Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. started selling its next-generation PlayStation 5 video game consoles in Japan on Thursday with pre-orders received by retailers since September overwhelming supply.

The game unit of Sony Corp. touts the new console's data-processing capacity, saying it is 100 times faster than its predecessor, as well as its advanced audio technology. Sony is also launching the device in other major markets on Thursday.

Its launch comes after the release Tuesday of the rival Xbox Series X console from Microsoft Corp.

The PS5 device with an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive is priced at 49,980 yen ($470) and the digital version without a disc drive is sold for 39,980 yen, it said.

In Japan, electronics retail chain Nojima Corp. was swamped with orders, receiving more than 100 times as many as it planned to sell via its online reservation system. Major auction sites already have a number of listings for the new console with prices set well above what the system retails for.

In the past, shoppers lined up at stores on the console's release day, but the PS5 will only be available through online reservations for the time being due to the coronavirus pandemic.

==Kyodo

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