My chosen stake out spot for a Nintendo Wii on launch date was the Westgate Mall Target in San Jose, CA. Though some friends of mine contacted me earlier in the day from the Toys ‘R Us in San Mateo to let me know that they were in position 35 of 100 for a midnight launch, the line had already swelled beyond the 100 allotted systems by the time I was able to make it there a couple of hours later. Rather than shivering in the shadows between the buildings where the launch line weaved, I settled for a burger from Red Robin with my Wii launch date date.
I guess I had been hoping for a social atmosphere, but the people in front and behind came in much larger groups than I did, and they mostly kept to themselves while still managing to at times be raucously obnoxious.
The rules for this Target were as follows:
1. Put your name on the numbered list.
2. There is a roll call at midnight. Anyone not here at that time will have their name removed from the list.
3. Between 7:00 AM and 7:30 AM, Wii reserve tickets will be issued in order of the sign-ups.
4. Wii sales begin at 8:00 AM.
I could have gone home a little after midnight and slept in my own bed, but I decided to camp out with my friend. We passed the time by completing some ridiculous trivia cards, playing Nintendo DS, playing with my dog, and talking. My friend JL and his wife showed up a bit later, and I was finally able to enjoy the camaraderie of a fellow gamer. Before we knew it, the midnight roll call was upon us, and JL went home to sleep in a comfortable bed while my friend and I pitched a dome tent under which to wait.
Sleep didn’t really happen that night. Not only was it cold, but the groups to the front and rear of us continued to be rowdy well into the night. By the time they quieted down, my friend and I had already given up all hope of being rested in time for the final lineup the next morning. At least excitement was enough to keep me on my feet until I was able to purchase the 70th Wii of 120, an extra Wiimote sans nunchuck and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
Prior to camping out, I remember thinking that camping out to get a Wii would probably be the single nerdiest thing I had ever done in my life. I wanted that experience at least once, and now that I have it (and became totally exhausted in the process), I can strongly recommend doing one of two things for new console launches: pre-order (even if it means camping to do so) or don’t be an early adopter. 
I will post my first impressions of the system over the next several days.
