Product launch

I just got back from New York with a brand new Wii and a copy of Zelda: Twilight Princess. According to Nintendo of America president, Reggie Fils-Aime, the Toys 'R Us in Times Square was stocked with over 4000 consoles. A DJ played music all night (until the NYPD said that he had to keep the noise down) and a group called Zero Gravity performed on stage. The main attraction was inside, where several different stations were set up to sell thousands of Wii at the stroke of midnight.

I have mine and I really want to unpack it and play. But I have absolutely no energy. I'll do an unpacking and first play video tomorrow.

While we enjoyed a peaceful PS3 launch last night, some weren't so lucky. One man was shot in front of a Connecticut Wal-Mart last night after trying to resist a robbery. The man is in stable condition, but the two gunman are still at large. Five PS3's were stolen from an Ohio EB Games during an armed robbery. Several were hospitalized after a Circuit City store decided to have their crowd lineup and dash for the door. Police used pepper balls to calm a small riot at another Circuit City in Tyson's Corner (that's not too far from us).

[via Engadget PS3 crime spree, part II: Fall of man]

We're back from Circuit City and the PS3 midnight launch went off without any problems. There was some crazy competition for T-shirts and mini footballs, but no one was trampled or injured (darn). Here is the video we took.

Now I'm going get some sleep. The Nintendo Wii launch isn't that far off.

[Edit: I forgot to thank our cameraman, Kellen Quigley. That guy is awesome.]

We're a little more than 24 hours away from the PS3 launch and about 3 days away from the Wii launch. I thought I should let you know what I'm planning to do for each event. Tomorrow night I'll be heading to a Circuit City in Rockville, MD along with a friend. That store is on the list of midnight launch locations. I'm not sure what we'll find there (hopefully a ravaging mob), but we'll take some video, do some interviews, and resist the temptation to drop $600+ on a PS3.

On Saturday, I'll leave for Manhattan where the Toy 'R Us in Times Square is hosting a launch party complete with live music, special guests, and a final countdown to midnight. Expect more video and news late that night (early Sunday morning).