Interesting possibility... a good friend of mine that works within the Gamestop/EB system was at a meeting last week where they discussed the distribution system for the PS3 launch.
My friend says that instead of the old system of preordering and launch allocations that vary per store, they are considering doing a lottery. They would have everyone that wants a launch system register for a lottery to determine who is going to get one. He wasn't sure exactly how it would work from that point, but he doesn't think Sony would ship the PS3's directly, he thinks either the winners would be directed to the closest retail store, or the customer would get to pick which store he or she could pick it up from.
What do you think about the likelihood of this, and its pros and cons?
I think if it's done intelligently (preventing people from submitting large #'s of entries by tying it to a phone number or an address) it would be a good idea. I think the current paradigm for system launches needs an overhaul. This would cut down on hoarding for profit, eliminate overnight lines, and stop retail stores from saving systems for themselves and favored customers.
Of course the retail stores wouldn't want this, but refusing to go along with the system would mean they wouldn't get any launch systems, and fewer or maybe even no second shipments, costing game and accessory sales.