Remember when console launches used to be safe and easy? I barely do.

Last night was the PLAYSTATION 3 midnight launch. The US isn't getting a ton of systems, but we're getting more than most. Targets, Wal-Marts, GameStops, Electronic Boutiques etc all might be getting 6-40 systems. The higher end of the spectrum reserved for the wholesale stores, not so much the gaming ones.

But this launch has gotten dangerous. I remember this time last year when I got my 360 there were news reports of people getting mugged for their 360s. I clutched mine and walked with a badass purpose out of my mall last year. If anyone was going to try mugging me they were going to have an Italian throwdown. This year it's more serious.

So far the violence that has been logged:

-a kid got slammed into a telephone poll in a mad rush for the front of the line
-Campers shot with BB guns
-Fruit juice super soakers drenching campers
-5 game stores held up for PS3's and 360s
-7 reported line muggings for money, laptops, iPods

You can see they start off with a few stupid pranks and then there's some serious violence. A guy who refused to give his money up got shot last night. But the most chilling story so far is down in Alparetta, Georgia. It took place at the very Best Buy I was in a few times during my business trips down there. A guy who wasn't even buying a PS3 got tailed from a Best Buy across town. While he was chatting with campers, the tailers took a sledgehammer and broke into his car. The system hadn't even launched yet, but they didn't know that. Serious crap going on here.

Only the Wii launch remains Saturday night, or Sunday morning, but be careful!

Story Link via Kotaku