PS3 launches in Europe

By Ellie Gibson Published 23 March, 2007

And Sony hands out free TVs.

Let's be honest: it was hard to know what to expect from the UK launch of PlayStation 3. It's been a hard road for Sony - why, it was only last week that the police were raining on their planned midnight parade, worried about those pesky muggers seeing PS3 launch events as an ideal opportunity to further their careers.

HMV and GAME went for early morning 'breakfast launches' instead, inviting gamers to swap their usual fried eggs and bacon butties for, well, a copy of Virtua Tennis 3 and bacon butties.

But Virgin Megastore, Sony's official retail partner, was determined to stick with the midnight timing - even if that meant turning their Oxford Street branch into a sort of mini Glastonbury. With better toilets and a lot more DVDs.

As it turned out, only a handful of people actually took the opportunity to sleep over in the shop. And if you were one of those who walked into the shop at 11pm last night, you might well have thought that Sony and Virgin had gotten it wrong. There were just over 100 people in the queue - a far cry from the long line which snaked around the block at last December's Wii launch.

But there are different circumstances at work here. To begin with, there's the high price point for PlayStation 3 - more than double that of the Wii (unless you're buying it on eBay, possibly).

Then there's the issue of stock. At launch it was clear that the Wii was in high demand and short supply, while Sony promised 1 million PS3 units for Europe on day one in a bid to ensure the less organised or still unsure would be able to pick up a console without pre-ordering.

And, of course, there's the console itself. Nintendo banged on about the fact that the Wii was designed to be a games machine, pure and simple. Sony has been waffling about PS3 as an all-round entertainment device, offering not just good games and a motion-sensing controller but a Blu-ray player, high definition visuals, a unique online service, multimedia functionality and, when combined with PSP, the option to have a wing mirror in a racing game.

'PS3 launches in Europe' Screenshot 1

Happy campers.

The fact is, PlayStation 3 is a machine that's unique in terms of price point, stock supplies and capabilities, all of which have reached levels never seen before. That's not just compared to Wii, but also Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 and even PlayStation 1. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that the launch of PlayStation 3 was also unique, in more ways than one.

It's true to say that Virgin Megastore felt strangely empty when you first walked in last night. It's a huge store, and despite the 100-strong queue and entertainment in the form of large screen TVs, a DJ and "B-boys", there was a definite sense of space. But there was no denying it - at least not after you'd been there for half an hour or so - you could also sense the excitement.

No, there weren't any groups of teenagers chanting the platform holder's name. No, there weren't any celebrities expressing their newfound love for gaming. And no, there weren't queues around the block. But there were gamers who had waited a long time for the arrival of PS3 - not necessarily for 36 hours inside the shop, but for months after the console hit the US and Japan.

Sony played the hour before midnight carefully, with a little something to keep the crowd going at regular intervals. First, a laminate number was picked at random, and the owner was told he'd be getting his PlayStation 3 for free. Later, it was confirmed that the first 150 people to buy a console would also get a free copy of Resistance: Fall of Man. But it wasn't until that 11.40pm Sony UK boss Ray Maguire came forward to address the crowd, and Sony brought out the really big guns.

Standing in front of a large flatscreen television, Maguire said, "This is a 46-inch Bravia W series. It's an award-winning flat panel. And do you know what the good news is guys? I'm going to give you one free."

'PS3 launches in Europe' Screenshot 2

Ritatsu Thomas, 17, gets a guard of honour. And more guards. And a Hummer-ride home.

The immediate response from the crowd was a mixture of cheers and confusion - a sort of collective, "Whooo... Ooo... Er, What?" But yes, Maguire said, Sony was giving away 125 top-of-the-range televisions worth around GBP 2000 each, adding, "Every single one of you in this queue is going to get one." Then came the proper cheers, followed by big old whoops and applause. This wasn't a free game, a free controller, a free HDMI cable; this was a real reward for sticking with Sony. Worth two thousand pounds.

The buzz continued to grow as the news sunk in further and midnight drew nearer. By 11.55pm the crowd was in position by the tills, while a large group of photographers competed for the best spot (Pat had the biggest camera though, obviously). Then came the ten-second countdown, more inevitable cheers, and the moment when Europe's next-gen console battle officially began. And 125 people decided they might get Sky HD after all.

The first person in the queue was 17 year-old Ritatsu Thomas, who arrived at the store at 5am on Wednesday. He said he'd only had around five hours sleep the previous night, and was tired of answering questions from the media for nearly two days. So was it worth the wait?

"It's been a very strange experience but there have been a lot of highlights, like being interviewed by the BBC, and making new friends... So it's been a good experience." Not all good, though: "I don't know if I'd do this again if it wasn't outside. Because inside the shop, it's a hot spot for the press to harass me with constant questions."

We decided to leave Thomas to take his PS3, free TV and courtesy Hummer ride home at this point, and turn to the second in line - Shadie Chatfield, 19 years old and a self-confessed Sony fangirl.

"It's been very tiring, but it's been a really good experience - I've really enjoyed it. Apparently we are the first people in the world to sleep in a Virgin Megastore, they've never allowed it before, so that's a cool thing. They treated us so well," she said.

Meanwhile Chatfield's boyfriend, Anthony Brophy - who had waited in the queue with her - was across the other side of the store talking to Big Phil Harrison, who made a surprise appearance at the event, perhaps to the disappointment of those who'd been hoping for Ian Wright and Nell McAndrew. "My girlfriend loves PlayStation, and she thinks you're amazing. Would you sign her console box?" Harrison, smiling and looking a bit surprised at the whole thing, replied, "I'd be delighted."

Although Harrison was a little more reluctant to talk to the press, Maguire had plenty to say.

"The launch has been great, considering that we weren't allowed to let people queue up outside and there were loads of restrictions," for example.

"People waiting for 36 hours and sleeping overnight is absolutely unbelievable - it shows the affinity people have for the brand, and it's really humbling."

'PS3 launches in Europe' Screenshot 3

Bet you wished you queued up now, eh?

Maguire's Sony UK chum, PR boss David Wilson, was on hand to address the issue of stock supply - and the suggestions from some critics that having consoles on shop shelves at the end of a midnight launch event indicates that no one really wants one, actually.

"We've got more stock for this launch than we've ever had before for a launch. A lot of retailers are going on the record saying for the first time, along with really good pre-orders, they'll actually have free stock on shelves for people to walk in and buy - and that's a great message," he said.

"It's always great to say, 'We sold out.' But it's probably indicative of the fact you're not being very good with your supply.

"With our stock it's less tempting for less scrupulous people to exploit the situation, either by people at retailers forcing people to take loads of games - as happened at the PS2 launch - or scalpers putting them on eBay and taking a huge premium."

It wasn't just present-day Sony executives who made an appearance at the launch. Also there to show his support was old hand Chris Deering, ex-SCEE boss, former head of Sony Europe and the man responsible for establishing the PlayStation brand on this continent more than a decade ago. Deering retired from Sony in late 2005 - but now, experiencing the PlayStation 3 launch, did he wish he was back in the fold?

"Feels like I never left," he replied with a chuckle. "There's the same enthusiasm and excitement I remember with PSone, when I was in this very store playing Tekken with Richard Branson at the launch. I won, believe it or not, much to my own amazement - I wasn't even trying to beat him, but he was so bad... PS3 is great, and good things come to those who wait."

'PS3 launches in Europe' Screenshot 4

Some unscrupulous journos try to ruin everything.

And according to Chris "Branson beater" Deering, Sony's new console has been well worth the wait. "If you make the analogy with airplane engines, everything up to now has been a propeller plane - and this is the first jet," he said.

"I think people will come to understand just how much horsepower exists under the bonnet of PS3, the versatility, the interactive use, the entertainment use..." he added mixed-metaphorically.

"But never forget that PlayStation is about games, and the games are going to be unbelievable."

Deering wasn't the only one talking up the capabilities of PS3, or remembering console launches past. Said Harrison, "I've seen PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 launched on Oxford Street, but this is the most meaningful for me personally, because I think it's so important not just for our industry but for UK consumers - the fact that they're going to get the best machine with the best software support, the most Network service and the firmware update...

"They had to wait, and I feel really bad about that. But I'm hoping we can make it up to them with the quality of software that we've got coming out."

Amongst those who had to wait was the girl who wanted Harrison to sign her console, Shadie Chatfield - and he naturally obliged. But after the experience of spending 36 hours camping out in a shop to get her hands on a new console, will she ever do it again?

"This is brilliant, so yes, I think I will. For PlayStation 4..."

But that's as much as ten years away, according to Harrison, and right now even the future of PS3 is unclear. Sony has pushed a lot of boundaries, taken significant risks and been given a fair old kicking, and there's work yet to be done.

In the end, last night console's launch was impossible to predict, and it turned out to be a launch unlike any other. Now the battle really begins - now, it's time for Sony to convince us that PlayStation 3 is a console unlike any other.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (278) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • lambtron #1 5 years ago

    "Amongst those who had to wait was the girl who wanted Harrison to sign her console, Shadie Chatfield - and he naturally obliged. But after the experience of spending 36 hours camping out in a shop to get her hands on a new console, will she ever do it again?"

    Words fail me.

  • Genji #2 5 years ago

    Free TVs??? For EVERYONE IN THE LINE???

    Jesus H Christ.

  • peteb #3 5 years ago

    "PS3 will own Europe."

    Is that the opposite of Europe will own PS3?

  • woodnotes #4 5 years ago

    "PS3 will own Europe."

    Err perhaps not. Did you read the article?

  • lennon #5 5 years ago

    Got bored when it got to the sony exexs quotes but nice for those 125 people who got a free TV.

    Just goes to show the type of people that are prepared to queue up at launch if they want PH's autograph!

  • BartonFink #6 5 years ago

    Desperation ;)

  • Dizzy #7 5 years ago

    Looks like there were about 10 real people buying a PS3.

  • Balסּr #8 5 years ago

    Just be honest, the masses aren't interested in the fecker and looking at the competition who blames them. PlayStation is s Passé!

  • FlamingCarrot #9 5 years ago

    Look past the launch and the games that are up and coming are pretty dire. I tried one out yesterday and sixaxis is awful. Once they release a dual shock controller then happy days. I have a 360, am not a fan boy, but really don't see a whole lot of difference between the two graphically. Some idiot on the radio yesterday from Sony stated it was twice as powerful as the 360. Rubbish. The sales figures from the USA + Japan are very telling, as are the development houses now hedging their bets. Still, there is a very long way to go before its potential is tapped i suppose.. Still a £2000 TV for queueing, man alive.....

  • Tyronne #10 5 years ago

    So aside from pr coming from the fact that they gave away free tv's , would it be fair to say that the release across Europe has been very crap indeed?

    I am not a fan boy, if there is decent console out I have bought one be if a ds, cube,ps2,xbox ,xbox 360 or the original ps1 but this time for me enough is enough and will not be getting a ps3 until there is a massive price drop it as there is simply nothing there warranting the purchase of a new console to play it on.

  • hoathenfold #11 5 years ago

    I wonder how many 'pre-orderers' didnt show to pick up their orders once they realised the ebay market for them was non-existant?

    Pre-ordering is one thing, turning up and paying for it is something else.

  • RobertFoster #12 5 years ago

    "PS3 will own Europe."

    Nah, the PS4 will. "Remember the PS3 launch, Nigel? They gave out free tellys... We better queue early for the PS4..."

  • Les #13 5 years ago

    "now, it's time for Sony to convince us that PlayStation 3 is a console unlike any other"

    As far as I'm concerned, this goes for all 'next gen' consoles. So far, I haven't seen anything that justifies the purchase of a new console.

  • Dizzy #14 5 years ago

    Kinda amazing they had to give TVs away to get some killer headlines. Meanwhile... walking into game for a Wii is still not possible. They go in and fly out in 20 secs.

  • penhalion #15 5 years ago

    I'm enjoying this PS3 thing for the first time in ages. The fanboys who wanted one have now got them and are living with the reality. The rest of the world i.e. those who really aren't interested in spending lots of money of something because of a sony badge, are gettingon with their lives.

    In the next few days, the hype will turn to serious analysis as people suddenly see that the launches were a complete bomb no matter who tries to spin it.

    Yep I'm gonna enjoy this.

    /Pulls up chair :)

  • Scimarad #16 5 years ago

    Okay, it's finally out. Can we now go back to actually playing and commenting on games rather than bashing the consoles?

    /doesn't believe it for a second

  • peteb #17 5 years ago

    "I wonder how many 'pre-orderers' didnt show to pick up their orders once they realised the ebay market for them was non-existant?

    Pre-ordering is one thing, turning up and paying for it is something else. "

    true true

  • neonlok #18 5 years ago

    Free TV?!?! OH wait i was up watchin 300 anyway wouldnt have got one...=p

  • Nippledoctor #19 5 years ago

    Well the same in France apparently with hardly anyone turning in, and the few who came to buy one still don't know why they did!

    Look at this and at around 3/4 of the video, even though it's all in French you're in for a treat!

    [link url=http://www.jeuxvideo.tv/console-sony-playstat ion-3-video-34234.html
    ]http://ww w.jeuxvideo.tv/console-sony-pla...[/link]

    Happy viewing.

  • LeD #20 5 years ago

    It makes for strange reading, that article glossing over the fact that hardly anyone turned up. "But they were giving away free TVs!1! Free TeeeeVeeeees!111".

    Come on EG, give Sony a bit less respect, Phil is not that intimidating.

  • Mageme #21 5 years ago

    Man, if I knew they were giving those out, I'd queue up for it. "Yes, please give me a £2K Bravia. No, I don't want a PS3... just give me the TV"

  • Hench #22 5 years ago

    Ah shit, missed out on a free TV.

    But on the other hand, not only am I £425 better off, when I finally do get a PS3, it will probably not break down like these launch consoles will :)

    But when you think of it: £2,000 X 100 odd = £200,000+

    Not only is sony losing money on it's highly expensive console, but their throwing more money away for free tv's :S

  • ED209 #23 5 years ago

    The headline should be "Sony man-loves 100 strangers in London (the known centre of the universe), shafts everyone else with price/hardware/launch date/etc."

  • morriss #24 5 years ago

    I thought they said us waiting was great for them and it didn't matter?

  • JYM60 #25 5 years ago

    JESUS CHRIST!!
    I live in Belfast and I would have gone over there if I knew I'd get a fecking TV.
    And to meet big phil of course......nah just the TV.

  • Tyronne #26 5 years ago

    so many people there...its like a Jade Goody book signing.

  • Dizzy #27 5 years ago

    Compare this with the WoW event.... nuff said :)

  • RobertFoster #28 5 years ago

    Nippledoctor
    [link url=http://ww w.jeuxvideo.tv/console-sony-pla...
    ]http://ww w.jeuxvideo.tv/console-sony-pla...[/link]

    Happy viewing.

    It looks like tank-tops are this seasons style for games reporters :p >_>

  • Hench #29 5 years ago

    LOL Nippledoctor,

    Xbox 360 advertisement on the PS3 launch in that clip

  • Xerx3s #30 5 years ago

    Kinda amazing they had to give TVs away to get some killer headlines. Meanwhile... walking into game for a Wii is still not possible. They go in and fly out in 20 secs.

    Odd. I can walk into any shop here and buy one.

  • Masarin #31 5 years ago

    I fried my XBOX 360 tonight som I'm gonna go pick up a new one just in front of the PS3 fanboys. :-)
    Edited by 2 at 23/03/07 @ 09:10

  • hoathenfold #32 5 years ago

    'But when you think of it: £2,000 X 100 odd = £200,000+ '

    The retail price of the TV's is a lot higher than the cost price, and SONY charge the UK market a significant amount more for the console than anyone else, so they've only got to shift around 1000 PS3's and the free TV's are paid for (not that it wasnt in their marketting spend anyway.)

    Fair play to them though in that respect - excellent PR - its been on all the news stations / shows this morning - maximum exposure!!

    And fantastic for those who got a free TV !
    Edited by 2 at 23/03/07 @ 09:36

  • Moz #33 5 years ago

    Well there were alot of people out in reading in various stores picking them up (Me included) and I saw people walking home with them on my way to work this morning as well.

    125 people at virgin is surprisingly low numbers, but given as every one with a pre-order had it guarented earlier in the week, it's not surprising that a number of people have opted to get in the morning, or even on their way home this evening!

    Now until recently I have been a diehard X360 "fanboy" (for want of a better word) but I must say I am plesently surprised by PS3, it just seems less rushed then the X360, most noticable by it have an internal power supply, which makes fitting in your A/V stand alot easier.

    Also Motostorm is very good, nice to play something that's a bit different.

  • Lost_in_Darkness #34 5 years ago

    This article is quite the damage control, at least from what I could be bothered to read of it, I have no time for such swill.
    Pure and simple, the launch was a shambles all over europe in fact. In Paris, there was a launch event at the Eiffel Tower, with barely 50 people showing up. Compared to the launch frenzies of the PS2 and even of the Wii's last December, the fact that only 50 people showed up is a kick to the balls of everything that Sony represents with the PS3.
    Sony have a LOT of work ahead of them if they want to stand any chance of selling on par with MS and Nintendo. As it is, all over the world, the PS3 is in a bad position. Sony just made far too many wrong decisions this time around.

  • lennon #35 5 years ago

    "Compare this with the WoW event.... nuff said :) "

    I was thinking exactly the same thing!

  • Lovemoose #36 5 years ago

    Reward? or bribe?

  • Dizzy #37 5 years ago

    "Nippledoctor
    [link url=http://ww w.jeuxvideo.tv/console-sony-pla...
    ]http://ww w.jeuxvideo.tv/console-sony-pla...[/link]

    Happy viewing. "


    Wow that Paris launch was a disaster.

  • Eighthours #38 5 years ago

    The fact is, PlayStation 3 is a machine that's unique in terms of price point, stock supplies and capabilities, all of which have reached levels never seen before.

    Er... evidence, Ellie?

  • Dizzy #39 5 years ago

    >Odd. I can walk into any shop here and buy one.

    Really? Address please?

  • JYM60 #40 5 years ago

    Lost_in_Darkness

    If you had read the 'swill' you would have understood that the wii and ps2 launches had so much people at the events because the consoles had such limited supply.

  • JediMasterMalik #41 5 years ago

    Sounds... subdued to say the least.

  • paulf #42 5 years ago

    now that's what i call a marketing stunt, gratz to the 100 or so people who were there and got a free tele, and good job sony for making sure you get headline news. If they are still doing the free tele offer then I'll get one, otherwise I'll wait till they are under £300 ;)

  • Gojira #43 5 years ago

    Nice, if you're in London- what about the rest of Europe Phil? They not important enough?

  • Hypnopedia #44 5 years ago

    And every site I have just checked this morning has the PS3 in still in stock (Amazon, Play, Gameplay, HMV, etc, etc)

    So lot's of stock obviously means the best launch ever.....to quote Phil.....!

    Just on an aside....
    I nearly choked on my cornflakes yesterday listening to Moyles on Radio 1 - some guy who proported to have some "knowledge" of the industry and the consoles actually said that the PS3 was far more powerful BECAUSE IT HAS COME OUT A YEAR AND A HALF AFTER THE 360.....!! This follows on from a recent survey of HD TV owners where 80% thought they were watching HD quality TV, even though they had NO HD Source. The fact is this country suffers badly from "affluenza" and "keeping up with the Jones" so just for the sake of showing off their shiny new EXPENSIVE PS3 I'm sure it will still end up the prominent console.

    Meanwhile us sad geeks know what's what don't we...??!!

    ;D

  • Lost_in_Darkness #45 5 years ago

    There's a reason for that. It isn't selling. In the US, their February sales was a pitiful 100,000+ compared to about 370,000+ Wii and 220,000+ 360.

    Plus that 100k is not supply constrained, there are plentiful stocks in all stores, in comparison the Wii is still completely supply constrained where they sell everything they send out to stores, and the 360 has been constant in it's 220k sales for months now.

    So what happens to their excess stock? It's routed to Europe for hopefully better sales......not to be it appears. PS2 was impossible to find in the first half year of it's release. The PS3 is a completely different story, the reasons for this should be being noted and addressed so that Sony can learn from their glaring mistakes. Not glossed over like this pitiful article does.

  • LeD #46 5 years ago

    In Paris, in that special shop they set up near the Seine river, they sold 30 to 40 consoles. Nice.

  • SBfistfun #47 5 years ago

    Nobody exists outside of London didn't you know that?

    /plans to start saying "wicked" and stabbing youths so he can receive all the benefits of living down south

  • -TKF- #48 5 years ago

    Of course the haters will be bitching about the guys that didn´t get a free 2k pound TV instead of being happy for those that did..

    I bet your all virgins dreaming of pussy and wanking it to gay porn, you just hate the lucky guys...

  • Les #49 5 years ago

    "the 360's media-center extender functionality, and so on, makes it unique"

    I fail to see how this makes the machine unique, apart from the fact that it can attach to the world's most crappy OS: Windows Media Center. Please explain (and I think there are better examples of the uniqueness of 360, like Live).

  • LeD #50 5 years ago

    The general press is reporting on the launch here in France. The headline is "PS3 flops":

    Here

    In the special shop Sony set up, 95% of the stock wasn't sold.
    Edited by 1 at 23/03/07 @ 09:34

  • PearOfAnguish #51 5 years ago

    Ten quid says most of the people in that queue already knew about the free TVs.

  • Les #52 5 years ago

    "and the 360 has been constant in it's 220k sales for months now."

    Which is quite pathetic as well. Let's face it, the only next-gen machine that actually makes an impact is the one that pushes the least pixels. And it doesn't even have proper software support (yet?)...

  • tonynibbles #53 5 years ago

    Wish I'd been there. Fucking hell. Free 46" TV.

  • lennon #54 5 years ago

    Slower sales after xmas shocker!!!!

  • Pac #55 5 years ago

    I wonder how many EG readers are not going to bother picking their pre-ordered machine up today. I've got the money ready, and I'd love to replace my ageing, old style PS2, and get rid of my wired pads (not that bothered about rumble).

    But there are simply too few good games that are available at launch and on the horizon that are PS3 exclusives. So I have decided to wait and see how the launch schedule pans out over the next few months. Predictably, my missus is over the moon with this news.

    Now I will have to wait for Heavenly Sword to come out before I buy the thing (assuming that the game is as good as anticipated and that it will not appear on the 360).
    Edited by 1 at 23/03/07 @ 09:44

  • Killdare #56 5 years ago

    For a slightly different perspective on the launch, can I commend the coverage on http://www.asadodo.com (http://as adodo.blogspot.com/2007/03/sony... Giving the Sony hype the kicking it deserves.

    (I'm just trying to convince myself I don't need to buy the damn thing: if only Little Big Planet didn't look soooo good)

  • tonynibbles #57 5 years ago

    360 is the only one that lets me stream video/music/photos from a networked PC, out of the box. Moreover, it has Media Center Extender in-built. Otherwise you would have to buy one of the seperate boxes to get that functionality, if you chose to go with PS3 or Wii. This counts as unique capability, just as much as the Blu-ray movie playback in the PS3.

    Erm. That's not the point. PS3 is the media server, not a PC.
    The PS3 does and plays everything you'd need it to in one box.

  • Les #58 5 years ago

    "360 is the only one that lets me stream video/music/photos from a networked PC"

    Yes, but why would you want to connect it to another PC?! I fail to see that. PS3 can do that all on it's own and it's not too hard to connect a PC to directly to a TV. Then there's Apple TV which does just that only way better, I could go on and on.

    "This counts as unique capability, just as much as the Blu-ray movie playback in the PS3."

    It might be unique, but it's also quite pointless.
    Edited by 1 at 23/03/07 @ 09:46

  • JediMasterMalik #59 5 years ago

    Right, crap launch night. Yes?

    Let's see over the weekend...

  • KingKongBassett #60 5 years ago

    "But yes, Maguire said, Sony was giving away 125 top-of-the-range televisions"

    Nice, one for every pound the PS3 is over-priced.

  • Mageme #61 5 years ago

    Funny how some of us are more interested in the free Bravia TV than the PS3...

  • Pac #62 5 years ago

    @Les

    Surely you are not suggesting that it is easier to copy your entire music collection on to the PS3 than stream it off your PC on to your 360?

    I for one think that the ability to stream music wirelessly to the Xbox is an indispensable feature.

    I naturally assumed that the PS3 could do the same. Are they trying to come up with reasons for people not to buy it?

  • Concrete #63 5 years ago

    I was concerned that the PS3 wasnt going to do well, until I stumbled out of the pub at 12 last night and saw the queues outside HMV and GAME! Spoke to the security guard who said that both shops had already shifted their allocation. A few fanboys ranting on internet forums isnt going to change the fact that within 5 years, all those PS2s under peoples TVs will be replaced by PS3s, probably connected to Sony TVs.

  • FlamingCarrot #64 5 years ago

    "Right, crap launch night. Yes?

    Let's see over the weekend... "

    Lets see over the next month once the hype has died. Really think Sony have buggered themselves on this one. The Mercedes of consoles. Hmmm most of us can't afford Mercedes, only those on benefits....

  • SBfistfun #65 5 years ago

    "I bet your all virgins dreaming of pussy and wanking it to gay porn, you just hate the lucky guys..."


    ?!

  • numptyboymatt #66 5 years ago

    My boyfriend just went into our local Game to buy Brian Lara for the 360 and the guy behind the counter tried to persuade him to buy a PS3 instead - apparently they still have loads left.

    Decided I might think about buying one nearer to Xmas, maybe when the price has dropped by at least £100

  • SIDEARM #67 5 years ago

    It seems odd to me that there are so many rabid fanboys on here talking up the machine and the launch. If its so great why arent you playing it not posting vacuous comments on here?

  • nickthegun #68 5 years ago

    After the launch, a tearful Harrison grabbed the mike and gave the cheering onlookers a heartfelt rendition of:

    It’s been a long road - getting from there to here.
    It’s been a long time, but my time is finally near

    And I will see my dream come alive at last. I will touch the sky.
    And they’re not gonna hold me down no more
    No, they’re not gonna change my mind
    Cause I got faith of the heart
    I’m going where my heart will take me
    I got faith to believe I can do anything.
    I got strength of the soul and no one’s gonna bend or break me
    I can reach any star. I got faith. Faith of the heart.
    I TOLD YOU WE COULD DO IT, MOM!!

  • mouse Verified Graphic designer, Eurogamer Network #69 5 years ago

    I like how the final pic boldly sums everything up: COMEDY

  • NthSimulachum #70 5 years ago

    What does "fait un bide" mean? Is it one of those strikingly elegant French Metaphors, like "it's raining halberds"?

  • bigbadbeasty #71 5 years ago

    "Right, crap launch night. Yes?

    Let's see over the weekend..."

    You do not really think it is going to sell out do you?

    Most people do not have that kind of money floating around. Lets face it, a year+ ago we knew the PS3 would win the race... now there is a big '?' over the whole thing.

  • RexRunti #72 5 years ago

    With regards to the 360 Media centre compatibility heres an example. Ages ago I downloaded Windows Media Player 11, for free. Now I can get some videos via bittorrent after of course ensuring I have the leagal rights ;-) and just switch to the media tab on my 360 and can watch them on my big arse TV in surround sound. This has become such a useful USP that I'm actually considering getting another 360 to put in my bedroom.

  • FlamingCarrot #73 5 years ago

    The only Folding at Home i have will not be spent on a PS3

    Well not until the price drops and they produce some killer apps.

  • linkster #74 5 years ago

    So did it actually sell out then?

  • bigbadbeasty #75 5 years ago

    No

    http://ww w.game.co.uk/lowdown.aspx?lid=7...

  • Frogger #76 5 years ago

    The official launch party in Paris under the Eiffel Tower has been the biggest flop ever ! A total disaster !

    Less than 40 people bought a PS3...
    On the FNAC Champs-Elysées, there were only 5 people queuing 2 hours before the launch. It's amazing as France as always been a very successful territory for Sony.

    A few pictures of this non-event :
    [link url=http://www.inpactvirtuel.com/ne ws/17143-sony-ps3-playstation-lancement-soiree.htm
    ]http://ww w.inpactvirtuel.com/news/17143-...[/link]

    You can notice the Xbox 360 love boat on one of the pictures... AN happy evening for MS.

    For the french speaking audience, there's a video covering the Paris events last night :
    [link url=http://www.jeuxvideo.fr/lancement-ps3-r eportage-lancement-actu-71495.html
    ]http://ww w.jeuxvideo.fr/lancement-ps3-re...[/link]

    Enjoy

  • PearOfAnguish #77 5 years ago

    What I find bizarre is how a person like Phil Harrison is portrayed as some sort of gaming celebrity. Wake the fuck up, morons, he's a marketing cunt. He wears a suit to work every day and does not give a flying fuck about you or that overpriced shitbox you just bought, beyond how it affects the amount of money in his bank account. Getting him to sign your PS3? Fuck right off.
    Edited by 1 at 23/03/07 @ 10:05

  • SeesThroughAll #78 5 years ago

    It's obviously not going to sell out, because it's too expensive.
    I'm also pretty sure those Sony bigwigs are aware of this themselves.
    Why don't they just cut the crap and at least try to market it as a deluxe/niche product?
    Apple has been doing fine like that for ages - yes, even before the iPod...
    Edited by 1 at 23/03/07 @ 10:05

  • faselei #79 5 years ago

    Anyone care to explain the French video: [link url=http://www.jeuxvideo.tv/console-sony-playstat ion-3-video-34234.html
    ]http://ww w.jeuxvideo.tv/console-sony-pla...[/link]

    Seem alot of french people complaining about queues, whilst shrugging and going 'pfft' alot. Then saying that they can't afford it and won't buy it, all the whilst walking around a huge and pretty empty area that obviously meant to be packed. About right?

  • rudedudejude #80 5 years ago

    hahaha, you have to love these guys - http://www.ukresistanc e.co.uk/

  • SIDEARM #81 5 years ago

    "He wears a suit everyday"

    Shit I didnt know that qualified you for c**tdom - man im surrounded by them right now! Shit!
    Edited by 2 at 23/03/07 @ 10:08

  • PearOfAnguish #82 5 years ago

    Shit I didnt know that qualified you for c**tdom - man im surrounded by them right now! Shit!

    Of course it does. You should commence with the kicking of the testicles immediately.

  • AcidSnake #83 5 years ago

    Hey!
    I went to a launch event yesterday!
    (Didn't get a PS3 though)
    No TV for me Sony?
    That's it! I hate Sony now!...

    The launch here was not succesful at all, though the PS3 seems to be...
    I mean with us breaking street date 18 PS3's had already been sold by the time the launch party started...
    UK got free TV's...I got a rabid fanboy explaining me that PS3 had 8 processors and xbox360 only 2...
    I kept quiet...
    Also he revealed to me that Metal Gear 'The Next One' would be launching soon and that Virtua Tennis 3 was online...

    Having seen the PS3 and having played with it I can finally share my opinion...I still think it looks ugly as sin, but slightly less than before...
    It is undoubtably more powerful...But it's not showing it at all...

    It's gonna get down to the games...And with FFXIII now scheduled for another console as well it's not looking good...

  • paulf #84 5 years ago

    so was anyone on these forums lucky enough to get a free tele, iirc someone wrote a post about virgin ringing and saying that they'd get a free taxi home, so I can imagine if they were there they are very very happy today

  • FlamingCarrot #85 5 years ago

    La Playstation 3 fait un bide

    Reliably informed that its PLAYSTATION 3 FALLS ON ITS ARSE

    Vive la Difference!

  • JediMasterMalik #86 5 years ago

    FFXIII is NOT scheduled for another console.

  • SBfistfun #87 5 years ago

    "original IP Sony and its partners come up with? "

    Sony/Microsoft headquarters present day:

    "We need some new games ideas boys"

    "How about we take an existing game and make it shinier?"

    "Sold!"


  • lennon #88 5 years ago

    "FFXIII is NOT scheduled for another console. "

    YET!
    Edited by 1 at 23/03/07 @ 10:18

  • espy #89 5 years ago

    I'd really like to see this as Sony getting what they deserve, for all the stupid, consumer-unfriendly crap they've been doing the past years, but I still can't help but feel sorry for them. That Paris lauch event must have been devastating. Wonder how things went in Berlin. Can't find anything anywhere.

    But 60-70€ per game, I mean seriously...

  • FlamingCarrot #90 5 years ago

    "FFXIII is NOT scheduled for another console. "

    Or Assassins Creed, Virtua Tennis 3, Virtua Fighter, DMC4.....

    oh wait a minute.....

    Making money on cross platform is the new gaming religion.

  • Rich72 #91 5 years ago

    i think it's telling that they are already offering discounted bundles

  • AcidSnake #92 5 years ago

    One more platform-exclusive title may be going multiplatform, it has been revealed. The latest news appears to be that Square Enix's latest epic role-playing game, Final Fantasy XIII, may follow other titles--including Saints Row, Assassin's Creed, and Devil May Cry 4--that have now been announced as appearing on at least one other platform as well.

    Ok, ok...it says 'may'...
    http://www. gamespot.com/news/6167864.html

  • kangarootoo #93 5 years ago

    This seem like an appropriate place to post this.

    [link url=http://ps3.qj.net/PS3-community-l aunches-Sunday-Night-Foldathon/pg/49/aid/86923
    ]http://ps 3.qj.net/PS3-community-launches...[/link]

    Folding@Home is actually really cool. It doesn't just have to be some thread that sits in the background.

  • tonynibbles #94 5 years ago

    @ Xiphos
    Everyone who turned up had truck out back ready.
    Do you know what Publicity Stunt means?

    No, they got a free cab ride home, with their TV.

  • FlamingCarrot #95 5 years ago

    I agree with headbog. Halo 3 and Crysis are wayyyy more exciting. Halo 3 will go through the roof sales wise. Resisitance is average at best.

  • Frogger #96 5 years ago

    faselei
    23-Mar-07 10:05:50

    Anyone care to explain the French video: [link url=http://ww w.jeuxvideo.tv/console-sony-pla...
    ]http://ww w.jeuxvideo.tv/console-sony-pla...[/link]

    Seem alot of french people complaining about queues, whilst shrugging and going 'pfft' alot. Then saying that they can't afford it and won't buy it, all the whilst walking around a huge and pretty empty area that obviously meant to be packed. About right?

    ---------

    THe party under the Eiffel Tower was a total mess. Sony sent tons of e-mails to invite "chosen" customers to the party. but when they came there, they were divided in two different groups :
    - The PS3 buyers, who were driven to a warm place to queue
    - The other ones, who were just invited to watch a BR movie on a big screen in the cold, without any possibility of actually trying the PS3.

    On this video, the second group is obviously complaining about this very poor organisation, saying that this party is a huge disapointment, and that they won't trust Sony anymore. They also say that the console is way too much overpriced, with almost no more interesting exclusivities and a poor launch line-up.

    People "queuing" to buy a PS3 are explaining why they want to buy one because Sony are the best, but they are also very surprised that there are only 20 to 30 people. They suppose that the console is overpriced and that it's too cold to go out to buy a console. I guess they forgot the Wii launch, or even the X360 launch, where it was colder with a much bigger crowd.

    0:05, the 30-40 PS3 buyers leave with their console, the party is over.

    The Sony France boss says that the party is "hot" (I guess he was terribly uncomfortable saying such obviously wrong statement), that the PS3 can be compared to a Porsche while its competitors are more like a Peugeot, than it will be a 10 year long fight with MS and Nintendo (admitting implicitly that this launch party is a failure), that they already have 60.000 PS3 consoles pre-reserved in France, which is more than the PS2 7 years ago, so everything is under control.

    Well, I can't wait to see the general press coverage this evening on the french TV, as they all over-hyped this console launch in the last days.


  • espy #97 5 years ago

    Apparently, a store in Berlin had 50 PS3s to give away for free to people who brought their own 360 and destroyed it on stage. How low can you go?

  • RexRunti #98 5 years ago

    I actually think FFXIII is more likely to be multiplatform then MGS4 looking at recent comments...

    Anyway if I had gone to Virgin with the plan of buying a wii/360 instead for a joke, i would have quickly changed my mind when they mentioned those tvs. £425 for a PS3 AND a bravia is a very good price.

  • tonynibbles #99 5 years ago

    That's Sonys philosophy. Microsofts philosophy is that the PC is the hub of the home. I don't think PS3 makes a great media server, as it is dead to the home network. No other device in your home can access that media. You could say "Yeah, but put linux on there, and you can access the network". Well then you make the transition to a linux computer, and fall into the Microsoft philosophy. And you have the situation where no other PS3's on the network can communicate with the Linux computer, unless you run linux on them too.

    But the point was, the 360 has unique capability, just as much as PS3.

    Not entirely true.
    You can access all the media via PSP, anywhere in the home - and soon, the world. That is unique functionality.

    I'm not convinced about storing data on a PC and streaming it to your TV. My TV and stereo offer much better viewing than my PC. I want that content primarily accessible via my TV.
    I have little need to access it via PC. My PC is for work. From PS3 I can email, upload online - do whatever I want with it. Soon I'll be able to access it with my PSP from anywhere in the world. And share it with other PlayStation Users via Home.
    I can download content from my PC to my PS3 if I wish, via a number of methods.

    PS3 cuts out the need for PC, and places your facourite media alongside your HiFi and TV. Where is should be viewed. The PS3 is the PC and the media center.

  • BettySwallocks #100 5 years ago

    @tonynibbles
    Maguire said they would get the TVs within a week... and it was only the first lucky (?) customer who got a hummer lift home.

  • Xerx3s #101 5 years ago

    Apparently, a store in Berlin had 50 PS3s to give away for free to people who brought their own 360 and destroyed it on stage. How low can you go?

    lol?

  • tonynibbles #102 5 years ago

    Someone in the forums said they got a Taxi ride?

    Oh well - maybe they had the choice...

  • GrandpaUlrira #103 5 years ago

    I think it sounded like a very pleasant affair, with the only things missing being tea and biscuits and thanks from the vicar for making the fete such a success.

  • MoFo #104 5 years ago

    I consider myself one of the sensible few who are happy to sit back and wait to see which console has the better games and then buy the console at a reduced price later down the line. I don't feel a need to really bash either console. I don't care about the hype. Just show me the games. Does this kind of logic not count any more? I think it's simply become fashionable to bash Sony and since when have computer game players cared about fashion? Shame on you all.

    From someone who owns neither console the next gen war to me looks something like this:

    360 games I would buy = 0
    PS3 games I would buy = 1 -> I quite like the sound of motorstorm.

    Until there are at least 5 games I would buy I'll sit back and wait with a neutral opinion.

  • tonynibbles #105 5 years ago

    @Xiphos

    lol

    Thanks for that. Well, hate Sony, hate Microsoft - it's all the same.

    I'm not with the American Software giant - that can't make decent software for shit.
    I'm with the Japanese consumer electronics giant who can make half-decent electronics.

  • Skywalker333 #106 5 years ago

    kinda a low start isnt it? its because most of the fanboys have already bought it months and months ago from usa or japan. so, of course not many people would be at the launch. lets give it a couple of months to see if things will pic up or not.

  • MoFo #107 5 years ago

    Ok Xiphos I accept Sony may be happy to take my children's souls but Microsoft have already bought out heaven and hell.

  • RexRunti #108 5 years ago

    @MoFo if there is only one game your interested in on the entire catalogue of current consoles (360, PS3, and Wii) you should probably give up on gaming.

    PS Am i the only person who really couldn't care less for motorstorm?

  • bonker #109 5 years ago

    "Ten quid says most of the people in that queue already knew about the free TVs. "

    Well it's perfectly possible that a good few of the people queuing were 'planted'. You just CANNOT have a launch like that and only have 20 people turn up so Sony would be crazy not to get their hired/staff in to pad it out. (I'm guessing they won't actually receive a TV too lol)

    BTW, Bravia 'W' series Tvs are NOT top of the range, that's the 'X' series but it's still great for free :)

  • LOLLERS #110 5 years ago

    It's not a slow start, it's the NEXT next-gen, don't you understand that????! They're allowed to not sell many because the PS3 is literally a gift from the future, you should feel lucky that Sony have gone to all this effort to bring you the FUTURE of next-gen gaming you ungrateful shithead. The next-gen starts now! well, yesterday.

    ;)

  • PearOfAnguish #111 5 years ago

    I'm with the Japanese consumer electronics giant who can make half-decent electronics.

    Have you actually bought a Sony product in the last few years?

  • Gurgeh #112 5 years ago

    Game in Kensington sold 30 on pre-order. There's plenty left if anyone wants one (and I hear Virgin have over 400 left over from last night). Good move on the HDTV giveaways, but it really demonstrates Sony was under no illusions about the numbers of people who were going to turn up. Except maybe in Paris.

  • mowgli #113 5 years ago

    All this fight the corporate machine-power to the people shit is embarrassing. Like Nintendo still develop in the back of their basement. I do not want a PS3 because they cost 400+quid and im yet to see anything to warrant spending half of that yet.

    But handing out TVs for standing in line.. is fucking awesome. And i - and i am sure alot/ all of you feel the same, jealous. I wish i made the effort.

  • Drpwnage #114 5 years ago

    "PS3 cuts out the need for PC, and places your facourite media alongside your HiFi and TV. Where is should be viewed. The PS3 is the PC and the media center."

    Albeit, with minimal storage capacity that will have you deleting content all the time. Give me a PC with (a fast), £90, 500Gb HDD anyday.

    For anyone who is seriously into driving their home entertainment with a Mediacentre a proper Media PC is THE only way to go, enthusiasts would snort at using a PS3/360 to do this. For everyone else (like me) the PS3 (and 360) both have some nice functionality that it's great to make use of.

  • PearOfAnguish #115 5 years ago

    Well it's perfectly possible that a good few of the people queuing were 'planted'. You just CANNOT have a launch like that and only have 20 people turn up so Sony would be crazy not to get their hired/staff in to pad it out. (I'm guessing they won't actually receive a TV too lol)

    Word is, a great many people in that queue were journos from various Sony magazines who had been tipped off and bought friends and family with them. I wouldn't be shocked at all if only 10-20 people were genuine customers.

  • MoFo #116 5 years ago

    @RexRunti - Yes you may be right. I find most games these days lack any form of original gameplay and confrom to the same old tried and tested mechanisms. At least Motorstorm offers a variation on same old road racing games that have been spewed out over the past few years. Personally I believe some of the most original and interesting games still come from small developers in the PC market.

    Maybe I should just give up on gaming and come back in a few decades when vitrual reality masks that don't make you want to spew have finally been invented.

  • Moz #117 5 years ago

    @RexRunti

    Motorstorm is breath of fresh air, that stands out from "generic street racer 12" and "same old rally game 9"

    I love alot of racing games, it's just good to see something abit different. It's not the brakeneck spead of NFS or Ridge Racer, but it makes up for it in so many ways

  • manic_mouse #118 5 years ago

    "Am i the only person who really couldn't care less for motorstorm?"

    Certainly not, it doesn't interest me in the slightest.

  • Pocket #119 5 years ago

    In France the Launch party was a TOTAL flop :

    [link url=http://www.pockett.net%2F %2Fnews.php%3Fid%3D2537&langpair=fr%7Cen&hl=fr&c2coff=1&ie=U TF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools
    ]http://www.pockett.net%2F %2Fnews.php%3Fi...[/link]

  • bonker #120 5 years ago

    "Apparently, a store in Berlin had 50 PS3s to give away for free to people who brought their own 360 and destroyed it on stage. How low can you go? "

    Fucking Germans lol. 360 not 'pure' enough, eh?

  • PearOfAnguish #121 5 years ago

    Fucking Germans lol. 360 not 'pure' enough, eh?

    But, the 360 is so white!

  • faselei #122 5 years ago

    Thankyou Frogger!

    I'm shocked he slated Peugeot in France... maybe he'll say Sony is guada to MS mere Brie next. Sony are sooo good at PR.

  • bauhaus #123 5 years ago

    truly fantastic

    Got mine

  • bonker #124 5 years ago

    "Fucking Germans lol. 360 not 'pure' enough, eh?

    But, the 360 is so white! "

    Yeah, my first thought too but obviously not white enough unless, you know, white is the new black lol

  • tonynibbles #125 5 years ago

    ...a world where device can't communicate with each other unless they are made by Sony.

    LOL. Don't make me laugh.

    /connects Microsoft Windows PC to Microsoft XBox 360

  • bonker #126 5 years ago

    "Thankyou Frogger!

    I'm shocked he slated Peugeot in France... maybe he'll say Sony is guada to MS mere Brie next. Sony are sooo good at PR. "

    Good spot, I cringed at that too, they really are PR fuckwits aren't they? :)

    Can't wait to hear how they handle the fallout from the PaedoSource3 uproar when Homo kicks off ...

  • holydrone #127 5 years ago

    Popped into Game for a Wii-mote:-

    Me: Sold out of PS3s yet?

    Assistant: No. How many do you want?

    Me: Twelve.

    Assistant: Erm.. really?

    Me: No.

    Husband and wife, next to me:-

    Husband: And if he wants a Playstation 3, tell 'im to f*ck off.

    True (but boring) story.

  • orakio #128 5 years ago

    Fact is, in Belgium the PS3 is big. Very big. one of the biggest merchandizers "(game mania) said before the camera that the midnight release of the PS3 "could be, no, definitly is the biggest console release event ever". In a written interview they said they never had seen so much people on a launch day before.
    As (justly) critic as you UK people may be, the people in belgium are suckers for the playstation3. Nearly every interviewee said that they didn't mind the price because of the built-in blu-ray player.

    .. and they didn't get any free tv's over here.

  • PearOfAnguish #129 5 years ago

    "Assistant: No. How many do you want?"

    How many do you want? He actually said that? What gave him the impression that you could afford more than one of those things. Was your butler carrying your coat?

    "Fact is, in Belgium the PS3 is big. Very big. one of the biggest merchandizers "(game mania) said before the camera that the midnight release of the PS3 "could be, no, definitly is the biggest console release event ever". In a written interview they said they never had seen so much people on a launch day before.
    As (justly) critic as you UK people may be, the people in belgium are suckers for the playstation3. Nearly every interviewee said that they didn't mind the price because of the built-in blu-ray player."

    That's not going to help Sony much, Belgium is about the size of a postage stamp. It won't take long to sell a PS3 to all 5 of the people living there.
    Edited by 2 at 23/03/07 @ 11:27

  • Nippledoctor #130 5 years ago

    @NthSimulachum

    "Fait un bide" litteraly means "a total flop", "dead in the water", or "direct down the drain" if you prefer, the choice is all yours.

    I was reading about the CEO of Sony France rambling about how 60000 PS3 will find takers, and that most of the pre-ordered will be filled.

    Even though Sony are treating their customers like utter crap, you will still find some filthy rich little "merdes" dragging their stupid father to fork out 600E or more and still don't know why they want that console at all.

    Same goes for Spain.

    Back to my DS now.

  • Killerbee #131 5 years ago

    Anecdotal evidence of PS3 sales from my sister (who works in a medium-sized supermarket in a medium-sized town) is that they had 15 PS3s to sell today and so far not one has been bought…

  • LOLLERS #132 5 years ago

    I don't understand the appeal of blu-ray.


    1. There are a very minimal set of movies that you can watch on it right now.
    2. When there are some good movies, a standalone blu-ray player will probably be cheaper than £425.
    3. MS said the other day that it's irrelevant which format 'wins' because they'll just develop hardware to support the winner.
    4. Hardly anyone has a 1080p TV to actually make use of the blu-ray feature.

    It's all just marketing, which makes me feel a little bit ill inside.

  • holydrone #133 5 years ago

    @Nippledoctor

    No, my butler was too busy liaising with my personal games-shopper at the time.

  • bonker #134 5 years ago

    "Anecdotal evidence of PS3 sales from my sister (who works in a medium-sized supermarket in a medium-sized town) is that they had 15 PS3s to sell today and so far not one has been bought… "

    It is hard to believe some of this stuff I must say but if people can PROVE things such as this then this really could be a crushing blow for Sony and fucking great news for anyone holding out for a big price cut in a month or two ...

  • zuljin #135 5 years ago

    @Pac
    "Surely you are not suggesting that it is easier to copy your entire music collection on to the PS3 than stream it off your PC on to your 360?"
    It is to the average person. I can just connect my iPod to a PS3 and it'll pick it right up. To anyone slightly techy savvy the 2 are prob equal though.

    @jstar
    "All this talk of the format war between blue ray and HD is nonsense anyway. Neither format is going to 'win'."
    Well Sony have more film studios backing them (read owned), meaning there will be more many more films only coming out on BluRay. If I did want an HD film collection, right now I'd bet on BR...

    @PearOfAnguish
    "Wake the fuck up, morons, he's a marketing cunt."
    No he's not. He started as a designer and artist and has worked his way up. And how would you know if he wore a suit to work every day? How does that even matter to anything?

  • Daikon #136 5 years ago

    Gotta love the coverage of [link url=http://www.ukresistanc e.co.uk/
    ]http://www.ukresistanc e.co.uk/
    [/link]

    Best laugh I've had all week.

    *goes back to playing Okami on PS2*

  • Overlush #137 5 years ago

    @Loller

    "Hardly anyone has a 1080p TV to actually make use of the blu-ray feature"

    To be fair, a 720p TV will do AND give you a significant boost in quality. 1080 is only an issue if your screen is over 40" - under that and you'll REALLY struggle to notice the difference between the two.

    That said, as much as I'm pro-HD when it comes to gaming, I'm not even remotely interested in HD films. As HD films come down in price, so too will DVDs and a decent HDTV does an AMAZING job of up-scaling and polishing DVDs.

    £24 for Superman Returns on BR? Whatever....

  • PearOfAnguish #138 5 years ago

    "No he's not. He started as a designer and artist and has worked his way up. And how would you know if he wore a suit to work every day? How does that even matter to anything?"

    Is that you, Phil?

    I don't care if he used to paint Kutaragi's toenails, he started at Sony in a management position and is now VP. He's a marketing cunt and not deserving of any kind of adoration.

  • Raya #139 5 years ago

    THEY HAVE STOCK COS IT"S 6 MONTHS LATE!

    Jesus Sony annoys me sometimes! ;-)

  • ProtoformX #140 5 years ago

    I bought me an HDTV 3 weeks ago (£600 for 32 inches) but I still can't help but feel very jealous for the lucky 125 who got the Bravias. My kudos to Sony - despite this costing them the best part of half a million pounds on top of the apparent loss they're making on each console they have thanked their fans for their patience and support in a way beyond their wildest dreams. Bravo Sony!

  • Azazel #141 5 years ago

    Ridge Racer!

  • PearOfAnguish #142 5 years ago

    they have thanked their fans for their patience and support in a way beyond their wildest dreams. Bravo Sony!

    It's unfortunate that most of those free TVs went to journalists and their family's, then.

  • Scientist #143 5 years ago

    "he started at Sony in a management position and is now VP. He's a marketing cunt and not deserving of any kind of adoration."

    He's emphatically not marketing. His office is completely separate from the SCEE marketing department. He oversees worldwide development and given his role he speaks to the media, so if you can accuse him of anything it's PR (not marketing). And he doesn't always wear a suit.
    Edited by 1 at 23/03/07 @ 11:53

  • Mageme #144 5 years ago

    @Azazel

    That should read 'Riiiiiiiidge Racerrrrr'

    ;p

  • zuljin #145 5 years ago

    @PearOfAnguish
    All I know is that you're saying someone is a c*nt when you've never even met them. At the end of the day, everyone I've met in the industry has been a (fairly) hardcore gamer, with more dedication to creating and releasing fun games than I see in any other line of work. Scientist is right actually in that he works in computer development in Sony, and not in marketing.

  • Killerbee #146 5 years ago

    "Anecdotal evidence of PS3 sales from my sister (who works in a medium-sized supermarket in a medium-sized town) is that they had 15 PS3s to sell today and so far not one has been bought… "

    It is hard to believe some of this stuff I must say but if people can PROVE things such as this then this really could be a crushing blow for Sony and fucking great news for anyone holding out for a big price cut in a month or two ...

    Fair comment - I suppose I could be a raving fanboy making this stuff up, but genuinely - she's just texted me to say that they can't shift them. Maybe it's not too surprising that the supermarkets will have stock left over, because if the specialist places like Game have got spare stock, most gamers are going to go there first.

    Thing is, supermarkets thrive off buying in a load of stock of things like TVs and DVD players and then shifting them to the people who came in to buy their groceries and were lured by the bargain - they're obviously not going to discount the PS3s just yet, but if the experience above is anything to go by, the likes of Tesco and Asda aren't going to be too happy sitting on a load of expensively priced stock for long…

    Could we see unofficial price cuts happening sooner rather than later?

  • PearOfAnguish #147 5 years ago

    Because there is such a big difference between PR and marketing. One tries to sell you a product, and the other tries to sell...oh.
    Thanks for proving my point, though. Why do you have a hard-on for some guy who just wants your money? Sony do not care, Phil will not suck your cock if you buy his console. I have never understood the undying loyalty to a company demonstrated by some people here. They. Do. Not. Give. A. Shit.

    "Scientist is right actually in that he works in computer development"

    Yes, I just bet that the Executive Vice President of SCEE is down in the studios getting his hands dirty with some coding. You're kidding yourself if you believe that.
    Edited by 1 at 23/03/07 @ 11:59

  • quantumsheep #148 5 years ago

    "Why do you have a hard-on for some guy who just wants your money? Sony do not care, Phil will not suck your cock if you buy his console. I have never understood the undying loyalty to a company demonstrated by some people here. They. Do. Not. Give. A. Shit."

    Scientist is one of the most unbiased people you could ever meet.

    Though we both have a love for Mario Kart ;)

  • SBfistfun #149 5 years ago

    "Phil will not suck your cock if you buy his console."

    /Cancels todays trip to the shops

  • PearOfAnguish #150 5 years ago

    /Cancels todays trip to the shops

    Look at it this way - £425 will get you a high class whore.

  • BartonFink #151 5 years ago

    Headline should read:
    PS3 Launches in Europe: Europe says MEH!!!

  • zuljin #152 5 years ago

    @PearOfAnguish
    "Yes, I just bet that the Executive Vice President of SCEE is down in the studios getting his hands dirty with some coding. You're kidding yourself if you believe that."
    I didn't say that he coded. I didn't say he worked on a game, Scientist is right, he is PR, but he works in close relations with the games Sony develops in house. His department is with the teams, in development. If you think I'm kidding myself, go to Devstation and ask anyone from SCEE.

  • manic_mouse #153 5 years ago

    "To be fair, a 720p TV will do"

    Except that the PS3 can't play Blu-Ray at 720p.

  • PearOfAnguish #154 5 years ago

    I didn't say that he coded. I didn't say he worked on a game, Scientist is right, he is PR, but he works in close relations with the games Sony develops in house. His department is with the teams, in development. If you think I'm kidding myself, go to Devstation and ask anyone from SCEE.

    What's your point? He works with the teams making the games...to market games? What the fuck else do you think PR and marketing bods do, exactly, have you ever worked in an office? He's VP, he will not be in the studios every day talking to devs otherwise he wouldn't be VP. That is someone else's job.
    You seem very desperate to defend him. Are you his mum?

  • The12thMonkey #155 5 years ago

    And you seem very quick to condem him, Pear. Are you a disgruntaled former girlfriend?

  • Scientist #156 5 years ago

    "You seem very desperate to defend him. Are you his mum?"

    When somebody starts resorting to the bilious language and C word, one has the right to reply. While I am no fan of the man, he served his coding apprenticeship when still in his teens and he was obviously good at his job otherwise he wouldn't be where he is today.

    @Quantumsheep: Much obliged. BTW, I moved to Finland in November and have just seen through my first Helsinki winter. I'll let you know when I'm back in Blighty :-)

  • PatriotGun #157 5 years ago

    " "Phil will not suck your cock if you buy his console."

    /Cancels todays trip to the shops "

    LOOOOOOOOL, best comment ever

  • chronom4n #158 5 years ago

    125 people with £425 to spend is quite a lot in my opinion. Look at the situation within context. But, Kudos to SONY for rewarding the loyal. A £2000 HD telly! at least the gamers who waited will now be able to get on with enjoying the High Def experience from the get-go. Honestly in my opinion, this is how loyalty should be rewarded.

  • PearOfAnguish #159 5 years ago

    And you seem very quick to condem him, Pear. Are you a disgruntaled former girlfriend?

    Yes, he left me and doesn't pay a penny toward the care of his bald love-child.

    Honestly in my opinion, this is how loyalty should be rewarded.

    Again: many of those present already knew Sony were giving away TVs.
    Edited by 2 at 23/03/07 @ 12:24

  • quantumsheep #160 5 years ago

    @Scientist
    No worries dude - speak as I find!

    I'm just going through my first Nottingham winter - It's a bit of a shocker, I can tell ya! ;)

  • captain-future #161 5 years ago

    Free HDTVs? Not bad at all, I'd buy that for 425 GBP ;) too.

    Is there a source for reliable numbers of the launch? First-day sales, weekly etc...?

  • zuljin #162 5 years ago

    @PearOfAnguish
    "What's your point? He works with the teams making the games...to market games? What the fuck else do you think PR and marketing bods do, exactly, have you ever worked in an office? He's VP, he will not be in the studios every day talking to devs otherwise he wouldn't be VP. That is someone else's job.
    You seem very desperate to defend him. Are you his mum?"

    Like I said. Talk to anyone at SCEE about how Phil Harrison interacts with the teams. I would not expect anything less from either Miyamoto or Peter Moore. They need to have a close link to the games to be able to promote them. I'm not defending him as such, I'm speaking out because I disagree with your random insults.

  • PearOfAnguish #163 5 years ago

    That's wonderful, but it doesn't change the fact that he's a marketing cunt, nor does it do anything to explain why anyone would become so enamoured with huge companies who see them as nothing but numbers on a spreadsheet.

  • Zane #164 5 years ago

    Every console launch looks glam and elaborate. PS3 won't own Europe, in fact I'm inclined to think it will finish a poor third over here unless there are BIG changes, most importantly that price.

    I could have walked in to any shop in my town without a pre-order and bought a PS3 today. Most shops said they haven't even sold half of their allocated stock yet. You can tell something is wrong when a launch dosen't sell out.

    And no, it dosen't mean "Sony just gave the UK plenty of PS3's" either. my local GAME had been allocated 40 machines, and said they had sold just 5.
    Edited by 1 at 23/03/07 @ 13:11

  • jonsaan #165 5 years ago

    I would defiantely buy one if it came with a free Bravia.
    Edited by 1 at 23/03/07 @ 13:11

  • LOLLERS #166 5 years ago

    "To be fair, a 720p TV will do"

    "Except that the PS3 can't play Blu-Ray at 720p. "

    Haha, is that true?

    What a load of wank.

    So they sell it as the real next-gen and the best format but they like to keep it a bit quiet that you're going to have to upgrade your TV to even take advantage of it. I hate it all.

    I just upgraded my PC and used a cable to connect to my TV so I can literally drag and drop HD movies onto my TV. Bollocks to Sony.

  • thepiedpiper #167 5 years ago

    i thought you guys would be interested in this:

    my girlfriends mum works in tesco. she told her that they had a whopping 29 ps3s preordered by customers. do you know how many they have left? 29. no one picked them up at all. hahahahhahahahahhaha

  • Dizzy #168 5 years ago

    >Fact is, in Belgium the PS3 is big. Very big

    Strangely in my local (FNac) store they couldnt get rid of their PS3 preorders in Belgium. Gamemania is full of shit dude.. they just pretend that the launch was great so people will get excited and come to their stores.

  • Gurgeh #169 5 years ago

    I guess the money ran out:

    "The early risers were rewarded for turning out with a goodie bag containing Sony and SEGA merchandise, including a t-shirt and yo-yo"

    [link url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=23743
    ]    http://ww w.gamesindustry.biz/content_pag...[/link]

    T shirt logo: "£425 and all I got was a yo-yo"


  • PlugMonkey #170 5 years ago

    my girlfriends mum works in tesco. she told her that they had a whopping 29 ps3s preordered by customers. do you know how many they have left? 29. no one picked them up at all. hahahahhahahahahhaha

    That's probably to be expected. The plentiful stocks have meant the bottom has rather fallen out of the ebay market. Any preorders placed at places like Tesco are probably peoples' 2nd/3rd/4th ones.

  • PearOfAnguish #171 5 years ago

    "Except that the PS3 can't play Blu-Ray at 720p."

    Is that true?

  • bonker #172 5 years ago

    "Thing is, supermarkets thrive off buying in a load of stock of things like TVs and DVD players and then shifting them to the people who came in to buy their groceries and were lured by the bargain - they're obviously not going to discount the PS3s just yet, but if the experience above is anything to go by, the likes of Tesco and Asda aren't going to be too happy sitting on a load of expensively priced stock for long…

    Could we see unofficial price cuts happening sooner rather than later? "

    Well as I say, if there genuinely are stores holding lots of stock then a price cut is definitely going to happen, even if it means the retailers breaking ranks and giving Sony the finger and shock, horror, actually pricing things themselves rather than being dictated to by Sony ...

    £50-75 off within 6 weeks I reckon ...

  • bonker #173 5 years ago

    "Except that the PS3 can't play Blu-Ray at 720p. "

    What?!

  • Trendyninja #174 5 years ago

    Hey Eurogamer!!

    Who won the competition for a brand spanking new Playstation 3?!?!

    Or has this not been announced yet?

  • bonker #175 5 years ago

    "Is there a source for reliable numbers of the launch? First-day sales, weekly etc...? "

    No and don't listen to anyone who says otherwise. Real-deal stats for April will be out in May and those are the ones to look out for ...

    Hmm, or will the PS3 figure in March's stats released in April? Guess they will do. That will be interesting but it's still April's stat's that count the most ...

  • Dizzy #176 5 years ago

    >Hmm, or will the PS3 figure in March's stats released in April?

    I think Sony will release sales figures on April 1st.

  • Gurgeh #177 5 years ago

    Jump on ebay and see how many PS3s are up for sale in the UK (over 800). It looks like a lot of the pre-orders were expecting to make a tidy profit, so I wouldn't be surprised if people weren't collecting them given that there's no shortage of supply.

  • cooper #178 5 years ago

    "Except that the PS3 can't play Blu-Ray at 720p"

    (that's 100% not true, of course)

  • thepiedpiper #179 5 years ago

    apparently tesco is very angry actually. you may well hear something about it in the news soon...

  • Gurgeh #180 5 years ago

    "apparently tesco is very angry actually. you may well hear something about it in the news soon... "

    Any link for that? Because things would get very nasty for Sony if that was true.

  • thepiedpiper #181 5 years ago

    no links i'm afraid. my girlfriends mum is the manager of one of the stores. at the moment, there's a few talking about doing a press release.

  • Garulon #182 5 years ago

    Did the blokes (and it was all blokes, except for Sony Astroturfer Girl) getting the free tellies also get the HD cables to plug their PS3 into those tellies?

  • AcidSnake #183 5 years ago

    Just checked at a few other stores here...
    Boxes galore...

    I asked and it seems that they sold 5 the first day (being wednesday) and none after that...(ipercoop)
    At the local gameshop they sold just 7 bundles since wednesday...
    Their bundle goes for 570€ you get the PS3 and resistance...Though you have to give them your PS2 and 2 games...

    It's not looking so good to be honest...

  • agparrot #184 5 years ago

    Did the blokes (and it was all blokes, except for Sony Astroturfer Girl) getting the free tellies also get the HD cables to plug their PS3 into those tellies?

    lol - what are you suggesting, that they'd be really pissed off?

    "Christ, sod the free telly, where the hell is my HDMI cable?"

  • Gurgeh #185 5 years ago

    I read that the Paris event had 1,000 PS3s available and they sold 50.

  • Rich72 #186 5 years ago

    any tesco bargains to be had with incorrect prices? £300 and i'd go and buy one now

  • chrisjm #187 5 years ago

    PS3, coming to a landfill near you soon.

  • chrisjm #188 5 years ago

    "Who won the competition for a brand spanking new Playstation 3?!?!"

    no one entered lol

    (lie - i did actually)

  • CRE #189 5 years ago

    @cooper:

    > "Except that the PS3 can't play Blu-Ray at 720p"
    > (that's 100% not true, of course)

    "(...) the fact that PS3 games can't support 1080i and Blu-ray movies don't support a 720p resolution is a big knock for the system described as being "true HD."
    [link url=http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2007/1/28/67 83
    ]http://ar stechnica.com/journals/thumbs.a...[/link]

    ?

  • zuljin #190 5 years ago

    "Except that the PS3 can't play Blu-Ray at 720p."
    Not quite. The maximum resolution on a BluRay disc is 1920x1080. The PS3 can out put at 480p/720p and 1080p, meaning you'll get a downscaled image if it's at 720, but should still work.

    Of course the max resolution you can get (without upscaling) is the resolution you put on disc.

  • thepiedpiper #191 5 years ago

    france did well!!!!

    http://ww w.playfuls.com/news_06689_PS3s_...

  • Gurgeh #192 5 years ago

    "The PS3 can out put at 480p/720p and 1080p, meaning you'll get a downscaled image if it's at 720, but should still work. "

    IIRC there was an issue that if your TV set did not have 1080p the PS3 would switch to 1080i or 480p but not 720p, something Sony blamed on the TV sets being used (like older Bravias *cough*). In a firmware update Sony changed this so it would go to 720p or 480p. Dunno what happened to 1080i output.

  • thepiedpiper #193 5 years ago

    "Playstation 3 proves a huge hit
    By Miles Godfrey

    Dozens of people queued for up to 12 hours outside shops across Sussex for the launch of the much anticipated PlayStation 3 ."

    dozens? huge hit? what?

    http://ww w.theargus.co.uk/news/localnews...

  • Garulon #194 5 years ago

    "In a firmware update Sony changed this so it would go to 720p or 480p. Dunno what happened to 1080i output."

    They changed the order it'd pick for the resolution - what would happen before the update is if you had * 720p and *1080i selected for your output your movies would display in 1080i but 720p games would display in 480p. Now 720p games display in 720p but 1080p output (such as movies) dispays in 480p. So switching from games to movies requires a bit of dorking around.

    Stop lauging at the back with your set-to-the-native-res-of-the-TV-and-forget-it 360 owners, THIS IS THE FUTURE!

  • zuljin #195 5 years ago

    @Garulon
    Damn got there before me...

    "THIS IS THE FUTURE!"
    And I think you mean "This is living!"
    ;)

  • DanC89 #196 5 years ago

    I'm just about to go and pick mine up...yay. :-D

  • smoothn00dle #197 5 years ago

    Sony is real, is not a big crowd, so what? On the other hand, M$ would hired hundred stunt men to line it up. It is just M$.

    Have u guy look at M$ last year's Financial statement? It is full of holes, nobody can explain how can they make that much money? Enron style, may be, may be not *v*

  • lennon #198 5 years ago

    What?

  • Gurgeh #199 5 years ago

    Smoothnoodle is right, M$ hired 1,000 Australian stunt men last year:

    "Approximately 70 people lined up to grab their consoles at the Myer Pitt St store, with a hundred-strong crowd looking on. The PS3's arrival comes exactly one year after Microsoft's Xbox 360 launched in Australia. Microsoft's launch event for the 360--which was also held in Sydney's Pitt St mall--drew a crowd of close to 1,000 people"

    [link url=http://au.gamespot.com /news/6167868.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=newstop&tag=newstop ;title;1
    ]http://au .gamespot.com/news/6167868.html...[/link]

  • hoathenfold #200 5 years ago

    The sad thing is that a lot of the people who come on this site, and contribute to these forums would probably have bought a PS3 if it had come in at the same price as a premium 360. Well all love this stuff - if we didnt we wouldnt be here.

    If the huge Sony marketing budget had been better spent at keeping the cost down (and Sony not rubbing the UK's noses in it once again by making us wait longest, treating us like dirt, charging us more, but giving us less) I suspect that there are quite a few of us who for £300 would be sitting at home right now having a right old laugh playing Motorstorm.

  • PearOfAnguish #201 5 years ago

    Thank you very much for sharing your delusion with us, smoothnoodle.

  • Dizzy #202 5 years ago

    I kinda feel pity for the guy that has his face plastered on the main EG site with a PS3 in his hands. He might be laughted at forever. Instant Internet Fame :)

  • ruckus #203 5 years ago

    hoathenfold +5
    Yup - nothing beats the buzz of new hardware.
    I'm still sticking to 'sometime in 2008' that's obviously if there has been a good pricecut.

  • Gurgeh #204 5 years ago

    "I kinda feel pity for the guy that has his face plastered on the main EG site with a PS3 in his hands"

    He's happier than this guy:
    [link url=http://www.ukresistance.co.uk/pics4/ps3-on-sale-now.jpg
    ]    http://ww w.ukresistance.co.uk/pics4/ps3-...[/link]

  • smoothn00dle #205 5 years ago

    I said "If" but xbot are so insecure. Nothing will get through their heads. By the way, those LCD TV are nice. Can Xbot pretend to buy PS3 and once in front of the counter, said "I want a Xbox, please?"

    @PearOfAnguish
    "Except that the PS3 can't play Blu-Ray at 720p."
    Who care 720p? 1080 and Nothing less

  • ScottyXTUK #206 5 years ago

    I'm no fanboy of any system and no doubt I will pick up a PS3 when either

    A) The price drops to a point where I feel it is worth getting
    B) Something comes out for it that makes it a must purchase.

    At this point in time the only game I really, really want is GT5 ( i bought a PS2 solely for GT4). Sure I'd like to play Motorstorm and the new F1 game but to fork out well over £500 for the priviledge?? No thanks. I already own a 360, two fast PCs and have plenty of games to go at.

    Sony have messed up, the console is TOO expensive at entry point (no matter how you justify the cost). I imagine most people like me would use it as a games machine and paying £500+ for it is not worth it. The launch in Europe stinks of apathy to me, hardly anyone turning up, in fact I'm getting emials left roght and centre from companies trying to flog me one. Surely if it's that good they would be flying off the shelves and I wouldn't be able to get one for months?? Says it all really.

    Do everyone a favour Sony, stop giving out free TVs and CUT THE PRICE OF THE PS3 ASAP!!! You may then get some credit back.

  • PearOfAnguish #207 5 years ago

    "dozens? huge hit? what?

    http://ww w.theargus.co.uk/news/localnews...

    Let's play 'Spot the lying bastard who got a free PS3'.


    "I said "If" but xbot are so insecure. Nothing will get through their heads. By the way, those LCD TV are nice. Can Xbot pretend to buy PS3 and once in front of the counter, said "I want a Xbox, please?"

    @PearOfAnguish
    "Except that the PS3 can't play Blu-Ray at 720p."
    Who care 720p? 1080 and Nothing less"

    As well as not making any sense you're quoting the wrong person, I never said that, dimwit. You should stop posting now.



  • faselei #208 5 years ago

    This is silly. The debate hasn't moved on for months... this negativity is based upon the same old points 'we' have been making over and over and over again...

    1) the various things Sony has done over the last 2 years to make everyone go off them
    2) dumping europe till last as always
    3) foisting a Blu Ray drive on us
    4) being too expensive (see 3).

    Thats it. Those are the acid tests, of course 1 and 2 can be forgotton... 3 and 4 not so easily.

  • jebus #209 5 years ago

    Japanese Software sales for last week. 45 out of the top 50 positions are held by Nintendo. The other 5 slots break down into 1 PSP game, 1 PS3 game and 3 PS2 games.
    You know sometimes I almost feel sorry for Sony but then I think, nah they're a bunch of lying c**ts who deserve eveything they get.

    1 1 Yoshi's Island DS Nintendo DS 131,843
    2 NE Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan DS Namco Bandai DS 71,701
    3 2 Monster Hunter Portable 2nd Capcom PSP 64,368
    4 6 Wii Sports Nintendo Wii 38,560
    5 NE Kiniro no Corda 2 Koei PS2 34,585
    6 3 Layton Kyouju no Fushigi na Machi Level-5 DS 31,371
    7 9 Hajimete no Wii Nintendo Wii 30,416
    8 NE Tokimeki Memorial: Girl's Side - 1st Love Konami DS 29,033
    9 5 Super Robot Taisen W Banpresto DS 25,139
    10 8 Dragon Quest Monsters - Joker Square Enix DS 22,462

  • quantumsheep #210 5 years ago

    "what I really want to know is what this girl has "off screen" or is just my MS media player..."

    I see what you mean!

    =O

  • Foxclose #211 5 years ago

    There were around 20 people today waiting in line at my local Game store trading in their Xbox 360s for PS3s.

  • neosalad #212 5 years ago

    my shop had 30 consoles. when i left work today we'd only sold 5 machines. 2 of those were to staff, as they decided to change their mind and let staff buy on day of release as hardly anyone wanted one it seemed, wheras before this no staff were allowed to buy a machine.

    there was no Queue at 9am either. first customer for a PS3 strolled in at 9:20am
    so we have 25 consoles still, but it apears everywhere has planty of stock..
    surely sony didnt want this..

    :D

  • Foxclose #213 5 years ago

    Well, I guess the only way is up for Sony now.

    At least the machine is in stores, most people are just waiting for a price cut.

  • Duke_Red #214 5 years ago

    They havn't sold out at the local argos store - they've got 27 in stock.... (note, im not joking)

  • Dizzy #215 5 years ago

    "There were around 20 people today waiting in line at my local Game store trading in their Xbox 360s for PS3s.
    "

    Nice try... :)

  • Les #216 5 years ago

    "Now this is much better than Sony's idea.. Where for each device you need to have another copy of the media on it's own harddrive., a world where device can't communicate with each other unless they are made by Sony."

    What kind of ridiculous statement is this?! With only a PS3 you need just a single copy as well. Ever heard of logic? Please apply it. The 360 has a lot of good things going for it but the silly reliance on a PC is not one of them.

  • LOLLERS #217 5 years ago

    "The 360 has a lot of good things going for it but the silly reliance on a PC is not one of them."

    Why the SHITTING HELL would I want to take photos off my camera and put them on my PS3 where I can't edit them, or send them to anyone (unless they have a PS3) or print them? Same for music, the PS3 has ipod support right? Does it have iTunes support? Does it support other brands of MP3 player? Oh yeah, you have to buy a PSP.

    Edited by 1 at 23/03/07 @ 18:45

  • Calgon #218 5 years ago

    I think the PS3 is a very poor substitute for a PC and will remain that way... so why do Sony insist on trying to make out its just as good? Price?

    Although MS's strategy does have alot to do with the Windows platform, it works well and does make sense(PC does it all > 360 strictly entertainment for the living room)... theres just some things they need to work on by the sounds of it.
    Edited by 1 at 23/03/07 @ 18:49

  • Foxclose #219 5 years ago

    "There were around 20 people today waiting in line at my local Game store trading in their Xbox 360s for PS3s.
    "

    Nice try... :) "

    No joke. Although, I know I am in a very "Playstation" area.

    A few people were also looking at HMV. But the price is definetely putting people off.

  • Matsuo #220 5 years ago

    Wow, Sony sounds desperate. Giving away free games AND TVs? They weren't expecting many to line-up, did they?
    It's a fabulous reward for those that stick to them though. I should have lined-up too :D

  • Foxclose #221 5 years ago

    "Wow, Sony sounds desperate. Giving away free games AND TVs?"

    Well... the people queuing up did not expect the free TV or the game, they just wanted to own the PS3 first.

  • pokeken #222 5 years ago

    and to top it off! Virgin oxford curcus didn't sellout of stock overnight! LOL

    What a joke! £250k of TVs for sweet fuck all! what a great way to finish the week on!

  • Svecke #223 5 years ago

    It's really nice that they gave away 125 free televisions. GG. :) But I'm still going to upgrade my computer instead, then buy a Wii, and then possibly an Xbox 360. Playstation 3 isn't on the list. But my gf wants to follow the Ratchet & Clank series... Augh! I better start saving.

  • WiseNail #224 5 years ago

    The reductions have begun already, Genji £20 on Play.Com.
    Edited by 1 at 23/03/07 @ 20:05

  • Les #225 5 years ago

    "I think the PS3 is a very poor substitute for a PC and will remain that way..."

    Depends on what you want from a PC. If you want it to run Windows applications/games, then yes, you're out of luck. But if free software is good enough for you, then with Linux on it, it can do (almost) everything a PC does, including web browsing, photo editing (with the excellent Gimp), e-mailing, etc. So unless your definition of PC is something that runs Windows, it's kind of a silly remark.

  • bonker #226 5 years ago

    "The reductions have begun already, Genji £20 on Play.Com. "

    Blimey, that was quick! :)

    Keep yer eyes peeled, there could be lots of this over the next couple of weeks ...

  • Santino #227 5 years ago

    not long home from work, we had 3 PS3 pre-orders, only one was picked up. nobody even asked about whether we had any or not. i am shocked by lack of interest.

  • PearOfAnguish #228 5 years ago

    Shame Linux is nowhere near as user-friendly as Windows. Hardly something your average Playstation owner is going to be interested in tackling.

  • Les #229 5 years ago

    "Shame Linux is nowhere near as user-friendly as Windows."

    Shame you never tried Linux and make stupid statements like this.

  • Artemis_Matsas #230 5 years ago

    @Wisenail

    Thanks for the info mate, just ordered it!!!

  • Nippledoctor #231 5 years ago

    @PearOfAnguish

    A little tour around Ubuntu/Kubuntu will definitely change your mind. But somehow yes, your average chav won't be bothering with Linux for long...

  • sunny_west #232 5 years ago

    not a good start for sony in europe but the japanese figures have been horrendous for weeks

    March 12 - 18, 2007
    DSL - 121,471
    Wii - 67,070
    PSP - 43,769
    PS3 - 21,635
    PS2 - 13,321

    March 5 - 11, 2007
    DSL - 108,512
    PSP - 56,175
    Wii - 44,495
    PS3 - 32,115
    PS2 - 14,585

    February 26 - March 4, 2007
    DSL - 111,814
    PSP - 66,156
    Wii - 57,972
    PS3 - 44,000
    PS2 - 15,364

    February 19 - 25, 2007
    DSL - 136,128
    PSP - 100,210
    Wii - 78,506
    PS3 - 19,315
    PS2 - 15,054

  • zuljin #233 5 years ago

    I know I'll prob get flamed for this...

    Can I ask where people are getting their info on stores? Because I asked 5 stores on the way home, and they all said (round 5-6pm) that yes, PS3s went slowly but things did pick up, but that half their allocations (not inc preorder) were sold. GAME camden even went as far as to claim their PS3s would be sold out by tomorro (I am going back to check on that one).

    And in case anyone feels like I just made that up, I went to:
    GAME oxford street
    HMV oxford street
    Gameplay camden road
    GAME camden road
    and Dixons camden road

    But 99%of people here say their store didn't sell any/none. Are Londoners that different?

  • bottleneck #234 5 years ago

    Test Drive Unlimited for the PS2 plays sweet on the PS3! Online as well, awesome, dudes!

  • Xerx3s #235 5 years ago

    Shame you never tried Linux and make stupid statements like this.

    And this is eaxactly the denial fase that linux fans are in. The reason people still use windows over linux. Oh, and I'm a programmer and worked heavily with linux systems so don't gimme that crap.

    EDIT: I'm not saying that linux is tripe, I'm saying that the market knows windows.
    Edited by 1 at 23/03/07 @ 23:43

  • Xerx3s #236 5 years ago

    Zuljin: You actually bothered to check stores about how much of a product they sell?

    wow... o_o

  • zuljin #237 5 years ago

    @Xerx3s
    Its a long (and sad) story. I was mainly in there initially for STALKER, and also the Godfather. Wanted to get the story on the Godfather which was banned, and ended up asking the stores bout PS3.

    Personally I thought instead of finding out from media or whatever, I'm in a position to also find out for myself. So yea maybe kinda sad, but it was a slow day at the office anyway.

    None of the stores had either game btw. I'm not bitter *twitch*.

  • monkey-ken-wizard #238 5 years ago

    The hate for Sony is strong on this one

  • Ganon_wants_a_360 #239 5 years ago

    It's shockingly quiet for a major console launch.

    It's clear that Sony have shitloads of machines everywhere, but I've been selling PS3s to people all day, I almost feel guilty taking their money. But they were all preorder people, I think only 2 or 3 people came in asking about the machine. Compared with about 20 asking if we had any Wiis (answer was no of course).

    Even those who preordered didn't bother showing up too early, they were pretty evenly spread throughout the day. I left work with about 40 machines still in stock.

    And I'm in ned central, I imagine it's even less popular in stores whose customers aren't all thieves and drug dealers.

  • PearOfAnguish #240 5 years ago

    Shame you never tried Linux and make stupid statements like this

    I haven't? Don't recall saying that. Must have imagined installing Ubuntu, then, and perhaps that copy of Suse Linux on my shelf is a hallucination.

    And how exactly is my statement stupid? Windows is much, much simpler to install, setup and use. This is a fact. I like Linux, but it's not ready for the mainstream yet.

    A little tour around Ubuntu/Kubuntu will definitely change your mind.

    Ubuntu is my favourite distro and yes, it's easier, but it's still nowhere near as simple as Windows.
    Edited by 2 at 24/03/07 @ 01:56

  • zendragon #241 5 years ago

    At least half those tvs will go people who got tipped off. Smells of a desperation move.

  • Carrybagma #242 5 years ago

    Thing is, I reckon any console can be hacked and have an OS stuck it, but that wouldn't make them all into Personal Computers. A games console with bells on is still a games console.

  • kangarootoo #243 5 years ago

    @Carrybagma

    "A games console with bells on is still a games console."

    You know, under the hood they are all the same thing. Games consoles are computers. Home PCs are computers. PDAs are computers. All that really differs is what is written on the box about the intended use. Sort of like a serving suggestion on the side of a packet of food.

  • icelt #244 5 years ago

    So much poo-pooing the ps-tree's contribution to the folding project:
    http://folding .stanford.edu/stats.html Then click on OS Stats

    (Ok I suck at formatting with simple text modifiers so I deleted the cut & paste table. Anyway the PS3 is currently accomplishing about 63% of the total calculations, but only accounts for about 8% of the active CPU's).
    Edited by 3 at 24/03/07 @ 03:40

  • BartonFink #245 5 years ago

    @Les "Shame Linux is nowhere near as user-friendly as Windows."

    Shame you never tried Linux and make stupid statements like this.

    Like Xerx3s I am a programmer too and work with Linux every day. I could not imagine ever using it in the same way as Windows though. It's by no means crap but Windows is far more user friendly. I can't imaging a normal user ever getting to grips with it and doing the same things they do on Windows. It just ain't there yet.

  • D_arkTrooper #246 5 years ago

    Well yesterday afternoon,me and gf were out shopping and in Hanley/Newcastle 2xWoolworths,2xGame,1xDixons,2xArgos,2xGameStation and the local indie store ALL had plenty of stock AND I personally never saw a single person buy or even show any evidence of having bought a PS3.

    In fact in the main Game store I was the only person who was even looking at PS3 stock when the assistant bod came up and asked if I was interested in PS3.

    "Not really" I replied and the then said "You can try out Virtua Fighter 5 over there [points to unused demo unit in corner of store] if you like?"

    To which I replied "Nahhh.....you`re ok ta".The disappointed look on his face was a picture as I grinned and walked back to the 360 section.

  • Azazel #247 5 years ago

    Y'know some would argue that even Windows still hasn't done enough in making user interaction simple enough for everyone. Like the others i'm a programmer who knows and likes Linux somewhat (vi ftw!), but in this reality windows is the system people know and use on the desktop.

  • sunny_west #248 5 years ago

    @ Egster

    that's because the xbox360 figures for japan are so insignificant

    February 19 - 25, 2007
    X360 - 4,183

    February 26 - March 4, 2007
    X360 - 3,379

    March 5 - 11, 2007
    X360 - 3,333

    March 12 - 18, 2007
    X360 - 2,910


  • effinwooly #249 5 years ago

    the 360 isnt going to sell well in Japan, ever.........but the Japanese market IS very important for Sony......... if they cant sell there, well they are f**ked until there is some better games for it........say 12 months ?
    Edited by 1 at 24/03/07 @ 13:58

  • gamestester #250 5 years ago

    The PS3 has officially crash landed in Europe.

    Could it have expected a better outcome?

    It's more expensive in Europe than the rest of the world.
    It cannot play all PS2 games like the rest of the world can.
    It cannot play Europe's most important PS2 game properly, and not at all online, whilst the 360 can (PES6).
    It cannot play the best PS3 sports game online, while the 360 can (VT3).
    etc etc...

    There are reasons to want a 360, Wii, DS, PS2...

    I can see not a single reason to want a PS3.

  • effinwooly #251 5 years ago

    i agree gregg..........maybe by chrimbo.........hopefully !

  • dirigiblebill #252 5 years ago

    @ greggywocky

    Lots of 'ayes' in your posts I can't help but notice. You aren't just trying to sound like a sage old man, by any chance? ;)

    Regarding Japanese Wii/ps3 sales figures- it all depends whether consumers have consciously picked a Wii *over* a ps3, as opposed to avoiding ps3 because the games aren't there, the price point sucks, etc. If the latter factor predominates, Sony's ills are generally self-inflicted and will start to disappear once the price goes down and the system gets some killer apps.

  • effinwooly #253 5 years ago

    im 35 bud :o(

  • Artemis_Matsas #254 5 years ago

    35 here. A lot of old farts around here eh?

    :)

  • dirigiblebill #255 5 years ago

    21 (going on 15 every time I spot a comments thread).

  • Artemis_Matsas #256 5 years ago

    Guys, does somebody know if the Playstation Shop works for European customers???
    I've registered every bit of damned info they asked me, but still I cannot get in the store. I keep getting an error message about the shop not being available in my region!!!

    Please help if anyone knows something more!!!

  • dirigiblebill #257 5 years ago

    'Yeh, and the irony is that when I was a stude at Manchester Uni back in 1990, I didn't have all these distractions like mega gaming machines and 'The Internet' at all, so I actually did some studying!'

    Lucky you. I still break out in a cold sweat whenever I think about what might have become of my social/academic life if I'd actually succumbed and bought myself a ps2 at uni.

    Still, making up for lost time now eh?

  • Artemis_Matsas #258 5 years ago

    Some news about the Playstation store not being available in Greece.
    Sony Hellas does not support the Playstation Store right now. Unfortunately they didn't gave us any timeline for it, and we cannot download even the freaking FREE content!!!!!

    That's NOT good.

  • Lono_808 #259 5 years ago

    I just finished work for the weekend and since midnight thursday my shop (HMV bath) only sold 20 consoles! I've got another 110 of the bloody things to shift.

  • Overlush #260 5 years ago

    Hey ho, despite some umming and aaring I got a PS3..

    ...quite impressive really! Very slick, quiet, stylish, don't hate the pad as much as I thought I might (nice and light) and Resistance and Motorstorm are good fun. BR films DO look a lot better but I doubt I'll be buying more than my current 'tester' - cost £20!!!!

    Doubt I'll use it more than 20-30% of the time though as I'm far too addicted to gamerpoints to use my PS3 for cross-platform titles!

    Roll on Heavenly Sword, Wipeout and MGS :)

  • effinwooly #261 5 years ago

    these kids dont know they are born eh mate ! we were happy with our speckys and commadore 64 ! and now everyones bitchin about blueray, hard drives and tilt sensor pads :o)

  • Rizzle #262 5 years ago

    What? You had -pixels- provided to you, lad?

    Cor, back in my day, we had to spend 3 hours in the sweltering sulphur of our mines just to harvest enough pixels for one frame of animation...

    [/Python]

  • Azazel #263 5 years ago

    Animation? ANIMATION? You were bloody lucky to have any animation at all. It took me and my five brothers 3 years of solid hard labour with no food or pay to collect enough parts to build our own TV set and Amiga. And when our own blood didn't work as solder we had to sit and pretend that it worked!

    Born wit' bloody silver spoons ye are...

  • dirigiblebill #264 5 years ago

    Luxury. Back in t'day, me and me dad had to sell a kidney each to pay for the privilege of selling t'other kidney so that we could afford to work 37 hours a minute down t'mines in order to stump up t'funds to swap our Gran for a photograph of a man thinking about buying an Amiga.

    You lot don't know you're born.

  • bauhaus #265 5 years ago

    Oooh, you can feel the love in here cant ya!

    MY Shiny PS3 has nudged the 360 from under the telly, still enough room for the Wii though.

    Lovely jubbly

  • NthSimulachum #266 5 years ago

    Bath? Oh I see. Jump in.

  • BartonFink #267 5 years ago

    MY Shiny PS3 has nudged the 360 from under the telly, still enough room for the Wii though.
    You sure it wasn't more of a rolled over and crushed than a nudge?

  • Xerx3s #268 5 years ago

    Like Xerx3s I am a programmer too and work with Linux every day. I could not imagine ever using it in the same way as Windows though. It's by no means crap but Windows is far more user friendly. I can't imaging a normal user ever getting to grips with it and doing the same things they do on Windows. It just ain't there yet.

    Truth.

    /high fives

    PROGRAMMER POWA!

    /eats pizza

  • Xerx3s #269 5 years ago

    If linux ever wants to beat windows, it will have to do it at their own game.
    Edited by 1 at 25/03/07 @ 12:58

  • Xerx3s #270 5 years ago

    Really? Address please?

    Most dixons & dynabytes. The game shops have them as well. And the mediamarkt. But then again, the dutch do get a shitload of stuff with every new machine.

  • effinwooly #271 5 years ago

    lol !

    you guys !! :o)

    did there used to be Specky Vs C64 wars ? or Mega drive Vs Snes wars ? I cant remember !

  • MaxiSleep #272 5 years ago

    "Many people are saying we're now joining the next-generation console era, but I believe we've stepped over the current next-gen to create the real next-generation," said Maguire, in an exclusive interview published today. (sony uk management head)

    This pretty much shows the gulf between the cretins running sony and reality,

    And I certainly think that it would be bad if sony do a sega on us. Microsoft are only treating european consumers better then sony because they want to beat sony. Take away the element of competition and we will get the same sort of delayed lack luster train wreck that is vista.

  • Saii #273 5 years ago

    The only person who I know who went to this was my flatmate... and her father works for sony :(

    She should've told me I'd be getting a free TV. £500 for a 2k telly? yes please!

    I've said it before I'll say it again. The best thing about PS3 is cheap PS2 :)
    Edited by 2 at 25/03/07 @ 17:08

  • Ganon_wants_a_360 #274 5 years ago

    Sold 4 PS3s today. 30 from our initial shipment still sitting throught the back. About 20 preorders still haven't picked up their machines.

    At this stage in the Wii launch we were consoling all the desperate people who had foolishly not preordered. I wasn't there for the 360 launch, but heard it was madness.

    The PS3 launch is clearly a disaster. And I love it.

  • Sl1pstream #275 5 years ago

    7 PS3s out of the 20 we got delivered. One guy bought 2 and 2 preorders didn't bother to show up.

  • Daikon #276 5 years ago

    The only person who I know who went to this was my flatmate... and her father works for sony :(

    Surprise, surprise.

  • eurocloak #277 5 years ago

    Talk about spinsters....

  • Darkuss #278 5 years ago

    Artemis_Matsas try creating a UK account, it works for the FREE content at least!