Shoppers scramble for Sony's PlayStation2

NEW YORK - For customers trying to get their hands on a Sony PlayStation2, it didn't pay to be polite.

Around the country, shoppers resorted to whatever tactics were necessary to get one of the video-game consoles when they went on sale before daybreak Thursday. In some cases, that meant picking fights with security guards or pushing their way to the front of the line at 3 a.m.

The reason for the pushing and shoving: Sony has acknowledged it can't meet customer demand for the PlayStation2 because of parts shortages.

''We heard that if you didn't get it today, we'll have to wait till Christmas. So we need to get it now,'' said Brian Jones, 24, a game designer from Dallas, who was the first person in line at a North Dallas Best Buy and had been waiting since 6 p.m. the day before.

Thousands of people, from hard-core gamers in their 20s and 30s to grandmothers looking to buy PlayStation2 for their grandchildren, went home empty-handed - and angry.

Scuffles even broke out at some places.

In Minot, N.D., police were called to a Wal-Mart after receiving reports of people threatening others in line. In Woodstock, Ga., two eager customers were ticketed for disorderly conduct as they waited to buy the PlayStation2 at a Wal-Mart.

Some stores held midnight openings, inviting those who had ordered their consoles in advance. Other stores, like Best Buy and Circuit City, issued tickets for those in line before the doors opened to prevent a stampede.

Some shoppers ordered pizza and watched the World Series on miniature TVs as they camped out all night. Customers themselves tried to keep the peace by organizing the lines.

''We are trying to create harmony,'' said James Reyes, 30, who waited all night outside the Circuit City store on Manhattan's Upper East Side, despite being hobbled by a broken leg. ''A few us got together and organized a very tight line.''

It worked in his favor. Reyes, who describes himself as a game addict, was one of only 10 out of 60 in line who were able to get a PlayStation2.

PlayStation2 is part of a new generation of consoles that will eventually allow people to watch DVD movies, download music, play games with their friends in another city, and do some surfing - all through their TV sets.

''It has a DVD, you can download from your computer on it, and the graphics are fantastic, much better than Dreamcast,'' said Leon Lay, 43, who bought his PlayStation2 at a Chicago-area Circuit City. ''I would've paid up to $500 for it. It's well worth the money.''

Because of a parts shortage, Sony cut in half to 500,000 the number of consoles it planned to provide to stores on the launch date.

Sony said it is on target to deliver a total of 1.3 million PlayStation2's in North America by Christmas, but that is probably not going to be enough to meet demand.

Many of the stores had sold their consoles in advance, leaving few of them on the shelves for shoppers to fight over.

Some angry customers believe that Sony may be manufacturing the shortage, and didn't like the way they were treated.

''They shouldn't be doing this to kids,'' said Manhattan resident Joan Begun, who was turned away at two stores before daybreak.

Chris Byrne, an independent toy analyst, said he is confident that Sony isn't at fault. ''Nobody makes money with shortages,'' Byrne said. ''This was clearly a component problem. Sony didn't make it up.''

Many shoppers turned to the Internet, where by early afternoon, more than 300 PlayStation2's were for sale on eBay. Some bids topped $800.

Scalpers were also seen trying to sell PlayStation 2 consoles for $1,500 on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

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On the Net:

http://www.playstation.com