The launch of a new PlayStation console is a big event for many Japanese fans, and for some it's so big that they'll camp outside of Sony Computer Entertainment's HQ in Ginza for Three days.

Reports on the first fan to set camp in front of the door are a bit conflicting. Some say the college student from Kashima, in the Ibaraki Prefecture (109 Km from Tokyo), has been sitting there since 11 AM on the 19th, some since 1 PM. Since then quite a few others joined in a small gathering that gradually became bigger and bigger.

Having gotten there first, though, won't necessarily grant him the right to be the first to purchase the coveted console. Sony distributed numbered tickets to the first 30 brave (and maybe a little crazy) fans that reached the premises, and the first to hold the blue box above his head in triumph will be determined by lottery when the count down will reach zero in just a few hours.

As a funny side note, the Tokyo-based idol unit "game girls" was also spotted between the campers, as you can see in the first picture of the gallery.

Below you can see a few pictures from the field. We don't yet know who will "win" this little ironman competition, but considering that Tokyo is freezing at the moment, they all deserve an applause.

The pictures above are courtesy of Famitsu, Sankei Biz, Nikkan Sports and Twitter users Yasumi Matsuno (yes, that Yasumi Matsuno), ihsotihiGNITED, Soul Sacrifice and 31Tron.