Lines Forming All Week for PlayStation 3

Even though some of their old games won't play on the console, hundreds of loyal and hopeful PlayStation 3 purchasers have been lined up for three days outside the SonyStyle store in Midtown Manhattan. I was coming out of a Helio party celebrating the launch of its new Drift phone at Henri Bendel earlier this evening and saw the fenced-off clusters of gaming enthusiasts, who had already expanded the line all the way around the block to the Escada store (much to that retailer's chagrin, no doubt, as people who wait outside in line for three days tend not to be fashionplates).

The people at the end of the line have only been waiting there since 8pm this evening, but I walked around to the front of the line where groups of fans camped out in lawn chairs had been waiting since Monday at 8pm. This is just at the Sony Style store, where the first 400 people in the line get to attend a party featuring a performance by Ludacris (thanks, Gizmodo). Lines have also been growing since Monday further downtown at the Best Buy store. One person there said he was offered $200 to hold some guy's place in line.

New York has been experiencing unseasonably warm weather in the high '60s this week, which is good news for line waiters, not all of whom are necessarily getting PlayStation 3s for themselves, but instead are working for brokers who will eventually jack up the price online. 

Let's hope the warm streak sticks around for the Wii lines that should begin forming come Friday at the Times Square Toys R Us store, or there are going to be a lot of sick people walking around this city next week. Meanwhile, the lucky Floridian PS3 fans waiting in line don't have to worry about getting colds.

Would you wait in line for a next-gen console?

Related links:

PS3 Online Locator for Hopeful Games

How to Find a PlayStation 3 or Wii This Holiday

Nintendo Wii Versus PlayStation 3