Rush for Nvidia Gaming Chips Sparks Chaos in Tokyo
A Tokyo electronics store has issued an apology after a massive crowd, mostly Chinese buyers, caused chaos while attempting to purchase Nvidia’s latest gaming chips.
The commotion, which unfolded in Akihabara – a district famous for gaming, anime, and tech shopping – was triggered by the high demand for Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards. According to electronics retailer PC Koubou, nearly 400 people turned up last week, leading to overcrowding, blocked sidewalks, and even trespassing on private property. The situation forced the store to cancel the sale.
“We sincerely apologize for the disturbance caused to our customers, neighbors, and all concerned parties,” PC Koubou stated on Monday.
High Demand Driven by U.S.-China Tech Restrictions
The frenzy highlights the ongoing impact of U.S. export restrictions on China, which have limited access to high-performance chips. While the RTX 50 series has been widely anticipated by gamers worldwide, the version available in China has a downgraded AI processing capability due to U.S. sanctions aimed at restricting advanced computing technology that could be used in artificial intelligence (AI) and military applications.
As a result, Chinese gamers have sought to buy the unrestricted versions in other countries, including Japan.
Taizo Hashida, a director at Unitcom, the company that owns PC Koubou, revealed that about 90% of the buyers in Akihabara spoke Chinese.
Tech analyst Gil Luria explained that for serious gamers, the performance gap between the international and Chinese versions of the chips is significant, making foreign markets a prime destination for purchases.
Scenes of Chaos and a Scrapped Sale
The Akihabara store initially planned to sell limited quantities of the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 through a lottery system, but the overwhelming turnout led to disorder. Videos circulating online showed hundreds of buyers crowding narrow streets, spilling onto roads, and ignoring staff instructions. One individual was even seen climbing over a fence into a kindergarten, damaging school property.
Following the disruption, the store canceled the in-person sale and shifted to an online lottery system for future purchases.
Skyrocketing Prices and Resale Boom
The RTX 5090 retails for $1,999 in the U.S., but prices have surged to around $2,600 in Japan and even higher on the resale market. In China, where only the weaker RTX 5090D version is available, resellers have listed imported models for as much as $5,700 on platforms like Taobao.
On Chinese social media site Xiaohongshu, users are actively discussing ways to source the coveted chips abroad. Some have asked about potential risks when bringing them back from South Korea, while others, including students in Thailand, have explored reselling as a way to cover tuition fees.
Despite Nvidia’s previous efforts to create China-specific versions of its chips, the latest launch has once again fueled a booming resale market and intensified global demand.
