PS3 sales create craze, some result in violence

news via daily press

People can “Play Beyond” but they will also have to pay beyond if they must have the newest creation from Sony.

The 400,000 Playstation 3 systems that hit the market Friday created a craze across the county.

There was a high demand for the systems that Sony says offer an array of multimedia options from playing music, videos and games to downloading photos, browsing the Internet and video chatting with other game fanatics. This demand created long lines at stores and even violence.


It was reported that nearly 700 people stood outside a Sony Style store in New York and more than 800 at a store in San Francisco.

With a small supply of the systems distributed in the Untied States, most stores only carried 10 to 30 consoles. In Montrose, Wal-Mart was the only location to receive any.

Employee Jessica Kaiser said she was working at 12:01 a.m., Friday when the systems went on sale. The store didn’t set them on the selves and Kaiser said they sent anyone asking to layaway. She said the store had 12 systems, having both versions that sold for $500 to $600.

Now that all the store shelves are empty, game fanatics have few options if they must have a PS3. The consoles are going for up to $3,000 on E-Bay.

Leo Mitchell has been playing video games since 1989 when Nintendo and Sega were first released. He said he was one of the first to purchase a Playstation 2 when it hit the market, but this time he’s holding off.

“I’m going to wait a couple of years because the first batch always has a few bugs,” he said. “PS2 did the same thing.”

Elisha Curtis, Hastings’ store manager, said she received a memo from Sony that stated only 25 to 30 percent of older games are working with the units.

Hastings didn’t receive any consoles this time but it is possible that it might for Christmas. She said it all depends on Sony. The store’s phone lines were busy both Thursday and Friday with callers wanting to know if Hastings was carrying the PS3.

No violence broke out in Montrose, but other cities weren’t as lucky.

The Associated Press reported in Hartford, Conn., that two armed men tried to rob a line of people waiting in line and shot one man who refused to hand over his money.

In Chicago, a line of 300 people gathered outside Best Buy. Police were called after fights broke out when people were accused of cutting in line.

The PS3 sold in minutes across the nation. Today, gamers will have a chance to get their hands on Nintendo’s new “Wii.” The company hopes to supply 4 million systems to stores across the nation, but sellouts are still expected.