By Kara Matthews
With the release of the PlayStation 4, set to launch Friday, Future Shops and EB Games stores across Canada are opening early to cater to fans of Sony’s newest console.
Elliott Chun, the Communications Manager for Future Shop Canada told Humber News every store in Canada will open early Friday morning with four select stores opening at midnight to host launch parties.
“All of our stores across Canada will open at 8 a.m. Friday morning,” Chun said. “Four Future Shops, including the Yonge and Dundas location in downtown Toronto, will open at midnight.”
Check out this interactive map to find out which Future Shop stores are opening at midnight, as well as EB Games stores hosting PlayStation sponsored launch parties starting at 11:59 Thursday night.
View Playstation 4 Launch Parties in a larger map
Chun said Future Shop is opening its doors early to accommodate anticipated high demand.
“We know that 2013 is a huge year for gaming, expecting both the PS4 and the Xbox One next week,” Chun told Humber News. “We’ve had a tremendous response from fans. Preorders are completely sold out.”
Chun said he would recommend everyone go early if they want to get their hands on a console. He said every Future Shop store will have a minimum of 25 unreserved consoles on hand. Stores opening at midnight will have 100.
“It’s also a good time for people to get games and accessories for their news consoles. They always sell out really fast,” Chun said.
For those interested in retiring their old consoles in anticipation for the latest model, Future Shop encourages people to bring them in for the ‘Flip Your Tech’ program. The stores will take back consoles and other electronics in exchange for gift cards that can be used for anything sold in-store or online
Read more about PlayStations of the past in this interactive timeline.