You've heard about the problems bubbling away over at Sony, right?  How the European launch of the PlayStation 3 has been pushed into next year and how there will only be somewhere around 500,000 consoles available at launch in North America and Japan?  Good, we're caught up.  Although it pains me to do so, I must bring you the message that many of you do not want to hear.  If you have your heart set on acquiring a PS3 this year, here's some free advice: skip it.

Now, that's not saying to pass on the console forever.  Just save yourself the time, frustration, and money that would be spent hunting for a PS3 in stores and on eBay.  The PS3 will still be there after the holiday rush, most likely in greater numbers and with a larger game library.  Sit this launch out.  You may feel disappointed initially, but I'd bet that in the end you'll wind up a whole lot happier if you wait to buy.