U S video gamers in full tilt for PS3 console

LOS ANGELES, Nov 17: College student John Iracheta, 20, is the envy of millions of video game fans, having nabbed a reservation to buy one of the first Sony PlayStation 3 consoles to be sold in the United States today.

After a night queuing in front of a video game store in Austin, Texas, he snagged a sought-after preorder slip, and is now weighing his options.

''I'm probably going to wind up selling this first one to pay for the one that I keep for myself... But I might get tempted to open it up,'' Iracheta told Reuters.

With PS3 supplies expected to be extremely limited and stores not guaranteeing that they'll be able to immediately deliver all preorders, Iracheta isn't 100 percent sure he'll be the first on his block with PS3 bragging rights -- he was the fifth person in line.

Legions of North American video game addicts camped out in front of electronics retailers, awaiting the release of Sony Corp.'s PS3 -- as the clock ticks down on the start of the latest round in the battle for dominance in the 30 billion dollars global video game industry.

Sony's predecessor PlayStation 2 -- which has sold 106 million consoles globally since its debut in 2000, grabbing 70 per cent of global market share -- entranced both teens and young adults with its lifelike, interactive graphics.

The PS3 is Sony's long-awaited successor, boasting eye-popping new graphics and beefed up power. The console, along with rivals, is expected to boost the massive video game market to as much as 44 billion dollars in sales by 2011, according to DFC Intelligence.

Some gamers with preorders in hand hope to profit from the frenzy by flipping a PS3 -- which sells for 500 dollars or 600 dollars depending on the size of the hard drive -- to fund their increasingly expensive video game habits.

Microsoft Corp.'s next-generation Xbox 360 consoles were up for auction on eBay Inc. almost as soon as they debuted in stores a year ago -- often at double the store price.

And history is repeating itself with the PS3 launch.

As of yesterday morning, 2,297 PS3s had sold on eBay at an average price of 1,608 dollars and 698 additional units were still up for bid, according to data from eBay.

FLIPPING FOR PROFIT

Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s Wii, which debuts on Sunday with a 250 dollars retail price, is also a hot commodity on eBay where 2,187 have sold so far at an average price of 550 dollars and 156 remain up for sale. Having grappled with Xbox 360 sellers who were unable to get their presale unit to buyers and to fend off fraudulent listings, eBay has established new rules. Among other things, sellers must be highly rated and can only list one PS3 or one Wii per eBay account before the launch dates. Sellers also must show a photo of their preorder receipt.

''I think you're going to see a lot more people in line for the Wii to own it for themselves, give it as a gift or give it to their kids,'' said Mark MacDonald, director of Ziff Davis' Gamevideos.com site.

DOUBLY LUCKY

California college student John Nam, a console collector and aspiring game developer, has reservations for the Wii and the PS3 -- and plans to keep them both.

''Let's just say my mom is really nice to me,'' joked Nam, 20, who nabbed his PS3 preorder after locating a store he thought other gamers would overlook. ''And I'm not going to sell it. And my wallet will cry.'' During the 15-hour wait, he and others took turns holding spots so people could catch some sleep in their cars.

But for every hardcore gamer with the money to take the PS3 plunge early, there are several others who are forced to wait.

Vancouver-based visual effects artist Albert Ferrer has been wanting to play the latest ''Virtua Fighter'' game on the PS3 since he got a taste of it at the E3 trade show in May, but he is buying the Wii instead.

''I don't have enough money to buy a PS3'' said Ferrer, 23, who plans to hold off his purchase until spring.

Ferrer said he passed on Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 console even though it came out a year ago -- citing a preference for the games on the Sony consoles.

''I told myself I can't buy all three,'' Ferrer said.

Reuters