PS3 Launch... what a mess

HEHEHEHE!
http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/16/ps3-crime-spree/

Especially amusing is this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEPdRPxR_i0

The PS3 seems to have had the most noticeable launch ever. Not in a good way.

I hoping Nintendo manages to clean this up; It worries me to think how many people have been turned away from computer games as a result of this lunacy.


...I need to get out of this continent :b

> I hoping Nintendo manages to clean this up

I didn't watch the video, but how is this Sony's fault? It's only the lunacy and greed of instant gratification at work. If I were to hear the line about needing it to give the kids at Christmas once more I'll scream too...

Dont mean to change the subject, but PS3 opened up this morning in Boston. Most people slept in front of the doors last night, waiting for the doors to open. When everyone rushed in, and got on the escalator, because their were so many people on it, it went in reverse sending everyone in the opposite direction. Nobody got hurt, but I cant stop laughing over it.

"Welcome, we have PS3 in here, and you ca....where are you going, come back" LOL. Too funny.

Never mind. Just looked at the video, it does fit in this post. Incrediable. I hope children were in bed before it hit the news. To see that, shows them how irresponsible adults are. "Kids, do what your told, not what you see." "Even if it was your parents acting like that."

Good going people, way to be a role model. It makes me sick, knowing Im part of the gaming world, when we see people act like that.

/me forms mental image...

LMAO! There's just something so in keeping with the life of the PS3 that makes that all the more funny. :P

I'm number one as you can see...*lol*...oh my god... :OP

Its funny knowing, that they just had a fight over it, and now the escalator thing. I can picture Homer Simpson, playing with the control button to it.

"Wanna fight huh?.....well take that!"Haha,,,donut"

What is happening to games these days? I see ads in a Best Buy ad for PS3, the only launch games seemed to be sports or war. Who the heck cares about sports games or war games, what has happened to imagination?

Yeah, I'm looking more forward to the Wii than the PS3 at this point, for blatantly obvious reasons. I just better hope I won't run into the same crowds as the PS3 had (well, for $250 for the Wii, it could be even worse (the fact that it's being launched on a Sunday yet!)).

Well, Im a war freak, but your right. Imagination is important. Without it, we have the same old, same old. And strange if you think about it. Video games really dont have a limit. If you can think it, more than likley you can do a game on it. I dont know why, games seem so limited. I think its just the fact, that Sony etc, have become so big, that imagination isnt important anymore. Just a quick buck. What these companies need, is to start asking questions, like, what does the consumer want? Or it could be the fact that everybody buyes one kind or style, and they feed from that. If Sony etc, doesnt know, then they wont do it. Just my theory on it.

> Who the heck cares about sports games or war games

I couldn't give a rip about sports games, not being generally lethal I'll go out and play sports. War, being general lethal to participants is something I prefer to play in the virtual realm.

I agree, this really isn't Sony's fault. They were dump to do a launch with this few units, but it's really just a sad occurence. Their biggest fans, from the big media perspective, look to be crazy people who are too easily influenced by violent games. I know that that is not in the slightest bit true, but it looks like it.

Jack Thompson is going to have a field day when he wakes up...

Funny story about the escalator :)

Isn't this much more intense than a Wii controller could ever be?! ;O)

How is it not Sonys fault? They're the one who's hyped the system to the point where clueless people, prone to spontaneous acts of violence, think they need it. Then they sell them short, so Sony execs can sell them for insane prices on eBay rather than for the already rediculous retail price.

Behavior like this is not rational human behavior, thus it must be influenced by some outside force. Sony is looking pretty guilty.

Since when are humans rational, please?!

I think I saw a crazy nunn there. Just kidding. But your right, normal people dont act like that. Looking at the vid, you would of thought Elvis entered the building. Just like the Xbox etc, I'll wait till the crowd leaves. I have yet to figure why people go crazy like that. Remember the 'tickle me elmo' thing? There is no way in he** I can act like that over crazy shi*. I'm beggining to think, that these people were payed money or free PS3, to act stupid when the camera turns on. OK,,,ready,,,ACTION!!

> Behavior like this is not rational human behavior, thus it must be influenced by some outside force

It might not be rational but it sure happens a lot. Are sports teams to blame when their fans go and riot, weather they win or lose? Do the people waiting in line for a movie for days have a valid case against the movie studios? Tickle Me Elmo, nuff said right there.

Just becuase Sony hypes their product is no reason for people to act the way they do.

> so Sony execs can sell them for insane prices on eBay rather than for the already rediculous retail price.

Source?

Where is Judge Judy on this? She would definetly have a word or two for the crazy people. Everyone is responsible for their own actions. "Quick, get the Tazer gun". Bzzz LOL

That's the argument politicians have been using for years to blame violent crime on movies and video games. Humans have ceased behaving rationally in general, and if isn't one thing triggering them or giving them their excuse it'll be something else. A 2 for 1 offer on sticky buns probably.

Crystel Meth? Maybe? Something usually triggers it. It has to start somewhere. Rewind the tape and find the culprate. He/she is there somewhere.

Informative text (german) about the ps3 launch: http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/81204

Once upon a time we used to have riots over racial issues, war, and unpoular taxes. Now it appears the youth of the US is willing to riot over a ps3. Perhaps this explains how Bush got elected.

I'm now waiting for EA to announce it new "Console Riot" franchise.

Though it reminds me of the Ikea store opening in Edmonton England a year or so ago. I believe 1 person died and some badly injured. I saw a news interview with a guy who was all bandaged up. He said something like "...yeah I thought I'd just buy myself a cupboard, but ended up with a middle-aged woman throwing a set of metal step ladders at my head."

Just proves how insane people are I guess

Don't you lot remember Cabbage Patch Dolls! :)

> Once upon a time we used to have riots over racial issues, war, and unpoular taxes

To be fair, if the draft came back here in the US we would start seeing riots about that right quick.

Now as an attempt to swing this around to actual gaming - has anyone gotten one of these PS3 units and done any gaming? If so, are the games any good? (I know - if you have one you would not be reading the boards right now)

It can't be too bad, you know, 'cause I couldn't hear any, you know, gunshots in the background. You know? lol:)

I didn't see any riots over the star wars movie launches... Even the Xbox360 launch was pretty low key...

Flameduck is right IMO. Sony fell short purposly on this. 200 million GTA fans are going to get to those systems the only way they know how (from the game), riots and shoosting!

:-)

They all do. Every major console launch for at least the past three generations has intentionally involved shipping a small number of consoles to artificially increase demand. There were a bunch of articles about it when the 360 was launched.


That's not due to a lack of trying. That's just because shipping a small number of consoles wasn't enough to make them seem sufficiently desirable.

They could of used silencers :) LOL



Wow, do I ever. Talk about illegal Cabage Patches. I think you had to find an XO or some kind of sig right?

I try to imagine what will happen at the launch of the Commodore 65! A slaughterfest awaits us!

@Foppy: I dare not think the thought. Although, I would be at the front of the line, carrying a baseball.

I take that back!! Somebody DID get shot. Close range in the shoulder with a shotgun. Guy is stable. The victim came from my state too in Massachusetts. UNFRIGINCREDIDABLE!!

here is link: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/10344801/detail.html

My new PC WILL batter the PS3 into a snotball.

End of story.

Snots are better than bulletts LOL

You only say that because there's no Action Replay, Xploder or whatever for PS3 yet. If you could cheat your way through everything, you'd be salivating ( or worse :/ ) right now.

You really know something is wrong when what should be a powerful piece of hardware turns into a ridiculously inflated form of currency... or a raw material no different from steel... or concrete. (Thus, a brick :b ).

A shame, really.
Maybe some day the PS3 will be allowed to become a game console.

Dave, I think your escalator story is in that article as well!

Isnt it horrible? Regardless of what anybody's intentions were for the PS3, to hurt another individual, is just mind boggeling. Im still shaking my head. I mean, sleeping in tents to wait for store to open, or spending radiculous money is one thing. But to go and hurt somebody, that just doesnt make sense. All to profit somehow. I hope none of those people were parents, and were going to give the PS3 to their kids for Christmas. That makes it even worse. Here kids, here is your bloodspilled PS3. Enjoy. Disgusting, absolutly discusting.



LMAO, I hope so lol. Im going to double check. LOL

OHH Jeez, I didnt hear about anybody getting hurt. Thats a first for me. NO SHI*. I hope it wasnt too serious.

Ahh, to one of my lovely bosses. Not that any of us understand his mumbeling.

All things come to those who wait, usually for a damn sight cheaper and with no queues - and they even chuck some games in ......

I think the point is that these are not rational human beings. I have also payed close attention to all of Sony's hype but you don't see me doing these things.

I am surprised that you lay the blame of responsibility on Sony for this. You are usually more intelligent than that.


Because everything in society teaches us that we can do whatever stupid things we want and someody else will be there to blame and take money off of.


From what I can tell of every stupid and insignificant review or bash of the PS3 so far... the games don't exist, or PS3 doesn't actually play games. It does, however, run multiple Operating Systems.

A new trend in Norway at least, is murderers forgetting all about the crime. A few years ago, everyone remembered what they did - but now, suddenly every case that gets into court seems to have an aura of amnesia about them.
I wonder if its something defence lawyers have found to be working?

Well, the shooter was actually a criminal who was holding up the people waiting outside. The guy who got shot refused to cooperate w/ the criminal and that's when things got sour.

You wouldn't catch me waiting outside in a big town. You've got to be crazy. However, where I live it's pretty low key and I didn't hear of anything interesting going down. I really should have taken a few days vacation and camped out for it. The re-sale value on Ebay is ridiculous. I could have paid off my outstanding college bill with the profit and got back into school.

Every idiot they interviewed in Houston said " I am buying this to sell it for more money!" GREED! and What is it 7 or 8 processors???

Just goin to pick up me PS3. gnarly goatee...check, Baseball bat...check, rifle...check....oh, might need some cash too -_-

I think I'll stick to getting stuff delivered thx. Too many psycho's going to these releases.

...and here I was thinking that staying in China for a few weeks was dangerous.

Are you telling me you wouldn't sell yours when you could so easily quadruple your investment?

Even if I wanted a PS3 I would have sold one had I gotten one. If someone else with more money than time (or brains, perhaps) was willing to pay me 4 times what I paid for something, I'd be a fool to say no.

Simple free market economics. Nobody is forcing anyone to pay absurd amounts for these things. If there wasn't a market for it, people wouldn't wait in line just to get a system to hawk.

Is there really anything 'evil' about that? I mean, in my case the money would have gone to paying off my outstanding college debt so that I could re-register and get back in school by this coming spring (ideally) or next fall. Yeah, I guess that makes me an evil, greedy, heartless bastard.

Of course, I didn't get one. I'm kicking myself for not taking off work though so that I could have gotten in line before it was 100+ people long already.

Well, here is the thing with this. Next time a big thing like this happens, we should learn from what happened. T Menino, next time, should say, "If Sony plans on selling so many of these, they should have a rafle-like selection. Anybody wanting one, should enter their name, and wait to see if they win. If they win, they come down and pick up their new PS3." That would prevent anything like this from happening in the future. Or somewhat prevent.

I wonder why Sony didn't just sell the first shipment at $1200 or whatever their analysts deemed that market would bear.

I imagine the only reason they didn't is b/c they feared the potential public relations backlash.

Well they got that for sure :) I believe they should of thought that out a little bit. I still think the prices are out of control. Even if it was worth that price. And it could of been worse if the price was that high. If nobody can afford it, then everyone would of been robbing each other worse. If it was only $5.00 (example) for a new PS3, then have the knuckleheads who hurt somebody, would of said "I'll wait till it has more next week". But since the price IS high, they did what they did, because of the price they cant afford. Robbers only rob, what they cant have. If something is cheap, they dont do what they do.(for the most part) But since, it was exspensive, AND low in quantity, they did what they had to do (in their mind) to get this PS3. Sony, should of waited a little bit longer, and gotten more PS3's for shippment. If im not mistaken, only 140 PS3 were delivered in Boston (not sure of real ammount off top of my head) I could almost compare this stunt to crack coccain to users. Low quantity, high prices. PS3 was doomed the second it got off the ship. Sony is a little responsible. Not alot, just a little. They could of sent more, to a city of a large size. 140/vs a large city of Boston? Hmm, just a little bit odd.

When has there ever been a well stocked console launch? Every time a new console is released people act shocked and outraged that there aren't enough units to go around. Well duh!

That is the problem that should of been addressed. If only 140 consoles were available, then a form of lottery should have been put in place. But to sell 140, and have people sleep in front of store, should of sent off some kind of signal. If this has happened in the past, like we just said, then suppliers etc, should be prepared. For every action, there is a reaction. To not learn from past sittuations,is Duh in itself. How many times, does the public have to be aware what happens, and not change their tactics?

A cynic might suspect that console manufacturers want to see endless lines of people sleeping outside stores (and actively plan for it) because it's free publicity. It's a good thing I'm not a cynic.

True, but if thats the publicity the manufactures want, then isnt it their fault? If a store, selling this PS3, saw this, then the police should have been pre-warned, and allow the police to set up, prior opening the doors. Im not really trying to put blame on anyone individualy (well, the robbers are to blame, for themselves) But, evryone is a little to blame for this mayhem (a small blame). The stores, the crowd, the city, and yes Sony. To what I hear now, is somebody is dead. Good move people. Now, when the second shipment comes in, are people going to be prepared this time? I hope so. Mistakes are ok, not to learn from them, is ignorence. Lets see what happenes in the future with the second shiptment. Maybe we can have a lynching.

Sony themselves should have just auctioned off every unit on Ebay.

I wonder what the prices would have gotten up to if ebay was the ONLY way you could get one at launch. Sony could have made a killing (or at least not lost $150-200 per unit).

Wow. Good point And people would still be safe and unharmed :)

Honestly I would not waste money on it... I would rather roll into vegas and fly the 600.00 on something else. Time to check eBay and laugh at the PS3 auctions...

I'm sure they're watching e-bay to see how much they can get away with charging for the PS4.