As reported earlier Sony was holding launch parties in New York and San Francisco. Here's a quick look at how things went in NYC.

The more eager gamers began lining up to get into the event as early as Monday- it wasn't long before they reached the 400-person capacity. The weather didn't quite co-operate in New York as thunderstorms began in the early evening. Right on cue, the rains stopped just as the first of the line ws allowed inside.

While waiting for the opportunity to get the system people were entertained by rapper Ludachris, rapper-turned-DJ D-Nice and Karime Adibebe (the latest to become the real-life Lara Croft). Sony Computer Entertainment America president Kaz Hirai was joined onstage by Sony Corp. CEO Howard Stringer, making a rare appearance at one of the launch events. At one point Hirai was leading the crowd in a "PS3! PS3!" chant.

The first 3 people in line had a surprise waiting for them- they were awarded a free PlayStation 3 along with some games. They also gave one away to a lucky gamer that found a "golden ticket" in their gift bag. At midnight the first person in line, Angel Paredes of New York, was escorted to the counter and handed his PlayStation 3 by Kaz Hirai and Sir Howard Stringer. Also included on the box was a personal autographed message from Kaz Hirai. Despite being very tired from the long wait he gamely waited while photographers took pictures of him with the system.

Some people that just missed out on the 400-person cut off in New York claimed they got bumped back due to people cutting the line. One person said he was supposedly #277 and when Thursday evening came he was #402. All wasn't lost for those that missed out- supposedly the store was going to sell more units at 7 AM Friday morning.