Some waited more than 24 hours in line to get new Xbox 360

After standing on a city street for more than 28 hours, with only a blanket to protect him from the cold and rain, Peter Gonzalez had no doubt about what he should do next: stay up all night playing video games.

The 19-year-old college student was among the gaming fanatics who waited for hours to be among the first to snag an Xbox 360. Stores began selling the systems at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

“I feel amazing,” said Gonzalez, who was first in line at a Best Buy store and planned to play all night before heading to an 8 a.m. class at the College of Staten Island. “It’s going to be worth it.”

GameStop, EB Games and Best Buy opened hundreds of stores across the country for midnight launch events. At a 24-hour Wal-Mart location in Woodbridge, Va., where hopefuls sat in folding chairs that snaked around several aisles, staffers said the waiting line had exceeded their inventory by 10 a.m. Monday.

Most retailers have refused to say how many of the consoles they have in stock, but Microsoft has conceded that an ambitious plan to launch the console worldwide within a few weeks will mean fewer consoles initially in North America.

While many of the eager buyers were focusing on the system’s high-definition graphics and gaming aptitude, executives at Microsoft see video games as just the beginning.

The new consoles, which also can play music, display photos and show DVDs, are at the center of a strategy that will eventually tie in elements of Microsoft’s new online initiative, called Windows Live, said company Chairman Bill Gates.

“In the living room itself, Xbox 360 is our centerpiece and a product that redefines what goes on there,” Gates said.

Source: MSNBC
(MSNBC is a Microsoft – NBC joint venture)