Gamers line up by the thousands for PlayStation 4 launch

The late-fall chill outside a Best Buy store in Elkridge, Maryland, wasn't all that was keeping George Nelums awake late Thursday.

"I've been a PS dude since the first PS," said Nelums, the first in line to pick up a PlayStation 4 when the clock struck midnight. "I'm not planning on sleeping tonight. I've got a 6-hour energy drink. I'm all set."

He and about 100 others were there for the next step in the evolution of home entertainment. The new PlayStation hit stores a week before Microsoft's Xbox One does the same, touching off a new round in the fight for the hearts of console gamers.It was a scene that played out at thousands of stores across North America.

In New York, Sony rented out the entire Standard High Line Hotel in Manhattan, where roughly 500 people showed up to watch a light show of video-game scenes as they waited for the midnight launch.

Matt and Tammy Nyers, of Laurel, Maryland, picked up their two new pre-ordered consoles at the Elkridge store -- one to keep and one they plan on selling on eBay. Matt said he's more of a sports gamer and really wants to see what next year's "Madden" will be like when it is designed specifically for the new console.

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"It is the latest and greatest and I want to see what they can do," he said. "I'm really wanting to see what games will be coming out next because they will be built just for the PS4. This is built more like a gaming rig (than the PS3)."