There’s only a few hours to go before the midnight madness sales of the PS3 begins, and buyers are already waiting in lines outside US stores for their chance to be one of the lucky owners.  

Outside major retailers, computer stores and dedicated games outlets in the US, lines have already begun to form as customers seek the ultimate thrill of the season:  coveted ownership of what is, on paper, the leading next-gen console of them all, Sony�s glorious PlayStation 3.

Imagine yourself in that line. You�ve had the foresight to get there early, and while you may have brought along an iPod or other mp3 player, a handheld games system, some water and food, perhaps a pillow and a toothbrush, even a fold away chair, radio and/or portable TV and maybe even something totally non-tech, some thing �Jurassic-gen�, like, shock horror, a book, and of course your mobile phone. But not everyone around you is quite so prepared.

Some haven�t brought enough warm clothes, some only came alone leading to potential fights when the inevitable toilet breaks are needed and they�ve left their spot in the line and don�t have a partner to save it for them, others didn�t bring enough food or water and face the same challenges of staying in line while not passing out from thirst or hunger.

Passers-by ask you if you�re all crazy, if a games console means so much to you. To those who play for hours on end, it is. For those looking for a quick payday, it is as well.

It�s often in these times that a community spirit breaks out, with everyone generally happy to help each other out, until one crucial time emerges: the object of your desire, in this case a Sony PS3, is officially �on sale� and you�re moving through the line, cash and/or credit card in hand, to snap yours up and claim the PS3 as your own.

If the scenes at the earlier Japanese PS3 launch are anything to go by, we could easily see pushing, shoving, fights and appeals for everyone to just calm down. Unfortunately, though, there aren�t plenty of consoles for everyone, for if there were, why would you even bother to line up in the first place?

Store retail and security staff will need to keep a close eye on those in line, ensuring that order is kept as orderly as possible. It�s a tough job, and I for one don�t envy them. Thank goodness brand new consoles only come once every few years.

Official reports of lines for PS3s have already emerged on the Web here and here, with stories like the ones above, with lines of potential PS3 owners-to-be counting down the hours and minutes until the launch. Some just want to get home and have a shower, others can�t wait to turn their coveted PS3 on and play, play, play, while others still see the PS3 launch as a fabulous money making opportunity.

With bids on the US auction site eBay already reaching US $1800 and going up, up and away, or currently triple the price of the 60Gb PS3, it�s easy to see why some want to take full advantage of the free market to put a few extra greenbacks into their wallets. And in an update, reports are out that eBay is trying to put a stop to these auctions, although there are other ways to sell a PS3 if you want to make money from it in this golden time.

And with the PS3 such an amazingly versatile digital media machine, those who leave the store without actually purchasing any games may not simply be those seeking to profiteer on auction sites.

While actually buying a game would seem to be an obvious move for any PS3 owner, the PS3 itself is, as we know, a Blu-ray movie player, a DVD player, a CD player, an mp3 player, a photo viewer, a web browser, an instant messaging machine, an Internet phone, a video phone, a games player and practically a full computer.

Why? Because Sony is allowing users to load versions of Linux onto their PS3s, and is actually encouraging homebrew coders to create their own PS3 software, unlike Sony�s actions with the PSP (Playstation Portable), where Sony has actively tried to discourage homebrew software by releasing updated firmware versions to simultaneously add lots of new features to the PSP while closing the holes that hackers use to break into the PSP to load their own software.

Of course the hackers aren�t just trying to create their own software, or run emulation tools to turn their PSP into a machine capable of playing retro Nintendo and arcade favourites, but some of them are trying to run pirate versions of games, an act that any content publisher frowns upon with absolute disdain.

But with the PS3 having homebrew software actively encouraged, it will be interesting to see how soon it is before hackers �crack� the PS3, trying to run pirated games or turn their PS3s into something else entirely. As a computer, which is the ultimate emulation machine after all, the possibilities are clearly endless.

But to get to try all of that out for yourself, you need your very own PS3, and unless you�re one of the lucky few who�ll get one of the allocated 400,000 on November 17, or one of the 600,000 more due in the US before the end of the year, you might just have to wait until 2007 to find out just what all the hoopla really is all about.

And if you�re waiting in line for a PS3 right now, as you read this article, connected to the Internet using wireless broadband and equipped with some spare batteries, either in a line for a midnight purchase, or in another line for a store that agonisingly opens hours later at 8am, we wish you the very best of luck in scoring one of the digital era�s most incredible creations ever: the Sony Playstation 3.

Related:

Entry was posted on Thursday, November 16th, 2006 at 7:02 am under Media players, Technology, Tips and advice.

Read more entries by Alex Zaharov-Reutt.
Stumble It!