German sophomore Paul Geisler traded his bed for cold concrete Thursday to wait in line with other die-hard gamers who wanted to be among the first to own PlayStation 3.
Since Sony shipped about 400,000 PlayStation 3s to stores in North America Friday, people have been scrambling to get them.
Shootings, robberies and unruly crowds across the country added to the PlayStation 3 frenzy last week, when video game fans started camping out in front of stores.
Geisler said he waited with a friend in front of a Best Buy store in Mesa for 24 hours and slept on the sidewalk.
"I brought a sleeping bag and a pillow so it wasn't too uncomfortable," Geisler said.
Many Best Buy stores, Circuit City stores, Wal-Marts and other stores that sold the system received fewer than 35 units, and several stores around the Valley sold out immediately after putting them on the shelves.
Accounting sophomore Denny Donofrio, who works at the Best Buy in Ahwatukee, said about 40 people camped outside the store last week.
"We got 32 PlayStation 3s on Friday and they were sold right away," Donofrio said.
Geisler said the Mesa Best Buy had 26 units to sell, and people were desperate to get a spot in the line.
"A guy I knew was waiting in line since Wednesday, but he wanted to go home because he got sick and he sold me his spot for $200," Geisler said.
But not all ASU students were willing to brave the long lines for the high-priced Playstation 3, which sold for $500 to $600.
"It's too much of a hassle to try to get one right now," said broadcast journalism sophomore Michael Stahl. "I will probably wait until the summertime."
Phil Harrison, a Sony executive, has defended Playstation 3's high price by noting its Blu-ray disc technology, a modern high-density disc format for storing digital media.
Many people who bought the system, Geisler included, planned to sell them on eBay or Craigslist.com, where they are selling for more than double their retail price.
Geisler is trying to double his money by listing it on Craiglist.com for $1,200.
"I definitely think someone will buy it soon though," Geisler said.
While stores around the Valley were calm, there were reports of violence in other parts of the country.
Police reported two armed men tried to rob a line of people waiting for PlayStation 3s in Hartford, Conn., according to The Associated Press.
And in Sullivan, Ind., two men who waited in line for 36 hours to buy PlayStation 3s stabbed a man who tried to rob them.
Adding to the video game frenzy surrounding the release of PlayStation 3, Nintendo Co. released its latest system, the Wii, Sunday.
The Wii, which costs half the price of Sony's new system, flew off shelves as quickly as the PlayStation 3. It was selling for double its sale price on eBay Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Reach the reporter at: natalie.i.hayes@asu.edu.
