It’s the biggest thing to happen to video games this year.

But unless you spent Thursday in line, don’t count on getting PlayStation 3 when it’s officially released this morning. Gamers camped at local retailers starting Wednesday morning to make sure they’d get one of the first systems in town – braving 30-degree temperatures for the right to spend more than $500 for high-resolution graphics and faster online play.

“It’s a great system,” said Brandon Hinsley, a Kansas University freshman who lined up outside Lawrence’s Best Buy for his turn to buy the game. “I’ve been playing it in (the store). It’s a lot more realistic. The game plays a lot better and there’s a heck of a lot more games.”

Thorne Daimler, another KU freshman, agreed.

“Especially when you have an HDTV, it’s phenomenal,” he said. “You really feel like you’re in the game.”

Sony issued only 400,000 of the game consoles to North America; the limited number sent to Lawrence drove up the prices and lengthened lines here. Best Buy said it had at least 25 of the machines; Wal-Mart expected to have 10, while SuperTarget had eight. Hastings had more than 20 of the machines, and planned to hold a raffle Thursday night for spots in line.

“We just looked in there, and they had one go for $2,500 for a preorder, which is one that somebody may get,” said Chase Johnson, a Lawrence High School senior who skipped school with six friends to spend the day in line outside Best Buy. “So, we think once we get our PlayStation 3, and they’re all sold out after 10 minutes, all those parents who want to get their kids PS3s for Christmas will be on eBay looking for one.”

Some of the new games are fierce – well, so was the line. Police were called several times to Best Buy during the day Thursday to maintain order among the crowd of 50.

“The line this morning was chaos,” said Kendall Francisco, another LHS senior who claimed a spot outside the store. “All these people you see and more just sprinted to this spot. Some people got trampled.”

Enthusiasm for the PlayStation 3 wasn’t dampened by its high price tag – $500 for the basic model with a 20-gigabyte drive and $600 for the 60-gigabyte version, which also has built-in wireless.

By contrast, Nintendo Co.’s Wii, which goes on sale Sunday, retails for $250. Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360, which had a year’s head start over rivals, sells for $300 to $400.

Sony crammed the PlayStation 3 with the very latest in cutting-edge technology, and it dominated the previous generation of consoles with 70 percent of the global market. The company is counting on a boost as it struggles to mount a recovery after several years of poor earnings.

The PlayStation 3 was supposed to debut last spring, but Sony announced in March that it was still trying to complete the copyright protection technology and other standards for the Blu-ray DVD players. The company said those preparations were initially to have been completed by September 2005.

Lawrence wasn’t the only place in the United States with gamers waiting in line. Stores all over the country reported long lines, some of which stretched around the block.

“By next year, everyone is going to have it,” said Ever Ortiz, a high school junior from New York, sitting in a camping chair and fenced off by police barricades in one of New York’s busiest neighborhoods. “It won’t be a great thing.”