This PS5 Valentine's Day promotion in Japan is setting some unrealistic expectations

PS5
(Image credit: PlayStation)

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.