We'll spare you the yellow snow jokes...

Nintendo's game console, the Wii, went on sale in Japan on Saturday, greeted by thousands of shivering but exhilarated game enthusiasts who had lined up through a wintry night to bring home the latest machine.

"My friends and family called me a fool. They don't see a point of rushing to a store on the launch day when you can get it much easier a while later," said Junpei Ito, a 24-year-old company employee.

"But joining the line like this is part of fun," said Ito, one of about 2,000 people in a queue besieging electronic retailer Bic Camera's flagship shop in central Tokyo.

More from Reuters.