Video game fans by the thousands have mobbed stores from New York to Los Angeles — all for a chance be among the first in the U.S. to snatch Sony’s long-awaited, $600 PlayStation 3 console.

This year’s crowds are among the biggest yet to camp out ahead of a video game console launch, reflecting the industry’s growing impact and enthusiasts’ desire to make a quick buck on eBay. Systems are already being auctioned for nearly triple the retail price.

At San Francisco’s Metreon, home to the Sony Style retail store and site of the West Coast PS3 launch party, 750 people formed lines that stretched for blocks. Sony handed out burritos to the devotees, some of whom camped out for days ahead of the launch. A PlayStation spokeswoman hinted that that wasn’t the best of it: “Let’s just say everybody’s going to go home happy.”

San Francisco college student Joshua Motta, who was No. 2 in line at the Metreon party, said he’s debating whether to keep his PS3: “I could go to Best Buy to sell it. But I’m worried about getting jumped.”

Mark MacDonald, director of Gamevideos.com, predicted an even bigger mob for Sunday’s launch of Nintendo’s Wii console — which costs $250 and comes with a pair of one-hand controllers that lets gamers simulate on-screen action, whether it’s making racing school buses summersault off ramps or wielding a sword.

Let the battle begin.

Click here for Reuters’ coverage of the scene. YouTube videos from the Japan PS3, where things got out of hand can be found here.