Topic: Playstation 3 Release sparks violence and a shooting

[ElCheapo]

From Toronto Daily News:

A man, who was waiting for a chance to buy a new Playstation 3, was shot and wounded after confronting armed thugs.

The man was wounded during a robbery attempt while he was waiting outside a Wal-Mart store in Connecticut to buy a new Sony Playstation 3, Connecticut State police said.

Two armed men demanded money from 15 to 20 people who were waiting for the store to open, at around 3:15 a.m., police said in a press release.

Police said the victim had confronted the armed suspects and was shot. The man was treated at the scene and transported to the hospital nearby.

In another incident, a Wal-Mart store in Palmdale, Calif., was closed and police arrived after crowds became violent.

Playstation 3, the highly anticipated successor to Sony's PlayStation 2 video game console, is set to become the hottest electronics gift this year.

So far, PlayStation 3 is the most advanced gaming system on the market. It takes full advantage of the new Blu-ray disc format which has five times the capacity of DVD's, so not only does PlayStation 3 play the most advanced games with breathtaking high definition graphics, but HD movies as well.

Plus, PlayStation 3 has built-in online gameplay access, a web browser, new motion sensitive controller, and comes standard with a hard disc drive so PlayStation 3 users can download and store games, movies, music, photos and more from our free online PlayStation network.

The shopping hysteria has been triggered by Sony's announcement that there would be a possible shortage of Playstation 3's while the company plans to correct the system errors that occur in the current model.

WTH?

[Steve F]

From Toronto Daily News:

The shopping hysteria has been triggered by Sony's announcement that there would be a possible shortage of Playstation 3's while the company plans to correct the system errors that occur in the current model.

WTH?

This just tells me that all those morons trying to get the "first ones" are buying flawed equipment.
 Like you said  WTH?
I don't play computer games or anything like it (I think they're a waste of my time), so maybe I'm missing something here?
Reminds me of when Microsoft unveiled Windows 95 for the first time.......all the nerds in the world were camped out in front of the computer stores 

[6pkrunner]

People have been conditioned to marketing hype beyond belief. Cabbage Patch dolls, Tickle Me Elmo and others of that like come to mind. The hype and "must have" brainwashing should be outlawed. And some still think people aren't a lot like sheep? I'm in the conspiracy camp that Sony is intentionnally shipping few to generate this hype, and increase demand. By next March it'll be a "who cares" item.

[ElCheapo]

I was just gonna mention the Tickle me Elmo. I remember hearing of some fool on the radio trading an Over Under Featherweight Shotgun for the stupid thing. 

[ProTeal55]

Their is no shortage of these things...
I am sure their is a warehouse FULL of them in Japan.
Sony does this all the time with their products.

1. Generate a huge hype/buzz
2. Say their is a "limited" supply so everyone HAS TO have one
3. Then drop the price $200 a month after the holidays to sell the remaining inventory

Just like HD, it's all marketing.....

[Ted Nomura]

Unless if they have a CB750 game I don't know about, I'm not going to kill myself getting one. I don't even have PS2 but I guess they're cheap enough now to get one.

[burmashave]

Are any of you guys Maddox fans?  He's got a hilarious rant (not safe for work -- language) about the Playstation and Sony in general. 

[tramp]

people need to get thier priorities straight
it is just a game

[eldar]

Yeah I dont get it either. I suppose if honda was to release a new cb750 styled to look like our bikes, I might stand in line then......maybe.

[Bodi]

I think the best PS3 event was here in Toronto. Some dickheads waited in line, got in and bought one, then took it outside and smashed it to rat#$%* with a sledgehammer in front of the other dickheads waiting in line to blow their $500.00.
It was only the "cheap" one though, these morons also bought a "expensive" one and hope to Ebay it for enough $$$ to cover the cost of both.
How can anyone argue against eugenics with this stuff happening?

[dusterdude]

Their is no shortage of these things...
I am sure their is a warehouse FULL of them in Japan.
Sony does this all the time with their products.

1. Generate a huge hype/buzz
2. Say their is a "limited" supply so everyone HAS TO have one
3. Then drop the price $200 a month after the holidays to sell the remaining inventory

Just like HD, it's all marketing.....

yep,and their damn good at it too.

[Hockers Choppers]

I am not a gamer or anything close to it. I don't even watch TV that much. I have  4 kids the oldest one almost 9. I will not buy them a game system. They watch TV enough. I know some guys with kids that have these and they play it ALL THE TIME!!!  I take my kids outside and we play baseball, football, soccer, ride bikes, We have a couple dirt bikes, or God forbid, go in the shop and work on dads 78 cb750f!!!!! (did that last night with the oldest boy) He thought that was awesome. We took the topend off the engine we are going to rebuild this winter. (just waiting on someone to send me some big bore pistons  ) I'll send you my address if you have some!! >: Heck it would be cheaper that the ps3!?!?! And think how happy you would make me!!

[burmashave]

In other loony news, a staff member for Sen. John Edwards, a vocal critic of Wal Mart, called Wal Mart to see if Edwards could cut the line:

Edwards Acknowledges Wal-Mart Query

[ic455]

Sony did the same thing with the PS2.  Set a release date (originally this past summer), push it back, short the amount of consoles shipped, fix the "bug", sell a #$%*load of consoles.  They are taking a loss for the first couple thousand units, I think, but they are also hedging their bets, so to speak