PS3 European Launch upstaged by Microsoft

[Don Rizzle]

Microsoft crashes Sony PS3 launch
 
Trying out the PS3 and its rivals 

The European launch of the PlayStation 3 has been met by both cheers and indifference across the continent.
London saw the biggest turnout and all those that turned up for the midnight event also got a free HD TV to go with their new console.

But in France, Germany and many other places crowds of keen gamers were conspicuous by their absence.

In both London and France Microsoft mounted publicity stunts to rub some of the gloss off Sony's launch events.

Stunt site

At the Virgin Megastore in London's Oxford Street, the software giant handed out chairs to those queuing that had a website address printed on them.

Anyone visiting the webpage saw an Xbox 360 branded site that "welcomes" Sony to the next generation and chides the electronics giant for being "late". Microsoft's Xbox 360 launched in late 2005.


 PS3 HITS EUROPE

Gamer who prefers Xbox 360 

In other European nations the response to the launch of the PS3 was more mixed.

In France several stores stayed open until midnight so gamers could pick up a PlayStation but few people took the opportunity to grab one.

Game news site Next Gen reported that French gamers were outnumbered by the media on the boat Sony moored by the Eiffel tower to act as a temporary electronics store selling the console.

The event was upstaged by Microsoft which drove its own boat covered in Xbox 360 logos up and down the Seine near the Sony craft.

In Germany several hundred people turned up at the Sony Centre in Berlin where the electronics giant was hosting a launch event.

Game website Kotaku reported that in Berlin, at a branch of the Saturn electronics store, 50 gamers got a free PS3 after smashing their Xbox 360 by throwing it off a wall.


In Amsterdam only a "handful" of gamers turned up to pick up a console.
One of the better attended events seems to have been in Prague in the Czech republic where more than 100 gamers queued for the chance to buy a PS3 soon after midnight.

In Sydney Sony and retailer Myer staged a launch event at which customers were also outnumbered by the media. Danny Zarka, the first Australian PS3 owner, was at the front of the queue despite only turning up after 9PM.

About 80 customers turned up for the midnight launch and the Sydney Morning Herald called it "feeble".

Cost counting

The London HD TV giveaway is thought to have cost Sony more than £250,000. It also provided free taxis to get people home safely.

At the head of the queue in London, 17-year-old Ritatsu Thomas said the giveaway and PS3 had been worth the 36-hour wait.


 
A gamer's verdict 

He said: "I feel fantastic. I'm delighted that everyone here also gets a television."
Sony has declared its launch of PlayStation 3 to date a success, saying early sales are faster than those of its predecessor PS2.

It believes that the combination of a high-definition Blu-ray DVD player, online capabilities and gaming powered by the Cell processor will convince gamers to spend £425 (599 Euros) on the machine.

"High definition is very important to people," said Ray Maguire, head of Sony Computer Entertainment in the UK.

"A lot of people have bought flat panel TVs and they want content to go on it and PlayStation 3 is one of the few places they can get that kind of experience."


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/6485483.stm

Published: 2007/03/23 15:52:58 GMT

© BBC MMVII

[Don Seer]

walking through town just now in my lunch break i saw 3 stores trying to sell PS3s.. signs like "ps3s in stock. limited numbers. buy now" etc..

[MIC]

walking through town just now in my lunch break i saw 3 stores trying to sell PS3s.. signs like "ps3s in stock. limited numbers. buy now" etc..

It's 425 pounds in the UK, right? How much is that in US dollars? 850?
I just read in Sweden the official price is 6800 SEK (that's around 970 US dollars)
while Xbox 360 premium is 3595 SEK and WII around 2700.
Sony lost their minds 

[On The Edge of Insanity]

UK Fastest's Selling Home Console

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=23781

[LyRiCaL_G]

hahaha y'all kill me always tryna post negative shit about the ps3.....it killed everyone in the uk.....if they sell out they aint shipping enough, if they aint sold out, they aint selling enough....its hilarious....truth is they had shipped alot more stock than its competitors...and it still sold crazy

[MIC]

hahaha y'all kill me always tryna post negative shit about the ps3.....it killed everyone in the uk.....if they sell out they aint shipping enough, if they aint sold out, they aint selling enough....its hilarious....truth is they had shipped alot more stock than its competitors...and it still sold crazy

PS3 had an excellent debut in the US and Japan too. Now it's moving 20-30 thousand a week and even Motorstorm and Virtua Fighter 5 couldn't change it - sales didn't skyrocket and both games dropped out of top 20 after just one week. Hardcore gamers like me and you who are usually early adopters don't make a console successful - only average people count here. Question is - are they going to spend 800-1000 dollars (and that's the price in most if not all European countries) on a console? They aren't doing that in the US and Japan where the price is lower, so I doubt they'll do it in Europe. We'll see in a few weeks. Anyway - looking at the worldwide sales, I think there's a price drop coming and that's always good.

Oh yeah, the record of UK debut sales is still held by the PSP which is not doing so good now 

[Antonio_]

It costs 599 € here in Italy.
Too fucking much.

[Nutty]

Yaye, it's finally here.........might pick up one.