In front of the game shop counters in Wan Chai 188 Shopping Centre, a sense of religious reverence prevails. A large crowd, adults and children alike, stare at the little black box in awe. Sony's PlayStation2 (PS2) is being hailed by gamers as 'the ultimate machine'.
Due to overwhelming demand in Japan, Sony has had difficulty satisfying its domestic market, let alone overseas demand. The company sold more than one million units in the first three days of business and was forced to halt sales to replenish the stock.
As a result, the official of PS2 in Hong Kong is yet to be finalised, while US game buffs will have to wait until September 9.
Savvy Hong Kong merchants, however, flew to Japan days before the market release on March 4 and brought back thousands of PS2s from Sony stores.
At present, local players can buy PS2 in the grey market, where parallel-imported goods are sold, albeit at a much higher price. The original Sony PS2 retails at 41,790 yen (about HK$3,200). The price on the grey market varies from day to day, depending on how many units storekeepers can bring to Hong Kong from their 'business trips' to Japan.
'I have no problem selling them. But the price has fallen quickly from $10,000 on March 4 to $4,280 today,' says a shopkeeper in the Golden Arcade Shopping Centre, Shamshuipo. 'The competition is keen, and most people are pushed away by the high price. We have more people watching than buying.' Many players believe the arrival of PS2 will signal the end of Sony's main opponent in the console game industry.