Sleeping on a hard, cold sidewalk may sound uncomfortable but to a video game fanatic, 12 hours on the pavement can be very rewarding.

Keith Chmelik of Hermitage was one of the first people to buy Sony’s Playstation 2 entertainment system when a limited number went on sale Oct. 26.

He and about 140 video game diehards waited in line all night at Best Buy in Boardman.

"I got to the store around 10 p.m. and was number 43 in line. Within five minutes of being there, 10 to 15 more people lined up behind me," Chmelik said.

The endurance test wasn’t just a matter of getting the newest game console for Chmelik.

"My friend wanted it extremely bad and was unable to wait in line. I volunteered because it would be an interesting one-time incident for me," he said.

Like other parts of the nation local department and electronic stores received a small shipment of the systems. Some stores were shipped as few as four units while Best Buy got a larger shipment. Due to the large demand for the Playstation 2, lines formed early in the afternoon the day before the sale.

Sony prohibited stores from selling any of the games until Oct. 26. To keep crowds in check the store hired security guards to patrol the line.

"No one was really sleeping and a lot of security was around to keep things in order," Chmelik said. "People were playing football, cards, using the Internet on their cell phones and ordering pizza."

Chmelik said everyone acted in a civil manner.

The hype for Playstation 2 and it’s improved performance, gameplay and graphic ability is driving the demand. It can play DVD movies, audio CDs and Playstation 1 and 2 video games. Eventually it will have a network or Internet connection.

Sony cut the expected North American shipment in half but consumers can expect substantial deliveries in late December or January of 2001.

"Due to manufacturing and production delays, Sony was only able to produce 500,000 units for North America," Stephanie Iwamasa, Spokeswoman for Sony said. Sony plans to ship approximately 100,000 additional units per week.

"After the first year, we will be stocking store shelves regularly, but until then we are shipping Playstation 2s every week to certain retailers," Ms. Iwamasa said.