For those who are planning to join the crowds come the release days for the PS3 and the Wii, know that Target is getting ready for you. This photo shows the line tickets which will be distributed to the people who will be camping out at Target's doors this November 17 and 19. It has been clarified that these tickets are NOT for pre-orders, but rather, is a system for keeping the crowd in order and for making sure that nobody cuts the line or sneaks in front.

As we can see from the photo, the tickets are numbered and contain the price of the console as well as instructions on how the flow of the purchase should go. The tickets themselves make nice souvenirs too.

Console availability. Check. Contingency plans. Check. Line tickets. Check. Now that all those are covered, the only thing we need to know next is if they'll start giving away free doughnuts and coffee as well. And yeah, I could be pushing my luck here.

Sony Expo in Honolulu sees gamers drooling over the new PlayStation 3, eager to buy. Shortages are anticipated and pre-orders are already being hawked on eBay for many times the sticker price.

Why "first of the last" you ask? Well, with less than two weeks away before the PS3 launch and Madden NFL 07's release, this post could very well be one of the last updates you'll probably get before the game hits the shelves.

By this time, you guys are probably starting to make a list of games that you'll be getting right away once you get your sweeet PS3's, huh? Well, we obviously can't influence you in making those life-altering decisions, but maybe we can help. grins

With us right now are new screens and two new gameplay vids for Madden's football title, and we don't know about you, but everything's looking swell and goo-hood. And we dunno if it's just us but we're getting the feeling that Madden NFL 07 will somehow be making it to the top of your lists. Hmmm... pensive

Anyhoo, here are a few new screens we snagged from IGN, and they give a pretty good picture of how the game will play out on your PS3s. We also put the two videos in one neat bundle to ...

Searching for the nearest store where you can possibly beat someone to a PS3 on November 17? Thanks to PS3Seeker, you can now use Google Map to find that store. The PS3Seeker Team has configured Google Map to show a list of local retailers, midnight release locations, and auction listings for the PS3 in your area by typing your zip code.

If your search showed the nearest PS3 is about a zillion miles away from where you are, don't panic. According to PS3Seeker the retailer location database is constantly updated and are adding new locations almost daily. So check the site from time to time to see if new info has been added in your area.

For the midnight PS3 releases, the map is limited only to BestBuy and Wal-Mart. But they are looking for fresh leads on other chains which are doing midnight releases so you don't end up camping out on the wrong store.

He will kick your butt at any PS3 game, as long as it isn't past his bedtime. Now all we need is the video of the boy crying as his dad/Kotaku editor rips the controller from his child's hands to finish Resistance. Kiddo first hates the SIXAXIS, then settles in to liking it. In the end, he still loves thumbsticks more. Give it time, kiddo, give it time.
"Mommy, does daddy love the PS3 more than me?"
"Of course he does honey, of course he does." – Mark Wilson

My Son Master the SIXAXIS [kotaku]

Our half-console, half-human friends at Kotaku have a fancy new PS3. We don't care that the buttons are touch-sensitive. Our TV has touch-sensitivity, too. Granted, our TV isn't considered the most powerful gaming console of all time.
We don't care. – Mark Wilson
PS3 Touch-Sensitive [kotaku]

Filed under: Gaming
Even though we're basically on the eve of Sony's big launch of the PlayStation 3, we still had a few outstanding questions about some of the minutiae of the console. Yeah, we're dorky sticklers for detail like that. So here are a few interesting facts about the PlayStation 3 you may (or may not) be interested in knowing:
After plenty of gameplay the console is cool -- or at worst warm -- to the touch on every surface. In a side by side test with the Xbox 360, the console is comparably virtually silent, and the Blu-ray drive is significantly quieter than the 360's DVD drive.
USB keyboards and mice will be plug-n-play, no fuss at all. Who really wants to browse the web with a PlayStation controller anyway?
Bluetooth mice and keyboards will not work with the system at launch. Any (A2DP) Bluetooth headset should theoretically work with the system, though Sony will have a recommended hardware list. The EyeToy is the only U...

Insomniac Games stated in a recent newsletter that Resistance has been completed and the next Ratchet & Clank for the PS3 is now in full production! This game is scheduled for a late 2007 release. It’s still early in development and there are no good screenshots for it yet, so these images are from the earlier [...]

Now, we all know that the PS3 is one kickass machine. Well alright, a lot of Sony haters might probably disagree, but come on, you got to admit that the PS3's worth all the buzz. Among the next gen consoles, this baby promises quite a lot, and the lucky guys who have tried it already attest to that fact. Of course, there are some drawbacks (mentioned by IGN during their hands-on) and there's the big issue about its price, but that doesn't rule out the fact that this console's got power.

And it seems that this console got a lot of people really hooked. This weekend, a lot of people flocked to the 2007 Sony Expo at Hawaii. Now, if that doesn't get the message across, let's rephrase the sentence: Tons of people squeezed their way in the banquet hall of Ala Moana Hotel in Honolulu, just to get a glimpse of the much hyped-up PS3. And the cool part is, a lot of lucky gamers got to test out the console, too.

And basing from the people interviewed, they weren't disappoin...

As soon as you read this post, get your behind moving to the nearest Circuit City store near you to be ahead of the pack. That's because on November 16th, six of their branches will be giving you guys a chance to have your own PS3, a day earlier than the rest.

Here's how it goes. Starting at 8:00 p.m., the event starts. Although, we're definitely sure you'd want to get there early. Inside the stores await 100 units of your much-awaited PS3, all available for purchase. By 10:00 p.m., the first 100 people in line will be handed vouchers. And come midnight, it's a free for all (or at least for the first 100 people) as the doors to Circuit City open, and you can now buy the next-gen console.

Now, if you didn't get there fast enough to be part of the lucky bunch, don't mope because you still have a chance to win one. Five of those stores will be giving away five PS3s each - operative terms: giving away - while the Union Square store will be spreading the love with 100 unit...