New video game systems are hard to find before holidays

With two new video game consoles hitting the market before the holidays, it's not a surprise many youths have them at the top of their wish list.

But some students at South Tahoe Middle School realize it might be easier spotting Santa's sleigh than obtaining a Sony PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Wii, two highly-anticipated game consoles that recently hit the market.

"They're, like, impossible to get," said eighth-grader Jesse Howes.

Howes spoke of the Nintendo Wii, a console that allows those playing to control a character's moves, such as swinging a racket in a tennis game, by moving a wireless controller.

But if Howes had a choice, he'd choose the PlayStation 3, possibly more difficult to get than the Wii in South Lake Tahoe.

A line of about 30 people waited for Kmart to open the day PlayStation 3 arrived on shelves last month, said store manager Michael Nahm. Only seven consoles were allotted to the store and a majority of those who bought them put them on eBay to sell for more than $1,000, Nahm said.

"The demand for them is very high," Nahm said.

Kmart has a waiting list of 30 for the Nintendo Wii and roughly 50 for the PlayStation 3, Nahm said.

Handheld video games, such as the PSP and Nintendo DS, are also highly popular.

"I can't keep them on the shelves," said Dave Herron, who works in Kmart's electronics department.

According to the National Retail Federation, the world's largest retail trade association, four of the top 10 toys for boys this holiday season involve video games or consoles. For girls, the Nintendo DS and PlayStation 3 crack the top 10.

Herron said he encounters a wide variety of people interested in video games, "from 9 year olds all the way to grown men and grown women," but is a little mystified on females entering the gaming world.

"Half my friends online are female gamers and they kick my butt," he said. "It's a hard one to say why girls are playing nowadays."

Shelby Smith plays. The eighth-grader has about 15 games for her PlayStation 2 and likes the idea of using her hands to mimic a character fighting with nunchucks for a Nintendo Wii game.

"It's fun," she said.

Eighth-grader Sandra Jaimez isn't putting video games on her wish list this year. She finds them pointless, which instantly ignited an argument with several boys.

"I think it's boring because they're just sitting down and not doing anything," she said.

The group of boys, led by Alex Valdivia and Cesar Caro, countered with the movements required by the Nintendo Wii, interaction with friends and progress in games.

Elsewhere, eighth-grader Mariah Olson shared a similar view with Jaimez.

"Video games kinda suck because it makes people lazy," she said.

after a few moments, she revealed she wouldn't mind getting the portable Nintendo DS for a gift.

"You can go places with it and not be so lazy," she explained.



Top toys for boys, ranked

1. TMX Elko

2. Cars (generic)

3. Playstation 3

4. Video games

5. Legos

6. Nintendo DS

7. Hot Wheels

8. XBox 360

9. Remote Controlled Cars

10. Trucks



Top toys for girls, ranked

1. Barbie

2. Dolls (generic)

3. Bratz

4. TMX Elko

5. Dora the Explorer

6. Disney princess

7. Ipod/MP3 player

8. Nintendo DS

9. Playstation 3

10. The Little Mermaid



Source: National Retail Federation