That hasn’t stopped Wave invite buzz from hitting eBay, including an offer (of unauthenticated veracity) as high as $27,000. Well before it got to this point, Google Wave hysteria has already become more of a status symbol than a technology demo, at least as far as coverage is concerned: Were you within 6 degrees of separation from the Google big-wigs making the list? Could you get your invite to the party?

It’s Gartner Hype Cycle meets Who’s Who in a small, geeky echo chamber. And after Scoble’s Wave attack, others have joined the fray, with techie PR meister Steve Rubel saying it’s like RSS … and dead on arrival. Alex Salkever offers a good summary of other Wave criticism, but maybe the biggest point: Google Wave antipathy is the new black.

Fortunately, if Gartner’s over-hyped Hype Cycle is a good predictor, we’ll soon see Wave’s true power as people stop talking about it and start actually kicking the tires, revving it up and putting it through the paces.