ps3

Cops like the Wii too

LOS ANGELES--When you see several sheriff's deputies approaching someone in a big crowd of people, you automatically assume something is amiss.

That was my assumption here at the Universal CityWalk, where Nintendo is having its official West Coast launch party for its new video game console the Wii.

As part of the entertainment, Nintendo hired a company which has two people riding around on Segways, each of which is decked out with a flat-screen TV and a Wii. The two will roll--literally--up to a group in line, stop, and while hovering there, allow those in line to play games … Read more

What to do in the Wii launch line

LOS ANGELES--If you had to wait in line for 38 hours for a Nintnedo Wii, what would you do to pass the time?

Well, here at the official West Coast Wii launch, there was only a couple of folks who waited that long, but all told, there are probably 1,000 people in line, and they are choosing all kinds of things to entertain themselves.

Many have come in groups. There are countless camp chairs, though none of the makeshift tents and shelters that I saw in San Francisco on Thursday for the PlayStation 3 launch there.

The most common … Read more

Wii mania not extending to eBay

While the previous few days have been filled with headlines trumpeting the thousands of dollars some people have seemingly been willing to pay for PlayStation 3s on eBay, the same mania doesn't seem to be extending to the Nintendo Wii.

The Wii--which retails for $250--launches tonight across North America. And on eBay, one can buy the rights to one of the pre-ordered consoles for roughly $500.

Now, that's double the retail cost. Which, extrapolated to the PS3's top-end $600 price tag equates to $1,200. And in fact, PS3s are now selling on eBay for just a … Read more

PS3 crosses $10,000 barrier on eBay

Whatever you want to call them (opportunists, price gougers, geniuses), the slew of sellers auctioning those PS3 consoles they waited in line for could soon be laughing maniacally all the way to the bank.

We reported earlier that bids for Sony PS3s had reached $9,000 this morning. By Friday afternoon bidding on eBay had jumped over $10,000 for a new, unopened 60GB unit. (Thanks to Evan J. for the tip.)

One entrepreneurial young man, asking $16,000, pleads on his seller's page, "FREE OVERNIGHT!!!! Help fund my college education!" The accompanying grainy photo of him … Read more

Must-have Sony PlayStation 3 accessories

The PlayStation 3 is finally available for sale--in theory, anyway. Those fortunate few who were lucky enough to get their hands on Sony's bleeding-edge console will find that it's chock full of features, but there are some choice accessories you'll want to pick up to maximize the PS3 experience.

Extra controllers: The PS3 supports up to seven wireless controllers, but two to four is still the standard for most multiplayer games. Since the console ships with just a single controller, you'll need to pick up at least one more if you want to go head-to-head on … Read more

Stop the madness!

If you thought the PS3 frenzy ended at midnight, you were terribly mistaken. It was just warming up.

After finding very few fans planning to keep their purchased PS3 for themselves at yesterday's launch, it was to be expected that more drama would ensue today. This morning the world awoke to next-gen consoles auctioning for obscenely high prices and very few places to buy or even place an order for one.

Costco's Web site was down this morning, though now shows just an empty crate and a "sold out" banner. CircuitCity.com reports it is "… Read more

PlayStation 3 generation has begun

SAN FRANCISCO--Sony is fond of saying that each new generation of video game consoles doesn't really begin until it launches its entry.

If that's so--and Microsoft would certainly have some quibbles with the notion--then the next-generation console era is most definitely on.

At just before midnight Jack Tretton, Sony Computer Entertainment of America vice president and co-COO, handed over the first PlayStation 3 bought on the West Coast. The lucky recipient? Chris Toribio of San Francisco, who, along with a group of friends, had been waiting in line since 8 a.m. Wednesday.

It was a scene straight … Read more

$500 for place in PS3 line?

SAN FRANCISCO--There are about 1,000 people waiting in line at the Metreon here, all of whom have their eyes on the prize: Being one of the very first people to be able to buy a PlayStation 3.

Sony tells me that everyone in line will get that chance, but only some people have been given wristbands guaranteeing that right.

So it seems as though there may be a perception, among those at the end of the line, that they won't be able to get one.

And that may explain why, at around 7:30 p.m., a gentleman … Read more

Where have all the PS3s gone?

SAN FRANCISCO--When the doors to the truck opened and it was possible to see all the boxes inside, each containing the ultimate prize, PlayStation 3s, it looked like there were many, many hundreds.

And that was good, since there have to be around 1,000 people waiting in line here at the Metreon for the official West Coast PS3 launch.

Sony told me that everyone in line would get the opportunity to buy a PS3, so that means that they expected to have at least 1,000 available.

But when the Sony folks finished the hoopla of pulling out the first box, … Read more

The first PlayStation 3s arrive

SAN FRANCISCO--If there were ever four more important yet banal words spoken in the PlayStation universe than the ones spoken by Sony Computer Entertainment of America executive Jack Tretton at just after 8 p.m. Thursday here, it's hard to imagine what they could have been.

"Here they are, guys," a triumphant-sounding Tretton shouted as he held the first PlayStation 3 from the first box off the first truck over his head. And the crowd--hundreds of PlayStation fans lined up on the sidewalk here--cheered, even as dozens of photographers and television camerapeople circled Tretton.

Minutes … Read more