Screen Shot 2013-11-16 at 6.46.01 AMIt may sound like the start of a bad joke, but when your boss says, “Bring me three PS4s!” you say, “How many games would you like with that?”

And so I found myself in uncharted territory, standing in line at 7am the day before the release of Sony’s next-gen console. I honestly didn’t know what to expect and admittedly grumbled at the thought of living on the street for 17 hours, but after Hooters girls, free swag, and a PS4 presented by the CEO of Best Buy, I’m pleased to report that I came away richer from the experience (although my bank account would beg to differ).

Much to the chagrin of gamers in Japan, unlike the rest of the world, people from the land of Sony will have to wait until February 22 to unbox their shiny parallelogram.  A staggered release date wasn’t going to stop us here at RocketNews24, and I was tasked with the difficult job (if all the hype was to be believed) of procuring three PlayStation4 consoles for our Japanese office.

▼ Waiting in line without a preorder like a chump.photo

The wait was nothing like I had expected and we made fast friends with the PS4 hopefuls that stood in line behind us. We were travelers on the same road, knights on a kindred quest…or maybe we were just fools on a fool’s errand. Whatever we were, we were there for the long haul and knew our only chance was to stick together lest we perish in a sea of folding chairs and dead smartphones.

Best buy Pano

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▼ No need to stand in the cold for hours when you’re sitting on a nice cozy preorder.untitled-25

“What are you doing out here?” was the question of the day and my replies of “Umm…we’re waiting for the PS4…PlayStation4…it’s a gaming console” were met with laughter, ridicule, or simple stares of confusion. What was I doing there? This Xbox 360 controller-toting Halo-devotee was beginning to completely forget her sense of wonder at what a Sony product might bring. But it’s amazing what buying a PS4 for someone else does to motivate you. The first seven consoles that left the Best Buy that night were destined for other hands and I’d like to take this time to mention that the two just-as-attractive-as-you’d-expect Hooters girls behind me have very lucky boyfriends.

▼ Hooters girls and the chick, with numbered tickets and the promise of a PS4.untitled-65

▼ That’s the money shot.untitled-68

▼ RocketNews24 was the proud owner of tickets #1, 2, and 3untitled-69

As the seconds lurched by, the stroke of midnight seemed farther than a trip to Mars, but there were a few unexpected guests to make the waiting more bearable.

▼ Red Bull, anyone?untitled-52

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▼ The CEO of Best Buy stopped by to chat.untitled-62

▼ A table of cookies was set out to tempt us.untitled-43

▼ And just beyond the automatic doors, a full display of PlayStation4 accessories lay in wait.untitled-102

After 17 hours in line, four trips to Starbucks, and countless strolls to the Best Buy restroom, we finally were allowed to purchase our consoles. RocketNews24 is proud to say that we have the only PlayStation4 in the world given out by the CEO of Best Buy, Mr. Hubert Joly.

▼ It’s finally ours!!!untitled-86

▼ I’m not ashamed to admit that I unconsciously bowed after receiving the fruits of our labor. untitled-91

And so the chick, the fat guy and the Asian dude came away from the night’s shenanigans with three brand new PlayStation4s and a whole lot of stories to tell. If you notice a significant drop in articles from our Japanese reporters at RocketNews24, please don’t be too hard on them, they’re one of the few people in Japan that can rock out on Sony’s newest console.

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Images: RocketNews24 (Courtesy of Khoa Dinh)