Reports yesterday suggested that the Nintendo Wii queue outside London's Oxford Street HMV - venue of the official launch event - first sprang up on Tuesday. We couldn't quite believe this. What manner of creature, for goodness sake?
And what kind of gigantic fool would brave the tornado-swept streets of London at gone-midnight just to find out what the poor lad had been doing about sanitation?
Patrick Garratt: How long have you been here for?
Marwan Elgamal: Since Tuesday at 5pm.
Patrick Garratt: Have you been sleeping out here?
Marwan Elgamal: Yeah, I've had a tent and everything.
Patrick Garratt: What happened when you needed to go to the toilet?
Marwan Elgamal: There was a bin around the corner. I just did it in there.
Marwan Elgamal, 17, from Wembley - first in the line in London.
Patrick Garratt: Why are you so into Nintendo?
Marwan Elgamal: I've grown up with it and I've enjoyed myself so much during Nintendo games. Everything's just great, and the games are so much fun. They keep doing it. They keep bringing the gameplay, so I'll keep playing.
Patrick Garratt: Does the motion aspects of Wii make it so interesting for you or is it the games themselves?
Marwan Elgamal: It's the games. They know how to play. I got to try out Twilight Princess and it's tailor-made. It works so well. It attracts me so much.
Patrick Garratt: You don't want to play Twilight Princess on GameCube?
Marwan Elgamal: I'm going to get Twilight Princess for GameCube but I'm going to leave it sealed because I'm collecting all the Zelda games.
Patrick Garratt: Are you into DS as well?
Marwan Elgamal: Yeah.
Patrick Garratt: Do you play other systems as well? Have you got a 360?
Marwan Elgamal: I was going to get a 360 a couple of weeks ago, because I played round my friend's house on Xbox Live and it almost sold it to me, but it's not enough to get me to get a 360.
Patrick Garratt: Have you played Gears of War?
Marwan Elgamal: Not yet, no.
Patrick Garratt: Does that sort of game appeal to you as much as Zelda?
Marwan Elgamal: It does appeal to me, but not as much as Zelda. I grew up with Zelda and it's my favourite game. I need Zelda.
Patrick Garratt: What are you actually going to buy today?
Marwan Elgamal: I'm going to buy Twilight Princess. I'd buy Twilight Princess before the Wii because I want it more than the Wii itself. And I'm going to get Red Steel and Super Monkey Ball. And Wii Play to get the extra remote.
Imagine if his card was declined.
Patrick Garratt: How much is that going to cost you in total?
Marwan Elgamal: £300 plus. But I've been saving.
Patrick Garratt: You're not bothered about spending that much money?
Marwan Elgamal: I'm not bothered about spending that much money.
Patrick Garratt: Are you going to get a PS3 when they come out as well?
Marwan Elgamal: I'm not planning on it, but maybe if there's money to be made in it. It's too expensive. I don't really care about the PS3.
Patrick Garratt: You're not arsed about the games?
Marwan Elgamal: I haven't seen anything that great. They don't bring out much. Resistance: Fall of Man is the only title that everyone's been talking about, so I might try it out. But I'm not really interested.
Read on to hear what second in line, Daniel Kirby, had to say for himself.
Second in line!
Patrick Garratt: What are you going to buy?
Daniel Kirby: I'm going to buy a Wii, Twilight Princess and probably a few other games.
Patrick Garratt: Which ones? Do you know?
Daniel Kirby: Red Steel, because it looks really good, and probably Wii Play.
Patrick Garratt: The weather's been a bit rubbish for you?
Daniel Kirby: It hasn't been very nice. It rained last night.
Patrick Garratt: What is it that's made you sit out in the pouring rain?
Daniel Kirby: I've always liked Nintendo consoles, because they're always party-oriented and you can play them in big groups. I played the console at the Good Food Show in October, and it was absolutely amazing. Initially, I thought about getting a console, but then I thought I'd wait a while and wait for it to officially come out. And then I played it and I thought, 'I have to get my hands on this.' Because it's completely revolutionary. It's amazing.
Daniel Kirby, 19, from Kingsbury.
Patrick Garratt: Do you think they're doing something completely different from Sony and Microsoft?
Daniel Kirby: It's good because they're not power-hungry. They're doing something which is different. They're doing a new thing which seems to be working quite well. Xbox and Sony have the graphics, and everything, and the games are really good, but there isn't really anything new there. They've basically just taken a PC and put it into a console, whereas Nintendo has made something new that's great fun.
Patrick Garratt: What do you think of the price point?
Daniel Kirby: It's definitely a lot cheaper than the PS3 and the Xbox. It's very good value for money, and, obviously, the games for it are going to be excellent.
Patrick Garratt: Do you think the price is sensible?
Daniel Kirby: It's definitely a sensible price. The Xbox is slightly more expensive than the Wii, but nowhere near as expensive as PS3. The Xbox is a very good console as well.
Patrick Garratt: What do you think about the price of PlayStation 3, because it's obviously really expensive.
Daniel Kirby: It's very, very expensive. It's one of those things that if you definitely want it you're going to have to start saving right now.
Patrick Garratt: Do you think you'll buy one?
Daniel Kirby: I think not. I like PlayStation but I'm not a hardcore fan. I'd buy it for games like Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid 4 which I really love, but I wouldn't actually just go out and buy it just as a general thing.
Patrick Garratt: You wouldn't sit out for days in the rain?
Daniel Kirby: I wouldn't sit out for days in the rain, no. But I'd have to buy it for the games.
For more Wii launch excitement, check out our photo gallery.
