The PS Whats?

Today, through the editor’s grapevine I hear, “Kelly, we need a story on the PS threes tonight.” So I nodded, “Oh yeah, of course. Sure thing.”

Truth be told, I didn’t know what a PS threes was. We planned to talk about it, but calls came in, meetings started and other news beckoned.

Plan B: Walk over to the sports desk: “Umm … so about those, um, PS threes … pretty cool, huh?” They laughed.

Plan B2: Google. Which is where I learned that I was apparently the last person on the planet to find out that PS three was really PS3, for PlayStation 3.

My charade lasted about, oh, say 30 seconds. I don’t know much about video games, and had never really heard of a PS ones, twos or threes. But, hey, we’re all experts for a day in journalism. Here’s my take on “the PS threes.”

From Friday’s Daily News-Record:Not Just Playing: Students Camping Out For Video Game System In It For The Money

By Kelly Jasper

HARRISONBURG — People think they’re losers.

Chris Dell doesn’t mind.

“How’s it going, girls?” he brazenly called out to the gaggle breezing by his campsite outside Circuit City Thursday night.

He’s got confidence. The 19-year-old student from James Madison University was about to become one of the newest members of an exclusive club.

Dell was about to snag one of eight PlayStation 3s sold at Circuit City today.

Too bad the ladies didn’t know what sort of profit the coveted consoles can bring.

Only one of the girls mumbled back a weak “umm, hey” before fleeing to another one of Harrisonburg Crossing’s megastores.

“They won’t talk to a guy waiting for a PlayStation 3,” Dell said with a shrug.

Another camper comes to his defense. “It means he has at least 600 bucks!” shouts Cat Sanagursky, 19.

She was the first of eight campers to call Circuit City’s sidewalk home this week.

At first, people thought she was homeless. “Someone threw a quarter at me,” the JMU student said.

Since the tents went up on Tuesday, the campers estimate that they’ve talked to at least 200 curious people wanting to know why in the world anyone would ever brave three nights on a city sidewalk to buy a video-game system.

Their answer? The money.

Supply Vs. Demand

It was a damp 55 degrees, the ground still wet from thunderstorms that swept the Valley the night before. Never mind that much of the region was issued flood or tornado watches Thursday.

The console’s U.S. debut only comes once, and these young entrepreneurs aren’t about to miss it.

“People are here for the profit,” said Bryan Ausink, 20.

Game reselling is a big business, one that many area shoppers said they had never heard of before learning about Ausink’s plans to sell the system on eBay.

“A lot of people are out of the loop,” he said. One person saw the campsite and thought the campers were tent salesmen.

Only Dell said he might actually play the game; the rest say they’re hoping to resell them at a profit.

Short supply and high demand for the Sony console have meant that profits could grow to more than double the system’s retail value — a hefty $599 for the souped-up 60GB machine. The rival Xbox 360 sells for $300 to $400.

The new system features a next-generation DVD player with higher definition than your average DVD.

“Everyone is just excited for the new capabilities,” said Michelle Foley, Circuit City’s sales manager.

This week, retailers across the country have reported lines stretching around the block and dedicated gamers camping out despite frigid temperatures, even though many customers know they may go home empty-handed.

The eight James Madison University students who camped out said they weren’t going to let that happen.

Circuit City planned to issue vouchers at about 6 a.m. today. The rest will have to come back as shipments come in.

Foley says she isn’t quite sure when that’ll happen. Response has never been this big before, she said. The Xbox 360 didn’t draw quite the same crowds when Microsoft released the competing console last year.

“We didn’t have campers,” she said. “This year, it’s hard to get your hands on. These campers know that. “

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Sanagursky doesn’t think she can sleep.

“I’m gonna be hopped up on Starbucks,” she said.

A few others say they might pull all-nighters. “I’m a college student,” Sanagursky said. “This is what we do.”

Benjamin Dolewski, 21, studied. A friend held down his tent when he left to take a biology test Thursday. He says he didn’t get an “A” — but it was worth it.

Most of the eight said they didn’t mind missing a few classes. All are students at James Madison University and some were friends before camping out together, but most came on their own.

The group watched cartoons on laptops plugged into outdoor outlets. There are heating pads and hot pots, cell phone chargers and speakers.

“I’m living a first-class life,” Dell said.

Circuit City, which allowed the use of its restrooms, helped make it that way, the students said.

“They’re very hospitable,” Sanagursky said.

So are most of their fans. One brought cookies. The management ordered pizza. There was dancing late one night, even long after crowds thinned at the 24-hour Wal-Mart across the street.

“It gives you hope that people are OK in this world,” Sanagursky said.

There are always visitors. Some gawk, some honk, some stop. Lots laugh, others pry and most will ask, “is this sort of thing even legal?”

It is, and Harrisonburg police and fire officials stopped by to say so, the students said.

This morning, the store planned to call in extra security but didn’t expect any problems.

A few “jealous” customers tried to trick the campers, they said.

“They park with their lights shining in on us,” said David Coffey, 21.

They also honk all hours of the night. Ear plugs helped.

They fed the campers stories about how reselling the systems is now suddenly illegal. “They can try, but we’re not going anywhere,” Coffey said, “not until we get a PS3.”