A new Japanese PS5 ad for Valentine's Day is setting some incredibly unreasonable expectations for both men and women.
Earlier today on February 14 (Valentine's Day, for those unaware), PlayStation Japan's Twitter account posted two tweets, beginning with the one below. A girl appears to be handing a boy an entire PS5 console as a Valentine's Day gift, complete with lovely gift wrapping.
本当に本気なんです。君にこの想い、伝わるかな…？#バレンタインデー #プレイステーション pic.twitter.com/8dYLbC4GUMFebruary 14, 2023
Not only does the gigantic console fit behind this person, but it also apparently fits in a school desk drawer, judging by the tweet below. PlayStation Japan's Twitter account is on an absolute man one if they think anyone's handing out a PS5 to their potential crush this Valentine's Day.
＜バレンタインあるある＞引き出しからPS5™あなたの机にも入ってましたか？#バレンタインデー #プレイステーション pic.twitter.com/Oha1Z4Uck0February 14, 2023
But there's another layer to this intriguing drama. Valentine's Day in Japan doesn't really function like elsewhere around the world - today, a woman will traditionally give a man a present, or chocolate. Exactly one month later 'White Day' comes around on March 14, where the man is expected to give the woman a present in return.
Here's the catch: the present has to either be of equal value, and in some cases, is meant to be triple the value of the gift originally received. In other words, the guy who's received the PS5 for Valentine's Day is now royally screwed, because he needs to fork out for a gift that's potentially triple the cost of a PS5. That's roughly $1,500, for those keeping track.
Weirdly enough, PlayStation Japan has a bit of a track record with this sort of thing. Back in 2019, the company's Japanese Twitter account posted the tweet below, showing someone pulling a PS4 Slim out of their school locker, seemingly left as a gift for them.
今日はバレンタインデー！本命にはやっぱりPS4RProですよね！#PS4 #バレンタインデー pic.twitter.com/o1ecbfVgUjFebruary 14, 2019
PlayStation Japan is absolutely unhinged come Valentine's Day, and it's honestly admirable. To anyone hoping to receive a PS5 this Valentine's Day from their partner or crush: please don't.
Head over to our upcoming PS5 games guide to see what anyone with a PS5 for Valentine's Day could be in store for later this year.
