PS3? Show Me The Wii

It is at this time of year that Americans shine over all others in the world when it comes to greed and excess. The holiday shopping season is in full swing and this year brings the release of some highly anticipated gaming hardware. This morning, the PS3 officially launched in the US. It was met with a tidal wave of stupid happenings that make me sad to be a consumer. And all the hype is really for nothing. But it seems capitalism reigns supreme here in the USA.
In my lifetime, I've waited in line for some pretty cool things. I waited in line the day after Thanksgiving for a DVD player. I waited in line for all three of the new Star Wars films and all three Lord of the Rings films. But something I never experienced was the sheer stupidity seen today with the release of the PS3. The madness was caused by Sony's screw-up. According to retailers, Sony only released "400,000 systems for the nationwide launch, the chance of disappointment was high." And apparently the chance for serious injury and theft were also high. Across the country, retailers saw long lines of people waiting all night for their chance to blow $600. And when the time finally came, the body count began. In Wisconsin, "crowds got rowdy and stampeded for the shelves, injuring a man. In California, "authorities shut down a Wal-Mart store." In Connecticut, "two armed thugs who got wise to the PS3's high price and tried to rob a line of people waiting outside a Putnam Wal-Mart store at 3 a.m." One guy refused and was shot. And in Lexington, Kentucky, "four people waiting outside a Best Buy were hit by BB pellets." Just plain madness has gripped people. And it is all for nothing.
People acted like these were the only PS3s to ever be produced and sold in the US. Do they actually think that is the case? Their actions would seem to suggest that. But had they only waited for the beginning of the year. Had they only curved their greed and lust for gaming a couple of months, Sony would have released 1 million more systems. And none of this would have happened. Frankly, I'm not even going to bother with this latest system. Why should I sell out $600 for something I already enjoy. So the PS3 is a DVD player. I have one of those and it was cheaper. So it connects to the internet for online gaming. PCs will always dominate the world of online gaming and I have a faster connection with cable. So it has "cutting-edge" graphics. I don't need to see my fictional characters sweat and shimmer in the sunlight. I just want to play freaking games.
If people have any sense, they will just wait. The Nintendo Wii comes out on Sunday and will only cost $250. It will be just as good as the PS3 with more interesting games. Not to mention the controller is going to get people off the couch to experience their games. The way it should be in my opinion. Just be calm out there. You don't need to rush and kill everyone in sight to get one of these machines. The companies are always making them. You will be able to get one. Put down the Mountain Dew, take a shower, and wait for the Wii. You won't be as disappointed as the idiots with a PS3.