Carrie Gouskos
Features Editor

I've always prided myself on purchasing game consoles at launch, so when I heard that Sony's new console, the PlayStation 2, was being released on October 26, 2000, I organized a good old-fashioned camp-out.

Seven friends and I lined up outside the local Toys R Us at 11 p.m. the night before the launch. Although the majority of that time we were the only ones there, I knew that if I were to leave my place in line, even for a moment, that throngs of people would appear from nowhere and get between me and my copy of Tekken Tag Tournament.

Long Island in late October has never been the most pleasant of climates, especially in the dead of night, so we huddled together and tried to think of launch games that would rationalize our crazy 11-hour sit-in. Then -- it began to rain. Though seven hours in freezing rain wasn't the best foundation for my relationship with my PS2, it was still worth it. Nobody played more ESPN International Track & Field than I did over the next month, insisting to myself that my time and money spent had been worthwhile. Besides, the cold I suffered for the next few weeks was the perfect reason to ditch work, sit at home, and play my brand-new PS2.

Brick-and-mortar stores account for all the places you could walk into, and, in theory, purchase an Xbox 360 in person. Traditionally, some of the more gaming-oriented and enthusiastic electronics stores have launch events that start at midnight and continue late into the night. We called up several stores and checked their Web sites to see if they were running any sort of Xbox 360 launch events. We found that plans varied between store locations, so don't be surprised if what we say here doesn't match up with what your local retail branch has planned for the launch. Since answers varied from store to store, we called up a few locations from the same company to get a general idea of what to expect. We did find a common theme across most of the stores--an almost complete lack of information. Maybe we jumped the gun, but most of the companies either haven't formulated launch plans, or haven't communicated them to local store employees yet. A few of the specialty stores like EB Games had solid answers, but even those answers changed from location to location.

Cold calling the stores

Now this is what I call preparation. Laptop? Check. Food? Check. Seat on the cold, cold concrete? Check.

Many EB Games, GameStop, and GameCrazy locations we called told us that they had all sold out of their allocations; some retail outlets have gone so far as to sell preorders for systems that might arrive "in January." Of course, each outlet has its differences, even between stores in the same franchise chain; one of the EB Games stores we called told us they would have 22 systems for sale at launch for walk-in customers. Expect those to disappear fast.

If you don't have a preorder already in place, one of the best ways to get your hands on a system will be to hit a big chain store right when it opens. Most of the big chains like Circuit City, CompUSA, Target, Best Buy, and Sears all have products listed on the their Web pages, and all intend to have Xbox 360s and accessories for sale in-store on a first come, first served basis. What remains to be seen is how many systems will be available, what time the stores will open, and whether you'll be forced to buy enormous bundles along with your Xbox 360.

While brick and mortar stores haven't traditionally put together their own system bundles like their online counterparts, there were anecdotal reports of retailers cellophane wrapping their own special PSP bundles when the Sony portable launched this past March. We're hoping that most brick and mortar retailers tend to go by the book and sell the basic manufacturer system bundles.

It could be sunshine

It's going to be cold. It's going to be long. It's going to be a line.

None of the big chain stores we called about inventory gave us the doom and gloom stories we heard from the specialty outlets. Every single large chain store we called told us they would have systems on the first day, and to show up when they open if we wanted to buy one. Most of these big chain stores will announce midnight opening plans in the weeks leading up to the launch of the system, but it sounds like many will stick to normal business hours. Wal-Mart says on its Web site that it will have stores open at midnight on November 22 for the Xbox 360 launch. The stores we called in California told us that the 24-hour locations would be open, but not the locations with regular business hours. For the other chains, midnight openings will vary from store to store. If you're thinking of standing in line all night long, bring something warm, some entertainment (a friend, or a Nintendo DS), and a couple of nourishing snacks.

If system shortages do become a problem, we recommend checking out stores in low population density areas. A smaller local population means less consumer competition. You should also check out large retailers not generally known for electronics. Warehouse membership stores like Sam's Club and Costco might have a stockpile of systems just waiting for eager gamers.