UNITED KINGDOM / GERMANY: True gamers who queued through the night outside shops in London and Berlin were rewarded with their prize - the new PlayStation console PS3

Record ID: 451782

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM / GERMANY: True gamers who queued through the night outside shops in London and Berlin were rewarded with their prize - the new PlayStation console PS3
  • Date: 28th March 2007
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF GERMAN BOY BAND "US 5" PERFORMING AT THE LAUNCH EVENT / FANS
  • Embargoed: 12th April 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Entertainment,Lifestyle
  • Reuters ID: LVAWVMU2DLBNJ3IB0F5Q3U5OCUV
  • Story Text: Midnight sales in London's Oxford Street, under the Eiffel Tower and at Berlin's Potsdamer Platz were aimed at blitzing Sony's PlayStation 3 onto the European stage on Friday (March 23), but the console faces tough rivals with headstarts.
    Around 100 excited fans attended the official UK launch of the PlayStation3 (PS3) at midnight (0000gmt) in London. Ritatsu Thomas, a 17-year-old graphic design student from Mitcham, south London, was the first person to buy the console. For his efforts he was also awarded a free 46 inch flat panel Sony TV.
    The excitement leading up to midnight was released following a 10-second countdown before the launch. A loud cheer greeted the opening of the tills.
    In Germany, gamers congregated at the Sony Centre where they were entertained by boy band "US 5" - and naturally PS3 game consoles.
    "First and foremost Playstation 3 features excellent graphics. Our goal is to introduce a totally new playing experience to the already existing market . Playstation 3 combines cutting-edge technologies such as Blue-ray and Cell Processor which help our developers to feature complex contents that were previously impossible to achieve," said Uwe Bassendowski, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Germany.
    The PS3's European debut was delayed by four months due to technical difficulties with one of its selling factors - its integrated player for Blu-ray discs.
    Never mind the fight to buy the console, now that his has finally arrived the PS3 will be in a fight of its own against Microsoft's Xbox 360 and the very popular Wii from Nintendo. It might not be helped in that fight by its 425 pounds sterling price tag. More encouraging for Sony, makers of the PlayStation, British retailer Woolworths have predicted the PS3 would be the UK's biggest ever console launch.
    Sony said around 220,000 consoles have been shipped to the UK for the PS3's first day of sales.
    The PS3 is designed to be a complete home entertainment system.
    It plays PlayStation games, Blu-ray discs, allows users to go online, and is compatible with digital cameras and MP3 players.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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