The Heartwarming Way Sony Rewarded One PlayStation Fan
Dedicated PlayStation fan Joey Chiu, who was the first in line to buy a PlayStation 4 in 2013 and a PS4 Pro in 2016, received a surprise PlayStation 5 from Sony two days before the console's official launch on November 12.
A note that came with the gifted console acknowledged Chiu's firsts with the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro and read, "Patience is a virtue. This is for you." Chiu uploaded a photo of the note to his Twitter, adding, "Okay, this is 100% the craziest thing to happen," to which Sony replied with five heart emojis.
Chiu caught the video gaming community's attention in 2013 when he attended the PlayStation 4 launch at the Standard Hotel in Manhattan. He had no expectation of being first and instead just wanted to be a part of the launch and hopefully claim a console. After mistakenly lining up behind some event staff, he found himself at the front of the real line, where he received his number-one ticket to claim the first PlayStation 4.
When the time came to hand out the PlayStation 4 Chiu had been waiting for the following Friday, Andrew House, president of Sony Computer Entertainment, and Jack Tretton, president of SCE-America, invited Chiu onstage. There, Tretton and House congratulated Chiu and handed him an autographed PlayStation 4.
All in all, it was a nice moment in a big year for Sony and the PlayStation brand, one that Chiu was happy to recreate in 2016 when he became the first person to purchase a PS4 Pro. However, COVID-19 restrictions on events in 2020 eliminated any potential line-waiting hijinks this year, making Sony's reward for a dedicated fan a nice gesture toward the community.
In fact, Sony has taken measures to ensure that eager fans do not endanger themselves or others during the pandemic. In an official statement a week before the November 12 launch date for the PS5, Sony confirmed that day-one sales would only be available through the online storefronts of retail locations. This was done, Sony said, to discourage fans from camping out in hopes of finding an extra PlayStation 5 available to purchase.
It seems like Chiu wasn't the only member of the PlayStation community to receive a free console from Sony. Chiu retweeted SunhiLegend's post thanking Sony for a PlayStation 5 he received as well. SunhiLegend is a well-known GIF creator whose work has gone viral and attracted the attention of some of the biggest developers in the world. SunhiLegend's free PlayStation 5 came with a similar note to the one that Chiu received, although it is partially obscured in the photo, and it's unclear if it is personalized.