Well, as we reported not very long ago, the Wii officially launched in Japan yesterday. It's pretty much all over now, as approximately 400 000 Wii consoles have been taken into the homes of happy Japanese gamers.

Gamespot reports that the lines in the Shinjuku and Akihabara districts had grown to hundreds people by 10pm on the night prior to launch. Some lines, including those at Bic Camera's main headquaters, had grown to over 1200 customers by 5am. Lines also continued to grow after the early morning trains began their service. Many retailers implemented the tried and true ticketing system, handing out a number of tickets which corresponded to their available stock.

After all the major retailers had exhausted their supplies, a number of smaller stores then used a raffle system to give all the disappointed gamers a second chance.

Our Japanese friends needn't worry - Nintendo claims to be supplying a further 600 000 Wii units by the end of 2006. What we must focus on now is the Australia and European launches, in just a few short days. Are you ready?

via palgn