We're expecting fist fights. On November 11th, 100,000 consoles will drop on an apparently Sony-hunger Japanese public. Four times that are expected to hit North America on launch day, and retailers are already announcing pre-order sell-outs. So reserving a PLAYSTATION 3 before launch in Japan would be an impossibility, right?

Nope. It was pretty easy, actually. Here's how I did it.

With the vast majority of retailers like Yodobashi Camera and Bic Camera not reserving consoles or doing pre-orders, it seemed like anyone in Japan who wants a PS3 must line up. Not true. A few days back, Kotaku reader Ben dropped word:

GEO seems to have started PS3 pre-orders. I pre-ordered the 60GB model at the Tsutsujigaoka branch in Chofu city and was told I was 3rd in line.

They don't know how many they're getting but the dude I spoke to said he was sure I'd get one. It seems to be the only large place doing real pre-orders at this stage so get in quick!

Yesterday, I rolled over to my local GEO to see if I still could pre-order. Ben's email had arrived days earlier so my chances didn't look so hot. In-store, there were two tiny notices mentioning PS3 pre-reserves: One near the new PS2 games, and the other at the register. That's it. I approached the horsefaced clerk at the registered and asked if they were still doing pre-orders. He said they were and gave me a form, which I filled out.

Didn't pay at the register, because I'm merely "reserving" my console. The horsefaced clerk told me he didn't know how many consoles they were getting in, but offered to check to see which number in line I was to get the console.

"For the 60GB, right?" he asked.
"Yep."
"You are number 5."
"I'm the fifth person to reserve the PS3?"
"The 60GB, yes."

I asked how many people have reserved the 20GB. His answer: Two. And when did the store start offering reservations? "I think sometime last month," he replied. There are no guarantees, but those with reservations get first dibs on the consoles. The GEO near my house is pretty big, and the clerk was pretty confident that I'd get a console. "Just make sure you come on launch day around 10 am when we open."

From new to retro, there must be over ten different game shops in my neighborhood, including a Super Potato. So, I don't blame an indifference of the part of my neighborhood for these low pre-reserve numbers. And granted, this is just one store, but perhaps people don't know they can reserve the system at GEO or are slightly put off by the price, which is still listed as open. "We'll tell you the price a few days before launch," the clerk assured me. Swell.

This being said, we're still expecting fist fights. Brian Ashcraft