(Reuters)-Thousands of Japanese consumers swept away by PlayStation2 fever braved frigid weather and enormous queues to get their hands on Sony's new dream machine as sales started here Saturday.?Hundreds of thousands of gleaming new PlayStation2 units flew off store shelves as retail outlets in the capital attracted queues stretching in some cases more than a mile.?Many game fanatics, including some who traveled thousands of miles from Europe and North America, had camped out for two nights in Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district to make sure they would be among the first owners.?The object of their desire, priced at about $360, is a console that many analysts say takes home entertainment to a new dimension with lifelike animation and the capacity to play DVDs and surf the Internet.?PlayStation2 is due to be launched in the United States and Europe late this year (in time for the Christmas buying season, they say).?
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