I didn't really plan on going to the PS3 launch in Sydney's Pitt St mall Thursday night, but then I figured when else would I get a chance to experience a launch of something supposedly so big and hot as this next-gen beauty? Not in another 4-5 years, I figured.

So I got there around 10 pm, fully anticipating to see crowds of people young and old clawing and pushing for a space in the line. Nope, the place was virtually deserted except for a few clusters of teenagers and couple onlookers spread around the Myer staging area, where a construction crew was setting up the big screen tv to play 'Casino Royale' via a PS3. I must say I felt a bit disappointed at first and thought this might've been a complete waste of time, but then I got to briefly speak to the GameSpot AU crew and appear on the video clip (i'm the mumbling dude in the green shirt), and it all felt worth the effort.

Besides the large number of people from the press, many of whom looked like they had no clue what a PS3 was (ahem, Lizzie Lovett and the 2Day FM possie), there were very few people there whom I'd call a gamer. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but after watching the US launch parties that were filled with avid gaming fans who lined up for days, I certainly hoped to see more people of that sort. That said, I must admit that I actually did not line up to buy a PS3 myself so really, I'm not the one to judge and complain about the slim presence of gaming fans.

My guess is that most people just don't have a compelling reason to buy a $1000 piece of hardware whose current lineup of system-exclusive games is rather slim. Sure, I'd love to play MotorStorm and Ridge Racer 7, but dude... I'm not made of money! Give me Assassin's Creed and Metal Gear and I might think again, but for now - what's the rush?

I've been a gaming fiend for ages, ever since my parents gave me an Atari 2600 for good marks I got in second grade. I remember playing Defender for hours, fascinated by the fact that the game never ended, it just kept going. Then I took a break from consoles while at a boarding school where, needless to say, no consoles or tvs were allowed. That meant that I never got to experience the NES, Sega and all the other wonderful gaming devices from the late 80s to early 90s. I celebrated my return to gaming while in college by purchasing a Playstation in 1996 for a small fortune of US$299 and a copy of Resident Evil, which just came out that spring. From that point on, I knew that video games will always be a part of my life.

Since 1996 I bought the Xbox and Playstation 2 along with countless of games (see my games list) for all three systems in addition to all the PC games I've played in the last decade. And although it was not always affordable, I tried to keep up with the times as best I could, knowing that in the end video games are something very special and not a purchase I'd regret later on. However, this year I'm starting to realize that it is progressively harder to feed my obsession with gaming, what with the current crop of expensive consoles and the prerequisite high-end AV equipment that must be used to "take gaming to the limits".

Granted, as a recent grad student on the cusp of re-entering the workforce (next Wednesday), I should be able to afford the current gen after a few paychecks and continue on building my collection by purchasing a 360, then probably a ps3 and who knows, maybe even my first Nintendo console ever. But that means I'd need to upgrade my 19-inch Dell tv monitor to something more beefy like a 32-inch flatscreen in order to fully enjoy the games. And that's just crazy. I guess this is the price I have to pay for going back to school and not having a steady income to gradually stock up on new consoles and related equipment, but seriously... I got bills to pay, a car to buy and work clothes to score. How long is it gonna take me to make my gaming collection complete? Probably as long as the current generation lasts, which apparently no longer goes for even five years. Either way, I'm sure I'm gonna cave in and buy something as soon as I get the cash, so stay tuned for my take on whatever shiny new console (and tv) I'll be getting my hands on.