Playstation 3

[RR691983]

Worth being shot or stabbed over? Thoughts, opinions?

Updated: 12:12 p.m. ET Nov 17, 2006
PUTNAM, Conn. - Two armed thugs tried to rob a line of people waiting for the new Playstation 3 game system to go on sale early Friday and shot a man who refused to give up his money, authorities said.

In other states, customers pushed and shoved their way to the shelves to get at the limited supply, and in Kentucky, four people were hit by BBs in an apparent drive-by shooting as they waited for a Best Buy store to open.

The two gunman in Putnam confronted 15 to 20 people standing outside a Wal-Mart store shortly after 3 a.m. and demanded money, said State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance.

“One of the patrons resisted. That patron was shot,” Vance said.

He said the two gunmen fled after shooting Michael Penkala, 21, of Webster, Mass., in the chest and shoulder. Penkala was in stable condition at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, Mass., with injuries not believed to be life threatening, Vance said.

Vance said police were searching for the suspects, both believed to be in their teens. He said one was wearing a ski mask and brandishing a handgun, and the other had what appeared to be a shotgun.

Aside from the police tape, things had returned to normal by midmorning at the Wal-Mart store in rural Putnam, a town of about 9,000 residents near the Massachusetts and Rhode Island borders.

Short supplies of the PS3 and strong demand led to lines of buyers, some waiting for days, outside stores across the country.

In Palmdale, Calif., authorities shut down a Super Wal-Mart after some shoppers got rowdy late Wednesday. In West Bend, Wis., a 19-year-old man was injured when he ran into a pole racing with 50 others for one of 10 spots outside a Wal-Mart.

In Lexington, Ky., police were investigating a drive-by shooting that hit four people with BB pellets outside a Best Buy store, causing minor injuries, according to WKYT, whose own reporter was hit as she interviewed buyers in line.

A Best Buy in Boston, aware it had only 140 of the consoles, got smart about the big sale — its employees gave out tickets to the first 140 people in line so everyone could go home until the store opened.

[ClutterbusterNY]

Some pretty sick elements of our society.
The robbers were really stupid. How many people pay cash anyway when they buy big ticket items?

BB gun shootings would appear to be the result of envy...if they can't buy one of those, they want to hurt those who can.

I was just watching some of the "shoppers" on the local news who relayed the tribulations they endured when trying to buy the Playstation 3 units. I wanted to scream out to the TV..."why don't you try reading a book"?.

Originally Posted by ClutterbusterNY

."why don't you try reading a book"?.

Pat you hit it right on the head, too bad not their heads. Most of these maniacs are in their 20's from what I saw...and can you image after spending 500-600 bucks MS have already stated many issues with it. Last laugh is on those who laid out all that cash.

[SGRock]

this is all part of the marketing. A store will only have 140 or even in our area, people waited in line and found out that there were only 8 of them in the store. The scenes of the "shoppers" in L.A. causing a stampede actually makes gamers want one more. It's almost infectious. Even say Harry Potter Books. There was the usual lines outrside of bookstores for days to get one. The day after release, stores had hundreds of them on display near the registers. The people that fall for this marketing hype, need some patience, or a frontal labotomy.

[Grimmy]

I heard one news moron trying to imply it was the game manufacturers fault that idiots act like idiots.

Par for the course these days. Something doesn't go exactly according to the utopianists ideas then someone has to be at fault.

[Covertness]

I heard a rumor that my neighbor has one. With all the hype about the thing I think I'll go kill them and see how good it is.

Bunch of brain dead morons addicted to video games. For the money these things are going for one should just get a computer. At least then you can be a brain dead moron surfing internet porn.

I had a Sega Genisus long ago. I would come home from work and play games until it was time to go to bed. Sometimes I forgot to eat. I woke up one day and ripped it off of my TV and destroyed it. Haven't touched one since.

[CFHSNJROTC]

people shoulda decided to get the Wii more of them out there i hear PS3's are going for a couple g's on ebay so its a nice way to make some green .

[CFergusn]

Why buy console, when a computer will do you. Besides, most games will play on computer... especially if you have the blue ray.....