Slashdot Mirror
The PlayStation 3 Launches In the U.S.
Sony's next-gen console has officially launched in the states, complete with an NYC launch party, and a giant line in San Francisco. While many gamers went home happy, the night was not without incident. There was also some ugliness, with individuals being hired to stand in line, as was done in Japan earlier this week. Overall, though, the news is positive for the hundreds of gamers who waited through the night for their new console. "As midnight approached, the first person in line, New York native Angel Paredes, was escorted into the SonyStyle Store where he was handed the first North American PS3 by Hirai and Stringer. The console's box also included a personal autographed message from Hirai. Paredes, his voice hoarse from interviews and arms tired from repeatedly hoisting the console, was a good sport, standing still for the multitude of photographers and offering a few words for anyone who asked. The first three gamers in line were comped their PS3s. Once the media buzz died down, the rest of the attendees were ushered in to get what they had been waiting for all week. Though the consoles' next destinations were unknown — many are expected to be posted on eBay for a quick profit — the next destinations of the new PS3 owners was clear — go home and get some rest. " Any readers spend the night in lines, and want to share about it? Did you eBay the thing, or are you just taking a break from Resistance? Let us know how things went, and what the system is like.
Seriously, those who have the console now will probably be away for a good week, because who needs friends when you have a PS3?
Clicked pie.
It looks like the going rate is anywhere from $3000-$5000...
Gan Family Homepage
Looks like the battle for the next gen console is finally underway. Personally I'm voting for the Wii, but the 360 and PS3 both have amazing graphics! ---------- http://www.iheartmygeek.com/
I'm watching the news right now.
This is possibly the dumbest, saddest thing I've ever seen.
I'm sick and tired of getting everything six months to one year after the USA and Japan. And Sony has been known to delay its product launches for months in markets like India. This encourages a perverted black market, where you get the PS3 within for obscene amounts of money. What's the problem with a simultaneous worldwide launch policy? You prevent black marketeering that way.
well, I figured he must be big geek, and therefore have a Slashdot log in.
On the other hand, he's probably too busy playing with his new toy.
It Is Just A Fucking Game, Damn It! I wish everyone would grow the fuck up.
It's clear that some people are just so into the giving spirit that they will do anything for the perfect gift.
My work here is dung.
But with the prices I'm hearing on Ebay, I'm beginning to wish I had. A night on a long line isn't too bad if you're pulling in four to eight grand profit.
It was a joke! When you give me that look it was a joke.
The WalMart in my city received all of 6 PS3s. I didn't go to the launch (can't afford it, want a Wii not a PS3, etc) but I have friends who work there. The 6 people waited all the way from noon until 8am. The same WalMart claims to have 50 Wiis.
Why is that ugly? Seems like capitalism at its finest. If someone is willing to pay for a service and someone is willing to perform that service, whats ugly about that?
Lazy maybe, but hardly ugly
I don't really follow games, what are the most anticipated titles besides the generic football games?
So does this mean I need to bring a baseball bat with me to buy my Wii tommorow at Target?
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I want one too ..please give me one as a christmas present. ;]
Yes, it does run Linux. From Engadget:
Yes, according to Sony you can install any PowerPC-capable Linux build. Yellow Dog Linux, however, is the most prominently supported distro announced to date.
3 S's, and the main reason why i didn't stand out in the farking cold. Kudos to those people who stand out in the cold like that. Whether you're reselling it for profit or playing in your pajamas, those people either have no lives or are dedicated to playing the newest first.
Otherwise, i still think the PS3 is a great buy if you're into the whole high def DVD thing: by the time you buy a 360 and the HD-DVD add on you're better off buying a PS3 if you want high def.
Personally, I'm waiting for 2 reasons:
1) First batch hardware from Sony is almost always shoddy.
2) Metal Gear Solid.
When the system actually has over 1 million units produced and the bugs are worked out, then the real battle starts. Not having as many exclusives (Assassins Creed, Grand Theft Auto) might bring the PS3 to a real head on fight with X360.
Of course I couldn't live without the PS3 and call myself a gamer, so I will own one exentually. It's just a matter of getting quality releases.
I've enjoyed this LOLer coaster of a ride: Hirai's and Kutaragi's comments, shortages, BD v. Hd disc battles, lack of rumble. *sniff* I'm so sad to see it go.
Alwell, it's on to the PS4, Xbox 720, and the Nintendo Ballz!
In Soviet Russia, dots slash you!
I just waited in line for days to drop a small fortune on a PS3. Now that I have it, do I:
/. ? ...shut up, I'm still playing...
A) Go and brag on
B) Go get a shower and some sleep ?
C)
Something tells me that anyone who actually got one is probably going to give one of the later two answers.
What will be used to scroll the page on /. after the Wii and PS3 releases are old news?
Now, I'm a lifer. I'll own a console for a single game or two if necessary (e.g. I'm buying a Wii for Zelda and Smash Bros. I bought a Gamecube for much the same reason).
I even camped out with my friend to buy a PS2 so we could play Tekken. Another great game.
As far as I can tell the PS3's launch titles are pretty bad. There's a Madden with pretty graphics along with a handful of other anticlimactic sports titles... There's Call of Duty 3 (....)...
Gran Turismo HD will be out before New Year's, and Metal Gear Solid isn't even making a debut until 2007. With Sony pledging 800,000 more consoles before 2007.
Additionally, the entire night campers spent at the nearest Best Buy in Minnesota was below 32F. Somehow I'm not seeing the payoff fulfilling as compared to systems past.
A 720p game, (what happened to all the 1080p games Sony Liars?) played on a TV set that does not support 720p, but supports 1080i, will down rez to 480p.
480p is not HD my little tard friends at $ony, didn't you get the memo?
Gosh, does $ony suck balls.
My biggest problem with the PS3 isin't the $600 price tag. It isin't the forced Blu-ray player. It's the SixAxis. From what I've read, the SixAxis sounds like what happened when Sony looked at the DualShock and figured out you couldn't put any more buttons on it. It just acts like another analog stick (Resistance, Project8, Warhawk), or more buttons (Madden, Resistance). All it seems to do is just make games MORE complex. And no, I'm not a total Nintendo fanboy (playing outrun2 on xbox 1 right now, addicted)
"I think an etch-a-sketch with an ethernet port would beat IE7 in web standards compliance."
Canada ... usually .... well at least when the 360 was like that.. Ottawa had a surplus. IM going up there this afternoon for the weekend. if they have em my e-bay id is.. :)
did it reach the orbit...?
Associated Press (CNN, Yahoo), is reporting that masked, armed thugs robbed people waiting in line at a Putnam, Connecticut Wal-Mart for PS3, and shot one person who wouldn't hand over their money.
Penny Arcade has pretty much nailed the idiocy of this launch, as usual.
Pretty cool toy. I was thinking of getting one but prefer my PC for the obvious reasons. o_o'
Ginga no Rekshiya Mata Each page.
so, i'm wondering how many people are going to attempt fraud on e-bay in order to get a ps3. when you're dealing with such a high amount of money like that... wouldn't you want cash in hand first before shipping the item.
...and "lose it". of course you'd get re-imbursed if you took out insurance... but you'd lose time and money.
same goes for the person wanting the console. wouldn't you want to have a handoff for something like this? someone is going to get ripped off. its only a matter of time.
what's to say people at ups or fedex aren't scanning boxes with a x-ray machine to identify a box with a ps3 in it
My wife works in the Sony building, so I strolled past it last night.
One one side of the Sony building were the dedicated or avaricious would-be-purchasers waiting to buy at midnight, but on the other side of the building there were externally visible screens showing PS3 games being played by people in one of the Sony stores. A preview reel looked awesome, but was simply a video of lots of game clips. The only games I saw being played were : some kind of off-road racing game and Madden 2007. Neither would blow my mind if I saw them on my PS2. There was little to no sign of mindboggling performance, in fact the off-road racing game seemed a bit slow.
I'm a big fan of PS2, having completed several games, but I'm going to wait for my PS3 until a) I can buy one for normal retail price without hassle and b) I see the mind-blowing graphics we're all expecting
No, I can't get one any earlier because I know an employee. In fact they haven't heard whether there will be any available for staff at all. There might be a raffle for 3, something like that.
It seems to me that geeks would rather play on a PC, where you can hack the game if you don't like it. What is the allure of consoles? I don't get it. I bought an Xbox, but I never play games on the thing - I'd rather be on a PC.
The PS3 is neat. The Wii is neat. These people are insane.
1) It's a video game console, not a cure for cancer. You don't need to get worked up over it.
2) This isn't the only chance you'll have to get one. If it is, you really don't want one anyway.
3) If you seriously didn't think you could be in the "I waited days in line for this and got nothing" group you need several reality checks.
Frankly, I'm scared that I'm going to walk to my car with my brand new Wii and some nut with a gun is going to try and take it from me. These morons seem desperate enough that they'll actually shoot me for it.
Thunderclone: ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE! ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE!
Wait, using money to pay people is wrong now?! Thank you Cindy Williams of Columbus, Ohio for setting us all straight! I know I'll never make that mistake again. By the way, Cindy, can you further explain what authority a dentist has? I mean, unless he commandeered the store, I'm not really sure what authority he abused.
People with a lot of money can almost always get what they want. It might be unfair, but that's capitalism; deal with it.
Well I'm sure this is a joke, but one bid in particular was up to 9 000 000 000 $USD http://cgi.ebay.com/SONY-PLAYSTATION-3-CONSOLE-60G B-PS3-PREMIUM-FREE-S-H_W0QQitemZ230049396649QQihZ0 13QQcategoryZ62054QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
It's not the destination that matters, but rather the journey.
Now something about this really puts a smile on my face, and I could care less about gaming.
Got Code?
I understand why the things are limited, but I don't have to like it. What I want to know is, why release these damn things in the busiest season? The only reason I come up with is everyone wants their little Johnny to have that PS3 xmas or to sell them on eBay plus the fact that alot of people in this country lose their heads all in the name of the almighty money spending holiday called Christmas.
I want a Wii on Sunday, but I'll wait until March. By then, the hype is wore off and a few more games are out.
Gorkman
I'm actually reasonably disturbed by the Chaos that has been created by greed ...
In practically every interview I have seen the reporter is talking to someone who intends to sell the PS3 for massive profit; in one case a man was talking about how he was going to make $2000 in one days work. I could be wrong but it seems like the PS3 launch has brought out everyone who is desperate to make a little money regardless of the moral cost.
If the games actually move on the auction sites at $2500, that might be a pretty good return.
If thats not sitting ducks for crooks, I dont know what is. Maybe the rich suburban teens have "daddy's credit card", but a lot of them dont have high credit lines and carry cash.
and all i got was a lousy t-shirt.
I was first in line at a local Target. It started around 330pm Wednesday and filled up by 6pm, and since I got to run the line the way I wanted I still got to go to work and others got to take miderms, go to class, etc. Even so, it was stressful to deal with the hordes of people so desperate that, if provoked, would forcefully take someone's place. The potential for profit drove most of the idiocy. Also, everyone in the line was there to make a profit except for possibly myself--I haven't decided yet.
The worst part of it was dealing with the corporate nature of Target. The employees were fine and enthusiastic, but the corporate policies were inane. For instance, no tents while they're open (8am to 10pm) with the lows being ~34F and soaking wet. Along with that, no official rules for the line from Target (read this as ass covering) so no waiting inside and no official list guaranteed even after the known slots had been filled--meaning you have to aggressively yet legally assert your place in line with an onslaught of douchebags trying to take your spot when you get up to take a piss.
Would I do it again? Probably not. Am I glad to have a PS3, HELL YES! After work today is going to be insane!
What moral cost? It's called supply and demand. It's not like this is a necessary purchase for survival.
I'm actually reasonably disturbed by the Chaos that has been created by greed ...
How is reselling a PS3 greed? To label this greed you need to know what financial situation these people are in.
Are they standing in line to afford a luxury item or is this a rare opportunity to make 2 months rent in a day?
Ticket/Event/Product Scalping ( reselling ) is not always illegal and many legitimate business do it. Tickmaster at least at one point aunctioned tickets to popular events.
Finally, who is being hurt by the PS3 resellers? The gamers who have to wait an extra week to get their hands on a PS3?
Based on upvotes, Ageism is the only "-ism" Slashdotters care about and think isn't SJW
yah im hearing stories of 3 days in line - to resell on ebay for 5k - thats about 75 dollars an hour, a very good hourly pay. wish i knew these things would be selling for exorbitant amounts before this happened, i would have sat my butt in line for 3 days!
"i stand on the edge of destruction" -shai hulud
That was supposed to be funny! How many of us remember being kids and your "friends" at school would invite you over just so you could watch them play Nintendo?
For example, if Walmart has only 20 PS3s for sale, do they have only no more than 30 copies of Ridge Racer(or any other available launch title) available?
If I was a retailer that had only X PS3s for sale, but X+Y # of copies given to me for the same game, I'd be a little ticked. Those extra titles would be gathering dust as there's no sold PS3s to play it on(at least to that store). And with the holiday season, shelf space is going to be quite important.
Takes me back to the Atari corporate muckety-muck who thought people would buy 2 of the same game for their Atari 2600. One for their home, and another for their ski resort. Yes, let's make more copies of a game than sold consoles.
PS fanboys, eBay sellers, and those paid by unscrupulous business types, waiting out in the cold for days on end ALL get a bit cranky when you drive by at 2:00AM screaming Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!
We know the lineups were mad, we read about that yesterday.
Who has a PS3? Surely one of you can give us a mini-review? Impressions? Anything?
If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
We gather here today to mourn the tragic death of Common Sense . . .
I wouldn't say it's the greed that's so disturbing... if someone's willing to wait outside forever, enduring muggings and cold and not showering, then that's fine with me.
What disturbs me is the things like the auction someone else linked to above... $89 million for a game console??? Sure it's in short supply, but within a few months it probably won't be anymore. Something's fishy about an $89 million bid, I don't see that as being legitimate, but still, seeing that other people are willing to pay 3, 5, or 9 thousand dollars or more is still incredibly insane... What do we value in the world anymore???
That was the going rate before the resale market was flooded with 400,000 potential new competitors. When supply goes up without a corresponding increase in demand, prices go down.
Some thoughts:
A brand new central processing unit (cell), one that is, at least theoretically, able to circumvent the RAM access lag existing in multicore chips.
A brand new disc format which is both larger and faster
Of course: 1080p 60fps image quality
A quiet ventilation system for the living room.
Unlike some other console online services, direct web access via a top-notch web 2.0 browser (probably rebranded firefox).
In a few weeks, a free version of Yellow Dog Linux with Firefox, Openoffice and built on Enlightenment.
Easy plugging in usb mouse and keyboard.
Oh yeah, and games of course...
I, for one, am looking forward to March when we poor Europeans will be served.
I've read from different sources that many people interviewed in line intend to sell the box, not keep it. Thus, waiting outdoors for days in inclement weather for a sizeable payoff makes a certain amount of sense, but of course only to those with a limited ability to make their free time more effective financially.
what fucking moral cost?
This guy isn't holding a gun to people's heads and demanding that they pay him $2000 for his PS3. If he makes $2000 on it it's because someone wants to pay him that much for it. Supply and demand.
How is tilting a controller to fly "more complex"
I do that already anyway! Now I just won't have to use the thumb stick as well.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Ballz! Poo! LOL! Seriously, that made my morning. I'd buy that crap. ;)
PS3 launched, hurray. Hopefully I am not called a 'non-gamer' because I chose to stay in my warm bed after having shut off my PS2 for the evening a scant 8 hours earlier... which was also being played in my nice warm house where I had nachos and pop and everything, oh my! There won't be a PS3 when I get home today! Oh well, I did get a raise because I don't do things like take the day off to play the one game that came out with a currently over-priced system, I'll just turn on the just-as-good (for now) PS2 again. It came in a fancy GT3 box. I bet all the people who waited in line on its launch date are jealous! It pays to wait, you get a limited edition box. Now that's hip.
12 bids in a row for $200 to $500 a piece. Cmon. I have been looking at the auctions I think it's like a crew of 40 people just bidding the crap out of every auction because they are mad that they didn't stand in line long enough to get one.
The "if I can't have it no one will" childish mentality is really irritating. I think once those people get banned and the next couple crews of them get banned as well the price will settle down to like 2k. Which is still high, but a lot more manageable than $8k.
Ebay should put a limit on who can bid on these. Minimum 100+ feedback or something might be a good idea.
See all the violence? All the mayhem? All the utter stupidity? Get these people off the streets and playing/selling their PS3's, so I can enjoy the Wii launch on Sunday without getting shanked.
Yeah, but if I was Nintendo or Sony, I would have kept things quite a bit longer and either released next year or like the did with the DSlite....release in June. That way it will sell alot in Jun and in December.
Gorkman
(Hint: Most people have more Cents than Dollars. Usually 100X more.)
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
First of all, some of you are saying how wrong it is for people to be purchasing PS3's and reselling them for profit. Tell me how that's wrong. It's entrepreneurship at its best. These people have the time and patience to wait in line 5 days while the rest of us have to work. They make some money off it by reselling to people that can afford to pay a crazy price for the console. It doesn't hurt anybody, since the people that can afford the high price get their consoles, the people who stand in line make a profit, and Sony gets the media buzz. It's a win for everyone except the people at the end of the line who really want to keep the system for themselves, but those people should take issue with Sony limiting production, not the people taking advantage of the system. Heck, around here someone paid a homeless person to stand in line for them, which there's also nothing wrong with. Same situation as before, and you have the added benefit of a homeless person making a decent amount of cash for sitting outside.
Now onto crazy Walmart managers.
Basically, this idiot Walmart manager decides that instead of giving the first 10 people in line their consoles, he'll set up 10 chairs and have everyone race toward them. REAL SMART. Some guy runs into a pole (don't know how that happens anyway) and ends up in the hospital. Great job by a Walmart employee messing up a situation that would have been really easy to handle.
You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. --Winston Churchill
Did they let people pre-order these things? I mean if you wanted one so much then why didn't you pre-order it months ago. I know when the 360 came out my friend pre-ordered it. Then on launch day he was actually out of the country. So I went and picked his up for him. There were like three people there because the GameStop only had pre-order consoles. But the Best Buy across the street had a huge line. I just don't get why you would want to stand in line.
I have been waiting around waiting to see if the Costco.com was going to put up a PS3 bundle as rummored. Well they did and their site is completely unreachable as of this writting. If you can get Costco.com's main page they show the PS3 bundle as sold out. jm
Ps'es, Star wars galaxies (soe division), rootkit-installing cds, crappy consumer electronics support .. havent you people learned your lesson yet ?
Now they are letting you fight over their products like roosters - pecking at each other in stores to get a limited supply shit - and thinking it is a good publicity.
sony should be sued for creating such a chaos.
Read radical news here
That, and likely immortality in the next Jackass movie! Truth is, no one made him run for one of those chairs except himself. If you can win a lawsuit based on your own stupid actions, then the first lawyer has finally made it to Heaven!
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
I've made $375 sitting at home by buying Nintendo stock a couple weeks before the launch. If only I'd bought it at the beginning of the year I'd have doubled my $5000 investment by now!
I haven't been able to see packages like this in the U.S., but I have heard about a $100 rebate in one of the smaller chains in the U.S. I can't find a link right now.
XBox 360 Premium console, Ghost Recon:Advanced Warfighter, Xbox Live Arcade: Unplugged, Ridge Racer 6 and Gears of War for $499.99 CAN at Future Shop. $499.99 CAN is the launch price of the Xbox 360 premium console. Best Buy in Canada is offering the same deal without Ridge Racer 6. Oddly Future Shop is owned by Best Buy.
I'm hoping that the Nintendo Wii doesn't do as well as predicted at launch. Nintendo has some room to cut prices. I hope there is a price war all around.
Gee, an $89,000,000 bid might not be legit. You think so, doctor?
Though most have high bidders with 0 feedback, and are probably being shilled to look like a real PS3 by price...
tm
Support TBI Research: http://www.raisinhope.org
As it seems everybody trying to get a PS3 right now is doing it to ebay it. So I'm guessing we won't be hearing any comments on the console itself before a few days for the bids to settle and the shipping delays. At first I felt sad that people were willing to stay in line for a console. But seeing the reports on how everybody is doing it to sell them, now I'm just sad to know there are so many people ready to buy it at inflate prices.
It's not like the PS3 will save the world or something, you're just going to be playing the same games as before with a little more graphics.
Standing in line for someone else to make a little money is "ugliness," but standing in line to sell a PS3 on ebay to make a little money is praised as the natural behavior of any geek. Please!
There was saturation advertising (every spot except for the small-ads) of the 360 in the Metro free newspaper this morning. I wondered why, and the PS3 and Wii releases explain it quite thoroughly...
"Little does he know, but there is no 'I' in 'Idiot'!"
..the same people standing in line for a week to get a PS3 can't find the time to vote. If you did, good for you.
PS3 - plan on spending a lot less time masturbating!
Okay, you already know that. Let's discuss where they're stupid today.
Sony is stupid today for selling PS3 at a significant (>$200) loss per console to people willing to pay more to have it first. Sony could have priced at cost, reverse-auctioned, or otherwise collected far more from early console sales, and likely had less fighting over them, by a more market-aware selling campaign for say the first 1M units. Instead they leave it all on the table -- in this case the auction table at eBay. Has this really gained them equivalent goodwill in return?
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
Actually it received 106. The first 100 went to managers, employees, concubines, lifetime friends, and anyone else with an In. The whole reason that there were 6 left over is that most WalMart employees can't afford a PS3 on their salaries.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
1) PC gaming is expensive. As expensive as $600 sounds for a console, consider that once you've spent it, that's it for hardware. You never need to buy any upgrades save for things like more controllers and such. However with a computer, it's a continuous thing. Graphics cards move at a frantic pace. I bought a $300 graphics card about a year ago, and I'm looking at doing the same thing again now that the DirectX 10 cards are rolling out.
2) It's more effort. A console game just works. It has to, there's only one platform for it to run on. Put in disc, game runs. Not so for PC games. It's usually like that, but not always. Sometimes it's more like install game, game doesn't run, apply patch, game runs with problems, update graphics drivers, now game runs.
3) Consoles are better designed for multiplayer in one room. PCs count on there being a single operator so most games are designed with that in mind. Their multiplayer is done such that you connect to other PCs and each gamer has their own system. Consoles are designed for multiple controllers to be played around a TV, so many multiplayer games have provisions for multiple operators to use a single unit. Nice if you have a few friends over and you all want to play.
4) Exclusive games. In part due to the greater sales and in part due to pressure from the console makers, game companies will sign exclusive deals. Means if you want to play that game, you are doing so on that console. No ports to other consoles or to the PC.
Personally, I'm a PC gamer. I'd own a high end PC anyways and I find that more of the games that I like are PC only, but I can see why one would own a console.
where thinking about the longer-term consequences of your actions isn't just overlooked, it's actively ignored. If you mention "opportunity cost" to the average credit card user out there, you're going to get a look of ignorance that's almost bovine in its nescience.
:-)
Funny thing is, I used to be in pretty much that same frame of mind until I got married. I just never thought more than a couple of months ahead... probably mostly because I got in the habit of living paycheck-to-paycheck when I was in the Army (talk about low pay!) and while I was a college student, I was just living month-to-month on my GI Bill money. My wife (who is brilliant and a 4.0 math major) started pointing out all the things that we were doing that involved long-term tradeoffs and I was totally amazed at the amount of money we were spending on "unnecessaries." Working together, we were able to get ahead of the curve and eventually, we bought both our cars for cash and our house with a nice down payment. We haven't paid interest on a credit card in about five years, and the last time I was out of work, we had enough cash to tide us over. We still spend money on "fun" stuff, but we're always careful to think about the tradeoffs so that we're making informed decisions.
The moral of my story: if you're not a financial genius, marry someone who is
Interested in a Flash-based MAME front end? Visit mame.danzbb.com
Checked this morning; the following retailers within three miles around me are expecting the following amount of Wiis:
For comparison, they had this many PS3s:
Part of me wonders how many casual shoppers (read: moms) are going to walk in looking for a PS3 and walk out with a Wii.
-Rob
Biblical fiscal responsibility
Why do they always release the consoles around a month before Christmas? Why wouldn't they do it at least 3 months before Christmas allowing for more time to get more units on the market?
It's okay, our ps3 line (Sam's Club in ohio) just started last night on the 16th. It's cold here so i feel sorry for em. There were eight when i left the store and a tent. Actually maybe the line started earlier and I didn't notice.
The real reason I feel sorry for em is because we got 1-5 PS3's according to a manager. We were supposed to get 5 but him throwing out the 1-5 number is somewhat scary. It pretty much means we got one unit and we may get the other 4 tomorrow.
Hmmm... Pie...
You insensitive clod! Don't you see that for every greedy b-----d who scalps a PS3, some poor child will wake up Christmas morning and find that Santa didn't give him the console he asked for, and to add insult to injury Bill Gatesaclaus left him an XBOX 360 instead? Will someone please think of the children?
Prov 9:8 Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you.
I would say that you thought about the children, but then, this is slashdot. Children require relationship, you know.
I know a guy who will walk onto a lot carrying a bank check in the amount he believes a car is worth (after conducting research), walk up to a car sitting on the lot, point to it, and waves the check in front of the salesman. He tries to time this for end of year sales, so he'll pick up the current model just as the lot is transitioning to next years model.
By doing this he saves interest on the car loan; he avoids buying extra junk to be installed, and drives the exact car he pointed to off the lot right then and there. Then he'll drive that car into the ground over the next decade or so until it's worthless. During that time he saves for the next car - just like he was paying for a car loan - except without the interest.
He's not rich, he doesn't make a pile of money - he just plans ahead. And it saves him a bundle of money.
No, "customers" are not willing to pay $2000 per unit - but in the present circumstances, where availability of the system is poor, a select few idiots are willing to pay $2000 per unit.
---GEC
I'm but the humble pupil, seeking to snatch the scratchbuilt pebble from the master's fully articulated hand
Retailers should be held responsible for their disorganization and ineptitude. Any store that required a police presence should be forced to pay for those services and should be fined for causing a public disturbance. That's essentially what they've done.
They should have either forced these people to go home or they should have kept things organized. When you've got a crowd of people with such misplaced priorities waiting so long it's inevitable there will be problems. If the store manager didn't have enough sense to prepare the responsibility for whatever problems ensue falls squarely on his shoulders. The tax payers certainly shouldn't be forced to pay to restore order at these stores.
come with Duke Nuke'em Forever?
The purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure poor reasoning, and inhibit clarity....Calvin
I'm a Sony whore turning cheap tricks to make my Final Fantasy come true; however, I can't make myself descend to the Craigslist level and debase myself for launch day.
Wait few months and you'll be able to get it without humiliating yourself. Plus, if the console does break, there might be a chance in 7 hells you'll be able to get a replacement.
Article is wrong. They forgot about Atlantic Canada. We're -1hr from New York, our midnight was at 11:00pm in New York.
I wonder how many people "standing in line for the PS3" were really just waiting to be the first to get a Wii on Sunday.
Or alternatively, how many will just stay in line the extra two days since they didn't get Sony's love machine.
that isn't a word...
You were probably trying to be funny, but the truth is that the employees (at least the night crew who stock shelves) were not allowed to get one (not at this WalMart anyhow). I would expect the managers and higher-ups did get one if they wanted them though.
Retail Ebay PS3 Price: $3,300
That is absolutely sickening to think that some idiot would spend $3,300 on a game system with no games. Not just one idiot, 37 bidding idiots. Wake up, its a video game system for fun. Try a computer, it is like less than half the price and plays better games over the internet, is only limited by the graphics card (which can be upgraded), and can be faster, better audio, etc. Seems to me, even if I was an avid PS fan I would still sell mine for that kind of money. Those people should be ashamed of them selves for being so dumb.
Frankely I am backing the Microsoft XBOX cause in just about every way that matters to a gamer it is better. So it doesn't have blue-ray, big deal, HD-DVD is winning the war anyway. What happens if blue-ray fails? So it doesn't have built in wi-fi. Who wants to play games over a crappy wi-fi signal anyway. The playstation multiplayer and lack of downloadable content makes a LAN connection almost a must anyway. XBOX is cheaper, downloadable content, better multiplayer games (Halo 2, PSU, Gears of War, etc), downloadable demos and betas (Awaiting the Halo 3 beta in Spring 2007!!!), downloadable content from the video gam conventions, the live arcade games, XBOX Vision, HD-DVD Support, Zune, iPod support, streaming of music and video from local pcs, conenction to a Media Center computer to watch recorded TV shows, customizable skins and face plates, etc. The choice should be obvious.
http://cgi.ebay.com/PS3-SONY-PLAYSTATION-3-PREMIUM -60GB-SYSTEM-CONSOLE_W0QQitemZ280044007577QQihZ018 QQcategoryZ62054QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
$14,000? No way this wasn't rigged somehow...10-1 the guy was upping his own sale price...
And no one forces you to run for the exit when someone yells "fire" in a crowded building...
1. Insert disk, play game
2. My hardware is sufficient
-G
www.pixelstatic.com
The IRS would care about a transaction that was $89 million.
Hmmm... Just a wiley thought but, I wonder if the IRS has any say in the profits made by the eBay-ing of the PS3s. I hope these guys forget to pay the tax man, that would be sweet schodenfreud(sp?).
Getting to a chair to get a PS3 != Getting out the door to save your life
about 4 weeks ago I received a first class letter from my grandmother postmarked 1990... yes you read that right... 17 years ago!
It was opened and pillaged for the cash within.
It was the first and last time my grandmother sent cash through the mail, of course now I'm old enough to have her visit my apartment.
Aaany way.. they never caught the guy.
VLC FOR MAC IS DYING! IF YOU DEVELOP, PLEASE SAVE IT!!
You know, the poor people living in the streets but still clinging to the TV sets ?
Especially not if the first person there is crushed to death by the crowd stampeding after them. I'll make the rational decision of which exit can I escape from before the fire gets me. Panic kills more than fires.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
A PS3 costs around $600 for the good one, way more on eBay apparently. So why not just buy a full-on PC? Correct me if I'm wrong, but are there any highly-desired games exclusive to the PS3, that wouldn't be available as PC games? You can get similar controllers, etc. Power-wise, you can certainly have a system that rivals a PS3 for that money, plus it will do real email with a full-size keyboard, and all the other stuff a PC does.
stuff |
Many people think that this madness was over the PS3, but really, this was the only place that you could get the Ricky Bobby movie early. That had to account for at least half the crowd. Right?
There's a lot of PS3 hate here, and I don't understand why.
;-).
Imagine I started to market a set-top PC:
1. Near silent.
2. Very sleak and svelt looking.
3. Bluetooth/USB/Wifi/SD/Memory stick support.
3. HDMI output, 1080p included.
4. Fully supported PPC Linux, out-of-box; no messy kernel hacking!
5. Blu-Ray support.
Surely, such a thing would be an absolute bargain at $600. $600 is near the price for some barebone mini-itx systems, and the PS3 is vastly cooler looking (I mean, really, the case is nice!)
As a side benefit, it apparently runs some games
Not even looking at the launch title, but with the vague understand that at some point I'll be able to play a Final Fantasy, and maybe a metal gear solid, this seems like an incredible value to me.
I just bought an 62" HDTV at a CompUSA that was going out of business for $1400. I've been very seriously thinking about a MythTV box to hook up to it, but I'll never be able to afford the box I want (HD playback, either HDDVD or blu-ray, wireless support, and a nice, near-silent form factor); and here comes along Sony, building something _superior_ to the box I would have designed, at literally less than 1/2 the price.
Now, I'll be a little whiny that there isn't OpenGL support in Linux, yet; but I wouldn't be surprised to see Sony & YellowDog work out some sort of deal.
For me, this slaughters the Xbox 360 & Wii. I don't know about you all, but I thought this was a site for nerds. Any of you out there running MythTV should be salivating. Any of you out there playing with XBMC should be salivating. This is hack-free, no modchip required, media center in a box with a blu-ray drive and Linux.
What more could you possibly have asked for from Sony, other than greater launch day availability?
Seriously; stop bitching about the price, and sit down and work out how much it would cost you for a MythTV box that even came close to this puppy. Dollars to donuts it would either be more expensive or far uglier, and this doesn't even require you to look at the value-add of the PS3/PS2/PS1 games.
WhiteWolf666 an exBush supporter. All you new-school,compassionate,save the children Republicans can rot in hell
Mark Cuban?
"Don't Forget to Salt the Fries"
Probably not, if it's anything like the XBox 360 release.
These stores, for the most part are trying to be show that they are fair to everyone involved so they closely monitor where these systems are going and whose getting them.
The company I work for gives way a lot of electronics as promotions to our customers and as such, we spend between 10 -25K a month with Compusa to get this stuff. While not a huge amount in the big picture, that's a lot of money for one stores single customer, especially since we've had this relationship going on 5 years. We tried to get them to hold a 360 for us on release day, to use for one of our promotions and we were told no way. Even going up the chain of corporate did not do anything for us.
Of course, one of these days this strategy is going to backfire on the stores. I would argue by not simply taking pre orders or other similar "fair" distribution system, they are encouraging people to line up outside their stores to increase the hype. When somebody gets hurt, as they already have, could they not try and make a claim against the store for promoting these unsafe conditions?
Email me voices101885@yahoo.com Have in hand and ready to ship.
I work at a Wal-Mart. I didn't work thursday night, but I was there to watch. We had been telling people all week that there was no official line, they could wait anywhere, but tickets for the midnight sale would be handed out at 10pm in layaway. Apparently, management changed their mind on Thursday and instead of doing something easy, like a day long raffle a nearby Wal-Mart decided to do, they decided to announce the location of where the tickets were to be handed out at 9:30pm over the intercom. We only had two of each kind of PS3, and we were giving out 8 rainchecks for future systems (rainchecks do not a guarantee make by the way).
I have never seen anything like it beofre. Nearly all of the people in the store were waiting for the announcement, just standing at the heads of aisle waiting to run. It felt like something from a cheesy treasure hunt movie. I'd guess around 200 people waiting, and no one was buying anything at the registers. (Of course, what else do people do in retail stores when they're not really doing anything? Making a mess in the aisles for the associates to clean up, but I digress) At 9:30 when they announced the location in the shoes department, people ran from one side of the store to the other, pushing associates into clothing racks trying to be one of the first 12 when they knew full well they couldn't possibly be with that many people there. Once the peaceful line was formed in shoes, and by peaceful I mean ravenous and by line I mean mob trying to surge through the freight door to get a ticket, interns and management handed out the 12 tickets to grabby, yelling, pushing, nearly crowdsurfing shoppers. There were students, parents, fanboys, and their whole families and every one of their friends. Once the tickets were all handed out, they told everyone to go continue shopping or go home and dissapeared behind the freight doors as the the freight on pallets started being pulled out again.
All in all, pretty rediculous. But I suppose that's the point. No matter how much bad press something receives, there's always going to be someone that's willing to test the reviews and overlook the shortcomings. This time there were 200 stampeding, writhing, yelling, pushing someones.
I do, however, work this Saturday for the Wii release. We have 18 of those. I'm predicting a slightly smaller crowd, but who knows. Unfortunately I can't get one. 1: I work there and have to wait 24 hours. 2: I have no money, because I work at Wal-Mart. 3: (possibly the least important?) Little time between studying for school..... I'm sure at least one of those could be ignored.............
My store had 2 of each unit, and at 1st we had this whole plan set up for where the line would be held. but after this incident hit the news http://playstationteam.com/news/campers-at-ps3-lau nch-robbed-at-gunpoint.htm
some campers at circuit city had been mugged on the news, we changed the line
into a raffle.
Just casually watching the eBay auctions for a few minutes shows that actually getting your money from your auction would be
Basically, there's a bunch of kids (Or just immature adults) that are bidding up every auction to beyond ridiculous. It's the same names over and over, a mixture of new accounts and obviously hijacked ones.
Looking at "completed" auctions, I would say that about 1 out of every 10 has managed to get an actual buyer (slipped by the kids) and even then as a buyer
Basically
- Roach
Here's the minimum requirements for BF 2142: http://www.totalbf2142.com/page.php?do=sysreq.
In case you're too lazy to read it, it's a P4 1.7, 512MB ram, 1.8GB hard drive space and a ATI Radeon 9500 or Nvidia GeForce 5800. The only possible gripe is the requirement of 128MB vRam and DX9.0, but any DX9.0 compatible card usually has 128MB vRam. I mean, I bought my system 2 years ago and it was already "old" then, and it's a P4 2.4 with 1GB of ram and an ATI Radeon 9800. When I bought it it was $400cdn (refurbished). Seriously, these requirements are not that high, and your entire argument is based on the fact they are.
So, good idea spending $600 on a PS3 that is awkard to use for anything except for games, instead of paying much less for a new computer that can both play games and do development to replace your obvious 10-year old shit box.
For those wondering it was a buy it now for $49,000 USD. 'Course if you're in the market it looks like the first 10 pages of PS3 systems on ebay, sorted high price to low, have no bids. Expect round 2 on eBay after all those auctions fail.
It's not an either/or -- you can have both. There are girls who are both smart AND attractive out there, they're just harder to find. But they do exist, 'cause I married one :-)
Interested in a Flash-based MAME front end? Visit mame.danzbb.com
Unfortunately it was a bunch of kids and they ended up biting eachother; even though they had enough for everybody.
Could someone who bought one on e-bay for $nk elaborate on why they did it? Really, I'd be interested.
My own take - and btw - this needs a new thread as I didn't see any REAL posts - just the usual snarkage, meaning if you're reading this - I'm impressed beyond words.
I got my PS2 in the Meteron in 2000's line on a bit of a lark, coming into line at 3-330pm that day. I was in the last 3rd of the line and it was only in front of the metreon itself.
This time - to be safe (har har) - I'd show at noon, and see what's up. That and I didn't really want to stand for more than 12 hours. The general on the street buzz was that all passes were gone by 9am, and they made their final wrist count at 10. That said, it was basically spoiled by the Metreon not preventing all-night camping (how they avoided it then I have no idea but they did - perhaps it was because the Moscone extension was still a construction site and Minna wasn't open). Once that happened this go-around, the whole of the next day was alloted already.
I seem to remember talking about this in line in 2000 and they basically kept that scenario from happening. This time they weren't so lucky. One other factor, it was raining - alot - in 2000. There wasn't any weather factor this time around, although given the tents, not sure that would have mattered either.
One last group mutter was the ebay effect. Although ebay was happening 6 years ago, it wasn't nearly to the gold-rush degree it is now. People were offering their units for sale this time on the street once they exited the store. Understandable - but kind of sad.
I stayed in a sub-line that started that afternoon, under the vague notion of another folly that happened in 2000. Back then - there was a line-bump. Basically there were 500 passes and an undermined amount of extras. About 100 more people were bumped into the line very late - and did in fact secure game units. This was also confirmed by one line goer who was a "bumpee" last year (his line position play-by-play matched with the group we spotted that night). I only remember it because we'd refered to them as the "dry ones" as the rest of us were still dripping wet.
I entertained this not only because I wanted to see some of the "line show" (a truck pulling up with the units and other theatrics for the cameras) but because if there was going to be another bump, I was in the first 10 past the cut-off point. Of course, since this wasn't regulated, I left to hit some hangouts of mine nearby, get a couple of red bulls and return hours later closer to midnight (no I didn't stay in for 12 hours). Plus hell - I paid for all day parking anyway, might as well - again - watch the show.
Scored some chochkies and used my limited press credentials (photo pass from the devo show and some business cards of clients and various affiliates) and scored a press kit. Didn't get a ps3 - but it wasn't less memorable than 2000.
Think the Metereon is tapped out. The campers have pretty much insured that the line will begin and end in the first hour. Better to take your chances with pre-orders if you want to muck with first-day-itis at all.
Met some great people though. So hey. And since this summary is over 500 words - I'm a keepin' my press-pack.
It doesn't even approach the Wii's level of control, but it can only help, as long as developers aren't stupid (which is a pretty big assumption).
The PS3 controller is capable of measuring the same movement as the Wii is. The Wii has the advantage of external sensors which makes determining absolute position for a longer period more reliable, but you have to calibrate both of them to start anyway. The Wii's shape lens itself a lot more naturally to the whole sword/gun handle kind of thing, but it doesn't mean the detectors are necessarily that much more functional.
So far developers are making better use of it than I thought they would so I hold out high hopes for the Wii having a lot of titles will really good controls.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
SixAxiS: Use two sticks, twelve buttons, and be very careful about how you hold the controller to avoid accidental input.
The way a lot of games are doing things is they let you either use the motion control OR a stick. Not both at the same time.
And how careful you have to be depends on the games sensitivity to movement, which will be generally adjustable by the player. After all, the Wii would otherwise have the same problem with hand tremors...
Also, for added fun, grab something in both hands as if you were holding a PlayStation controller. Anything solid will do.
You mean like a steering wheel or flight yoke?
Yeah, real hard.
Now imagine trying to do a sharp banking turn in a flying game. You'll have to start moving your arms to get useful motion out of it.
If your arms have trouble bending, I'd have a doctor check that out.
I think you may well be using arm movement with a Wii controller as well.
Presumably the intention is that people will only be holding the controller one-handed when using the tilt controls. Unfortunately, that'll leave it off-balance,
No, because the controller is really light to counteract that problem. Remember back when a bunch of idiots interpreted a review saying it was "light" as "flimsy"? Nope, it was made lighter to use in a variety of ways just like this.
Ultimately, though, you'll probably be right: it won't be any more complicated than the PS2, because after the first batch of games that use the tilt feature, no one will be using it any more.
I guess the Wii would be screwed then, if your idea held any merit.
If you look at upcoming game titles that's not the way the trend is going.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Its a check for $2400. Most people in line aren't going to play the console, they are going to ebay it.
Have you ever been to a turkish prison?
link. Video of the smashing posted on the web site. This is from the same guys that smashed an xbox 360 last year and taped the results.
The 360 has already had a year head start. Sony and Nintendo weren't going to give Microsoft a second Christmas season to themselves, especially now that Microsoft has their supply ramped up.
We know you don't like the PS3, give it a rest man!
Some people might *gasp* actually like both the Wii AND the PS3 - and even the 360!
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Consider this:
With PC gaming games are constantly designed for the newest, fastest cards. So you in turn must keep up by upgrading cards and system and motherboard and memory.
With a console, the hardware is fixed - so over time development houses learn how to do more with what they have.
It's a matter of who spends the money for upgrades in performance in games - either you (the PC) or the game makers (with console titles).
I know which math works better for me. And with HD support in the latest round the disparity between PC and console titles is really not all that great as it used to be, which was the major reason to still stick with PC gaming.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
For those who pay it. That is how we determine what something is worth. Worth is relative. A given thing (product/service) is worth no more than the buyer will pay and no less than the seller will accept. Everything else is opinion.
Furthermore, selling legally purchased legal products on Ebay does not a black market make. Black markets are defined as markets trading illegal goods, or legal goods illegally. AFAIK, there is nothing illegal about someone in India or France buying a PS3 on EBay, provided the unit isn't stolen and known to be (It is only illegal to knowingly buy stolen goods). To say these people standing in line to buy one to sell on Ebay are selling on a black market is tantamount to calling them criminals in the legal sense.
My Suburban burns less gasoline than your Prius.
Well, go figure what happens when proper regulation isn't in place for things like this - you have people going crazy when they can flip it. Just disregard the folks who cant seem to get the thing in the head regarding externalities such as that violence and think "opportunity cost".
Even if it is not a "necessary-to-life item", that chaos would be stemmed if you couldn't sell it off for cost+50 until such a time where there would be a loss to hold the item. It's worked for tickets (e.g. World Cup in scalping hostile territories), maybe they could be consulted to solve that problem.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
The Wii is finally catching up to the cyber-puck, which was part of a VR helmet (VFX1) that I had in 1998 or so.
Console controllers suck balls. But they serve as a edge for long time players, so console monkeys like them and even claim they are 'good'. Once you waste the time to get all the button combos down you just can't admit the controller sucks. It's an old grifters trick.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
Unless you upgrade your computer. Most new games run just fine on older machines albeit with PS2 quality graphics/bitmap resolutions.
Your console isn't magically getting more powerful ether.
Think of it this way for one golden moment as a console player your games machine will work as well as a good PC. For the next five years you'll be stuck playing with increasingly lame graphics and already very lame controllers.
For those of us that upgrade PCs regularly for simple economic reasons (CPU cycles are cheap, our time is expensive) it's a no brainer. Besides try to write off a console, graphics cards on the other hand are not questioned. (Yes Mr. IRS agent I need three 21 inch LCDs backed by NVidia GPUs, it improves my programming productivity!)
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
The $9000 bids are just to make the real bidders think they are getting a good deal paying $3000
I suppose I'm the only one that would just sit in his seat until he smelled smoke?
...would pay to get an advantage in a long line to purchase basic staples like flour.
Limited supply of an item that's in demand is going to create long lines, whether it's in the Soviet Union or a country ruled by "capitalist decadence" like the USA. And some folks with more money than others are going to consider it worth their while to have someone do the waiting for them.
Sure, it's ridiculous that people are going to such lengths to get their hands on a toy, and the PS3 lines, Ebay auctions, etc. demonstrate that some folks have waaaay more money than is good for them. But they simultaneously demonstrate that our "ugly" capitalist economy deserves some praise, too: After all, it's great that people only have to wait in these long lines for luxury items instead of basic staples like food or soap. Capitalism has warts aplenty, but one should keep things in perspective.
But all that aside, focusing on folks paying other to wait in line for them as being "ugly" is ridiculous when people are being beaten up and robbed over a freakin' video game console!
Here in calgary there was a drastic shortage. I waited over 16 hours throughout the city (eventually ending up at one location about 2am) only to discover that the mixed information we recieved (the security guards told us they had 40 units) had stabbed us in the back. They had 4 copies at the store there, and they hadn't even arrived. Some meatheads cheated and started their own line well before anyone else was allowed to, and security didnt even shoo them away. not doing this again.
It seems you could be able to enjoy rFactor. :D
However I stopped using that gamepad technique when I bought the steering wheel.
We are Turing O-Machines. The Oracle is out there.
You're spot on.
I now play Descent 3 (yes that old game) with a game pad AND a mouse!
Ok, sometimes only with the gamepad, much better for navigation. But if things get to hard, I move one hand to the mouse to aim better to my enemies.
No keyboard involved.
We are Turing O-Machines. The Oracle is out there.
Great post! Mods, bump this up. It's awesome to hear both perspectives here, and a great story that made me wanting to know more of the experience, to boot.
-Julius X
remove "-whatkindofspamdoyoutakemefor-" from email to send
Thanks, dude... I wrote that because I was way too tired at work to do any work and I was hoping someone would like it. It totally made my day to see that you enjoyed it!