order for a very short period of time before it was removed again.

The pages for both the 3G and WiFi versions of the PlayStation Vita on Amazon.co.jp tell users who attempt to order it that the item "is no longer available" - the messaging that appears on Amazon when an allocation has been sold through. Users can sign up to be updated when more become available.

Yodobashi features similar messaging. The two stores represent two of the major online portals for picking up video games online in Japan - a firm indication the Vita is likely heading for a successful launch.

Japanese gaming blog esuteru have now picked up on the sales, running with the awesome headline "Vita internet shop availability, nearly destroys the internet." The site goes on to list all the sites that have sold out of the Vita pre-orders with their varying 'sold out' messages.

Aside from Amazon and Yodobashi, esuteru also point to retailers including sofmap, bic camera and joshin having sold out. The list essentially encompasses most - if not all - of the major online portals to buy video game hardware in Japan.

Thanks to NeoGAF users johntv and cvxfreak - who were desperately trying to get orders of their own in. We're going to try to pick one up at launch to start prepping for import coverage of upcoming RPGs on the machine including Disgaea 3 Return, Dragon's Crown, Lord of Apocalypse and Persona 4: The Golden. Like the PSP, the Vita looks to be something of an RPG haven.

If you want to try to import a Vita when it launches Play-Asia have both the WiFi and the 3G models available for import pre-order. Good luck on that one, based on this story!

 

*We're sorry. The item PlayStation Vita (プレイステーション ヴィータ) 3G/Wi‐Fiモデル クリスタル・ブラック (初回限定版) (PCH-1100 AA01) is no longer available