March 4th, 2000 -

Mad Japanese gamers camp out for the PlayStation2.

If there was any ever doubt at the fever surrounding Sony’s next generation console it was dispelled on Saturday morning, when PlayStation2 went on sale in Akihabara, the electronics district of Tokyo.

Several news agencies reported a complete clearing of the machine’s initial ship-out. According to Associated Press, thousands queued in an attempt to buy on a first-come-first-served basis, with most stores’ supplies selling out within an hour of opening. “I had to line up for nine hours last night, but it was definitely worth it. You know, it's much more than just a game machine,” 21 year-old Daisuke Uzuki told the news service.

Final Fantasy X will be the first Final Fantasy to hit the PlayStation2.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun told a similar story. “Tokyo was hit by PlayStation2 fever Saturday morning when Sony Computer Entertainment Inc's latest home videogame console went on sale,” said the publication. “Thousands of young people lined the streets of the capital in an effort to purchase the follow-up to Sony Computer's hit PlayStation terminal.”

Even Variety got in on the act, although the figures of “tens of thousands” of consumers battling to get their hands on PlayStation2 are higher than other reports. According to the magazine’s website, Sony has monthly production capacity of 500,000 units. The company will have 27 titles on Japanese shelves before the end of the month.

PlayStation2 will give the Final Fantasy series a new lease of life.

Latest news reports say that Sony reached their target of selling 1 million units in the first day of sales (980,000 to be precise) - even though a lot of these had yet to be delivered to homes who ordered through the internet.

Coming to the PlayStation2 in spring 2001, Final Fantasy X will be the first Final Fantasy to hit the new super console. Boasting jaw-dropping real-time graphics and utilising the new storage capabilities of DVD, this Final Fantasy will push new frontiers in gaming. And we haven't even mentioned Final Fantasy XI yet...