These are the first four purchasers of Playstation 3s from the Brooklyn Target. They had been waiting since Wednesday around noon—and through a really nasty rain storm last night.
I asked them if they’d be playing or eBaying their units; every one of them said eBay. With units going for a couple thousand dollars at least, it’s hard to blame them. Fifteen hundred bucks or more for a couple days work ain’t bad at all.
Speaking of PS3s, I’m holding a charity event in Brooklyn on December 6th called “Fünde Razor. We did it last year and it’s huge fun; everyone gets together and gets drunk, plays Guitar Hero to the shouts of an adoring crowd, and buys raffle tickets for a chance to win a big prize. Last year I bought an eBay Xbox 360, but I’m not going to be able to afford a PS3 at these prices. On the outside chance you can get a hold of one and don’t want to eBay it, I’ll certainly pay to take it off your hands so we can raffle it off. Unlikely, I know.
I’ll talk about Fünde Razor more as it gets closer—there are some things going down that you’ll all definitely want to see.
I really have a problem with what these kids and other people like them are doing these days. This isn’t anything new of course, but I still don’t understand why we have to treat each other this way. Part of the reason why it’s so hard to find these new systems when they come out is because the Ebay’ers have allready purchesed them. If you’re not going to play the stupid thing then don’t buy it. Let someone else stand in line that actually wants to play it. For every Ebay’er waiting in line that got a system and has no intention of playing it, there’s an honest, albeit crazy person, that didn’t get one that would have kept it.
I think there should be a federal law against reselling video game systems for more than retail price, and also to ban all pre-orders and waiting in line prior to the release date. Nieve, I know, but I can dream can’t I? You want the system? Well good, then save up for the amount the system actually costs and show up on release day and form a nice, orderly line and when they run out, come back next week, or next month, or whatver schedule you like best. I did that very same thing for the XBOX360 and got mine in Februrary. Do I care that my first achievements were not on or before 11/22/05? No. Does it make me less cool? No. I got mine the patient, fair, and honest way and I didn’t pay a cent over retail. I probably got a better one anyway because of the high probability of overheating with the first batches of systems. I’ll be pleased as punch if the PS3 has similar issues and uses its “die-hard” fans as cannon fodder. Some of us have meaningful lives outside of gaming including such things as school and jobs. I feel nothing but shame for those that think their lives will cease to have meaning if they don’t have the hottest new system on launch day.
It would be a much better situaiton if we all just got in touch with reality and realized that, “hey, maybe I don’t need to sell a kidney to afford an artificially overpriced game system on Ebay when I could just wait a month or so and get it then at retail price”. I feel worse for the parents who would take out a second mortgage on their home just to buy little Timmy or Suzy the $5000 PS3 on Ebay because they can’t live without it and they’re all sold out in stores. Teach your kids the lesson of patience. Just because the Jones’ cashed in their kids’ college fund to get one doesn’t mean you have to have one too.