Check out blog.wired.com/games for details about all the goofiness surrounding tomorrow's PS3 launch.  So far, system campers have been shot by BB guns and robbed at gunpoint.  In response to these stories, one Best Buy store in MD has flat out canceled the launches of both the PS3 and Wii.  Exactly what that means is up for interpretation, but at the very least, they won't be allowing anyone to line up.

Stores shouldn't let people line up days in advance.  For a store that closes, they shouldn't let people line up until after the store closes.  For stores like Wal-Mart, they should stop people from loitering in that line until some reasonable time prior to launch.  Further, most of these people are intent on buying these just to sell them on eBay---that's another aspect that needs to be handled.  If Sony can control the flow of their products across the oceans, even shutting a company down (Lik-Sang), then they should be concerned enough with their bottom line and perserving an actual user base instead of the bottom line of leeches and eBay.

Hey, all I know is if I manage to luck into one (and I have two decent leads...A co-worker and I sit next to a guy who works in the Wal Mart electronics department in one of my classes. Won't ask either until the next batch, to see if there are any crippling defects in the systems and because of the initial launch hype), it's money in the bank...Er, the paypal account, especially considering the demand will just go up and people will just shell out more the closer it gets to Christmas. I don't blame people for waiting in line for that...I'd be much more curious if they were waiting in line to get one to actually use, considering the launch line-up.

I mean, look at this nonsense:

http://search-completed.ebay.com/ps3_W0 … us=unknown

And I'm just hoping to get $30 for my Legend of Mana game I have up...

People are savages.

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1324 … ardqh3.jpg

Holy CRAP... people are paying $7500 for a bundle that's worth $1100 tops! Well, I don't blame people for waiting in line.  Hell, if I had no life I would do it too.  Quite amazing though, people have been sitting in line for about a week... well when you think about it, say you make $1500 on a system.  That amounts to a sallary of 78,000 a year (assuming one system = one week).  I'm sure most people here (and especially most gamers in general) don't make nearly that much.  Thus, I can see why some people have wasted a week...although I personally could never do it.  And as for those who are making about $6400 profit on a bundle...all I can say is people either are dumb or have too much money or a combination thereof.

cheers,

-avatar!

can't see...link...not happy

This just proves that the world is full of greedy people and idiots.

Thus explains why the Invisible Hand of Capitalism is so rarely impeded.

Or don't plan on buying one at all.

http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? … 0052208802 $44,100
http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? … 0049396649 $89,000,100
http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? … 0059269467 $99,999,999 Can't go any higher XD

I'd say the sellers would be lucky if they can actually get the cash from their "buyers".

Clearly those bids are not real!  I have heard that people have bid around $9000 for a PS3.  That also seems ridiculous, however who knows.  Plus, there have to be TONS of scams on ebay!  I wouldn't be surprised if some sellers with quite a bit of "good feedback" built up the feedback just so now they can rob others.  Why the hell don't these people get a real job and make some money instead of constantly trying to steal from others!  Still, not as bad as getting shot while waiting in line:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/17/playst … index.html

All this madness greatly reminds me of the classic "Treasure of the Sierra Madre".

cheers,

-avatar!

Because there's a huge frenzy about getting one right now from both knowledgable and completely-clueless people alike and some people are more desperate than others.

I'm almost tempted to put an auction up saying, "You are bidding on a magazine ad for a PS3", then put the system's description and basic pictures up and seeing if anyone bites.

I'm rather enjoying sitting back and watching this, considering I have no interest in PS3 myself. Only caveat: Many people seem to be forgetting about the Wii launch.

I don't know if it would be wise to try to buy a Wii at launch, even they are selling for $400 and over on ebay, depending on what they're bundled with.  I'm not going to die just because some piece of sh*t punk decides to rob me.

I think the above is hilarious.  The scalpers deserve that.

Not me. I'm just reeeeeeally raring to play Twilight Princess. And playing Okami is only fueling my desire.

The Wii is going to be in much greater supply than the PS3, so I don't think people are as concerned about lining up 2-3 days in advance.

I wouldn't be surprised if people did. Apparently email addresses with the word "PS3" in it can be worth up to $900.

http://search-completed.ebay.com/ps3-em … usZunknown