With the launch of the PlayStation 3 in Europe, Sony’s
latest console is now a worldwide product. The top PS3 launch story is
undoubtedly the one of the Virgin Megastore in Oxford Street, London where Sony
gave away a
free 46-inch Bravia HDTV to over 100 people waiting in line for the
console. Pro-G has a video
from the launch with comments from Ray Maguire of SCEE UK and Phil Harrison
of SCE Worldwide plus the shocking reveal of a free TV for everyone in the
queue.
The Virgin Megastore, being the official launch partner for
Sony was one of the only shops on Oxford Street to hold a midnight launch. The
two other major retailers in the vicinity, HMV and GAME, decided to postpone launches to
the morning under police advisory.
Although the London launch is receiving the most publicity,
the rest of Europe gets their black Sony monoliths today too. The launch
in Greece featured live demonstrations with aliens and samurais promoting Resistance and Genji 2. All people at the Greek launch received Sony presents like
USB car radios, but nothing on the scale of a free Bravia TV.
The PS3 was met by a crow of over 130
people at a Sony Store in Prague, Czech Republic, eventually selling out after a few hours. The
Germans were even more feverish over the PlayStation 3, going as far as to destroying
Xbox 360 consoles. Saturn, an electronics chain store, promoted that the
first 50 Xbox 360 owners who climb a wall and then throw their consoles down to
their imminent destruction will receive a free PlayStation 3.
Meanwhile, Microsoft had its own answer to all the smashed
Xbox 360s. Microsoft sent
out cases of free Fosters to the UK’s games media yesterday to illustrate the
beer gamers could buy with the price differential between the PS3 and the Xbox
360. Paris got its own Xbox 360 love boat.
And finally, Microsoft gave out free camping chairs to those waiting in line
for a PS3—undeniably an act of goodwill—though a little cryptic, as each chair
was branded with www.shkyw.org.