Police in Ottawa arrested one man on Thursday night as lineups for the new PlayStation 3 game console turned ugly.

Ottawa police said one man was arrested in the west end after fights broke among people waiting to be among the first to pay $659.99 for a console when the store opened at 8 a.m.

Gamers lined up outside stores across North America last night ahead of the Friday morning launch of Sony's new gaming console. Some of those lineups, including in Ottawa, were the scenes of injuries and altercations.

Police were called to the Merivale Future Shop at about 2 a.m. Friday, where many people had been waiting in the rain for hours for a limited number of available consoles.

Police said those involved in the altercation were removed and were not permitted to rejoin the line.

The man who was arrested was charged with public intoxication.

Meanwhile, another lineup to buy the new PlayStation 3 was the scene of a shooting in Putnam, Conn. Two gunman tried to rob a line outside a Wal-Mart store, and shot one person who would not hand over money.

The victim was taken to hospital.

In West Bend, Wis., a 19-year-old man was injured when he ran into a pole racing with 50 others for one of 10 spots outside a Wal-Mart.

In Lexington, Ky., police were investigating a drive-by shooting in which four people were hit with BB pellets outside a Best Buy store, causing minor injuries, according to WKYT, whose own reporter was hit as she interviewed buyers in line.

In Palmdale, Calif., authorities shut down a Super Wal-Mart after some shoppers got rowdy late Wednesday. 

With files from the Associated Press