Paul,
I just spent 1 1/2 hrs at Best Buy in Columbia, S.C. talking to one of the sales guys (hardcore gamer) and a college student from Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. (hardcore gamer and builder of his own computer). Salient points:
1) This particular store is working on it's 5th shipment since April. (I asked, but he didnt know how large the shipments were.) Originally had problems getting Voodoo2 but once in stock they flew off the shelves. Big seller was Diamond 12mb Voodoo2. Currently, they do have cards in stock, but only 4. They have more 8mb but I didnt count. They are still selling but not like the original rush which is understandable.
2) Neither the clerk or the college student will consider anything other than 3dfx unless they screw up. The college student wont consider anything other than Diamond.
3) While I was talking to them about 10 people walked by the card section and not one, NOT ONE, looked at anything other than the Diamond cards.
4) This is South Carolina where spreadsheets are still calculated with an abacus and the only talk among teenagers and college kids is about getting laid or Carolina/Clemson football. I was shocked at the number of people that came up and started talking about gaming. One guy looked like he had just come out of the infield from the Southern 500 stockcar race in Darlington, S.C. after a 3-day binge and he started talking about playing Unreal.
5) Take these statements however you want but the impression I came away with was one of shock. South Carolina is about Baptists, beer, football, good ole boy politics, and a 1000 year old senator that has to be jump started in the morning in order to babble about pig pickings and the military. There is something else going on here and the redneck from Darlington showed it to me....gaming.
regards,
stephen |
