November 17, 2006
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The Sony PlayStation 3 video game console has touched down in North America. After days of camping out, some lucky gamers finally have their hands on the coveted PS3. Most, however, went home empty-handed, and some went to the hospital:
- In Connecticut, one person was shot, according to police, by gunmen who got wise to the PS3’s high price and tried to rob a line of people waiting outside a Putnam Wal-Mart store at 3 a.m.
- Michael Penkala, 21, of Webster, MA, was shot in the shoulder after confronting two robbers, police said. - In Lexington, KY, four people, one of whom was a reporter covering the PS3 craze, waiting outside a Best Buy were hit by BB pellets. No one was seriously injured.
- Police were called to Copley Place Mall in Boston at about 5 a.m. after the security staff was unable to control a large crowd that rushed in to buy the new gaming system from a Sony Style store that opened early.
With Sony promising only 400,000 systems for the nationwide launch, the chance of disappointment was high, and retailers tried to keep expectations low. Nonetheless, lines snaked around the block at many stores. Some customers were buying PS3 machines for themselves or as gifts, but many were hoping to resell them at
a profit. Units were fetching several thousand dollars early Friday at the eBay Inc. auction site. “I’m gonna sell mine,” Houston’s James Salterio said, figuring he could make anywhere between $1,500 and $4,000. His 21-year-old brother, a gamer, wanted company in line, so Salterio decided to make a profit in the process. “It’s capitalism at work,” he said.
Enthusiasm for the PlayStation 3 wasn’t dampened by its high price tag: $500 for the basic model with a 20GB hard drive, and $600 for the 60GB version, which also has built-in wireless. By contrast, Nintendo’s Wii, which goes on sale Sunday in the U.S., retails for $250. Microsoft’s Xbox 360, which had a year’s head start over rivals, sells for $300 to $400.
