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Brits get PS3 for breakfast

London's morning launch events go smoothly, as eager gamers come to pick up the console in one of the early-opening stores.

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LONDON--The two breakfast launch parties this morning for the PlayStation 3 console were low-key--around 300 people came through the doors at one of the two Oxford Street stores that opened early. At the official Sony event last night, inside the Virgin Megastore down the road, Sony made the shock decision to give away Bravia 46" HDTVs to all those who had been waiting in line for a console. At the morning events, things were a little less dramatic, with Game giving away bacon butties, coffee, and pastries, while HMV had martial artists and models in tennis gear posing for pictures for fans and photographers.

Despite the fact that they had already preordered consoles, some fans braved the freezing cold weather and security concerns to wait in line all night, ensuring they could purchase a PS3 first thing this morning. Ajay Abdulla, 23, was at the front of the Game line, where the store staff decided to open the doors earlier than they originally proposed at 7 a.m. He had been waiting since 2.30 a.m., as he had been worried that there might be a huge crowd of people. He said, "I was excited, but now I'm just tired after waiting for hours. I've never been to a launch before." When asked why he came out for this one, "Because it's a PlayStation. I'm just not that into the Xbox."

Andrew Kemp, 42, was first in the queue at HMV, where he'd been waiting since midnight. He said, "I'm frozen! But I wanted to be near the front because I've got to go to work after. But if I'm a bit late, it doesn't matter, they know I'm here, they were teasing me with, 'You geek, you!' and, 'You nerd!' and, 'Boys will be boys!' I've heard it all this week!"

Further down in the queue, Bill Cormack, 25, had arrived at 6 a.m. He said that he owned every single console. "I was actually in HMV buying something when they started taking preorders so I thought, why not?" He added that he'd unfortunately have to wait until he got home at the end of his working day to play on his long-awaited console, although, "I am thinking of buying a cable so I can play it at work."

The HMV event was run in conjunction with Sega, who were giving away copies of Virtua Tennis 3 to the first 150 people to buy a PS3. When asked if she was disappointed that only 100 or so people came to the event, as opposed to the 1,500 or so who queued for a Wii, or the 3,000 who turned up for the World of Warcraft expansion pack The Burning Crusade, Sega's UK head of marketing Tina Hicks, said, "Actually, I think it's great to see so many people here. I feel here the excitement of the key gamers, which is what drives our industry. And, [as to the numbers] I think that's because there is so much stock, people know they can get one, and possibly because of the price point. But, if you look at the events, I don't think the price point is really putting people off."

HMV's head of games, Tim Ellis, said that initially he was unsure of what to expect from the breakfast event. He said, "We've never done an early-morning launch before, but I think it's worked out really well." He added that almost everyone in the store was picking up extras, including a second controller, cables, and games. He said, "I think the average transaction value is about £600, so the price obviously is not that much of an issue."

Last night 50 regional HMV stores were open for midnight launches across the country, and "at least" 1,000 units had been sold, according to Ellis. He believes that it will be the summer that will make or break the PS3, "Finally, we've got two next-gen consoles [competing in the market]. And I think over the summer, that's when the price will matter...or not."

Anna Macario, marketing director for Game, said the company also had regional openings but chose a breakfast launch for its flagship Oxford Street store. She said, "It was very different [doing a breakfast launch as opposed to a midnight one]. We can create a whole lot more atmosphere and theatre with a midnight launch, for instance, making a countdown to 12."

Sony's UK national sales manager, Mark Howsen, thinks that the launch events have gone really well for Sony and is especially pleased that they have been free of crime. He told GameSpot, "I think there are a lot of positive things about this launch because there are a lot of security issues, which we are very aware of." The two other major Oxford Street retailers had chosen to change the time of their events from the traditional midnight launch time to an early-morning opening the day after consultations with Westminster Council and the Metropolitan Police. The launch in the US was plagued by a series of crimes, including shootings and thefts.

Speaking on the decision to give out HDTVs to customers in the queue for the official Sony midnight event at the Virgin Megastore, Howsen said, "We took the decision yesterday to reward our customers, some of whom had been waiting for two days."

He reiterated that the push back in PAL regions for three months had been beneficial for consumers in some ways. Howsen said, "It's quite a positive thing, because in the past we've had it where first there's been a large amount of stock, and when that sold out...Where we are now is that we're going to keep the momentum going into the second week, and we've got another delivery to replenish stock, too."

He also commented that one of the reasons behind the delayed European launch had been to put a stop to scalpers reselling the console. He said, "If you look on eBay now, the actual bidding price is currently below the SRP [Standard Retail Price]."

307 Comments

  • kalkhaja

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 1:23 am GMT

    thats true

  • adam2987

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 5:41 pm GMT

    reamone
    "ps. i wonder why there is so much hate for the ps3 out there... you ppl must be blinded..."

    Yeah thats cos a lot of Americans are biased with Microsoft. Just trying to support their own. This website is US biased aswell ( more popular in the US).

  • T1KARMANN

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 9:31 am GMT

    the 360 is not a next gen console the 1st games were on tape floppy disc and cartride
    the next games came on CD
    the next games came on DVD
    a true next gen console should have its games on blu-ray or HD-DVD so they can store nore info and improving picture oooop xbox doesnt have that

  • T1KARMANN

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 9:19 am GMT

    360 has been on the market for one year and its out of date and their will be a new black box out soon

    if my new ps3 lasts as long as the ps2 without an upgrade i will be happy

    sony are smart they let MS put the cheap budget console out 1st and see what was missing from it like harddrive HDMI blu-ray bluetooth wirless

    the ps3 has what it needs now with no need for and upgrade i wouldnt go near a 360 with a base ball bat they are beginig to sound like sega you need this and that upgrade

  • xElite_GameRx

    Posted Mar 29, 2007 6:54 am GMT

    is that all you 360 fan boys do? come to a topic on PS3's success to post your anti-PS3 remarks? I'm not a sony fan boy because I reserved the xbox360 elite from my local game crazy for Halo 3, but thats just sad to see. How does PS3's success in the UK make the 360 less enjoyable? Anyone who owns or has played both PS3 and 360 can say that they both have a better future then the wii. Their upcoming next-gen games are all HDTV friendly and by then everyone will have an HDTV in their homes. I can't wait for the xbox360 elite since I do not have any previous versions of xbox, but I have played them all.

  • Daymos

    Posted Mar 26, 2007 3:53 pm GMT

    "@Daymos Dude grow up... get a life... or... whatever... you must be blind or clucky to not see that PS3 is the future of gameing..."

    The future of gaming???? you must still have a sony PR pole up your a$$

    Thats such a patriotic fanboy statement to make..

    you grow up and taste the reality...

  • Electricall

    Posted Mar 26, 2007 2:58 pm GMT

    reamone, the advantage in time is not all. Microsoft is working very hard to get studios to develop for the 360. That's helping alot.

    As it is, the PS3 won't have a lot of unique high-quality games for itself as many of them will also be released for the 360. Therefore, the PS3 will be weakened. Meanwhile, the 360 is getting a lot of very high quality titles like Halo 3 and Mass Effect. These things, as well as the high price tag on the PS3, spells doom for it.

    People hate the PS3 because Sony treats us Europeans like crap.

  • reamone

    Posted Mar 26, 2007 2:37 pm GMT

    @Daymos Dude grow up... get a life... or... whatever... you must be blind or clucky to not see that PS3 is the future of gameing... it still need some time but with each day / week / month / year its gona be stronger and stronger... i sugest you to start save money for xbox 720 coz i bet its gona be out sooner than you think... (or M$ will buy most of game developers and monopolize another segment of market. Than you aint gona be whingeing about other game console coz there aint gona be any competition.... is that what you wont ? ).

    @Electricall
    x360 have advantage in selection of games coz its year and half on the market so whats the deal... lets see what selection in games and how many "high-quality" games will ps3 have after such time...

    ps. i wonder why there is so much hate for the ps3 out there... you ppl must be blinded...

    ~PeacE~

  • Electricall

    Posted Mar 26, 2007 1:57 pm GMT

    Sony is ludicrous. Look at the facts:

    After the US and Japan releases, they change the following:
    - Worse backwards compability to PS2 games (the logical place to look once you've played Resistance and Motorstorm to death)

    And do this:
    - Raise the price

    Equals:
    - Sony gives less and wants more out of us Europeans.

    Means:
    - **** off Sony.

    The reason the 360 is going to crush the PS3 is because it has such a wide selection of high-quality games. Few consoles in the past have had such a massive number of really superb titles to it's name.

  • tapoutnhb

    Posted Mar 26, 2007 11:23 am GMT

    xbl rules psn , ive got both and you get what you pay for. xbl is a fluent smooth comunity ,psn is a clunky,clumsy mess

  • edthetinker

    Posted Mar 26, 2007 11:17 am GMT

    "PS3 seems an improvement on beans on toast"

    That sounds soooo tasty right now

  • xheart_corex

    Posted Mar 26, 2007 11:10 am GMT

    ps3 is still for people with more money than sense. for now at least.....

    and the ebay scalpers got exactly what they deserved. that puts a smile on my face=]

  • Itsdewdewbabiee

    Posted Mar 26, 2007 10:49 am GMT

    I guess the Brit's love Kung Fu and Tennis! Wa---ta!

  • ScottyT

    Posted Mar 26, 2007 10:04 am GMT

    those chicks are nasty.. you would think sony could hire some decent looking chicks who don thave cottage cheese in their arms. and droopy eyes.

  • Phazevariance

    Posted Mar 26, 2007 7:16 am GMT

    "chrisdojo i'd rather have cereal than a ps3 for breakfast."
    LOL

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Mar 26, 2007 5:14 am GMT

    i'd rather have cereal than a ps3 for breakfast.

  • dom84ts

    Posted Mar 26, 2007 4:26 am GMT

    Nice chicks!!!!

  • miiiguel

    Posted Mar 26, 2007 2:47 am GMT

    PS3 is a flopp, that's official. It'll never, in fanboys wildest dreams reach the success of PS2 and it has a loooooong, loooong way to reach 360 knees.
    Real gamers know what's the console to buy. Interior designers wannabes too. Make your choice!

  • Explosion_Man

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 11:44 pm GMT

    Yes Sony pat yourselves on the back for doing something the two other companies did right the first time........

  • onthe_dl

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 10:35 pm GMT

    "it's great, and btw most ppl that dont like ps3 are normally those who dont have one."

    WOW you're pretty smart to have figured that one out.


    hahahaha you idiot, why would you buy a ps3 if you didn't like it.

  • gibsongirl

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 9:46 pm GMT

    PS3 seems an improvement on beans on toast

  • Aaron_130

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 8:04 pm GMT

    the minute that Sony announce the PS3 price drop, M$ will hit them with confirmation of the Xbox 360 Elite, make it a similar price to what the PS3 is, then lower the price of the Premium package, then pwn Sony all the way.

    it's inevitable, and a very smart move for M$ if you think about it.

  • StarFoxCOM

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 7:56 pm GMT

    Intresting

  • SpaceMoose

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 7:08 pm GMT

    "it's great, and btw most ppl that dont like ps3 are normally those who dont have one."

    Like most Gamespot writers.

    " and if u cant afford one trade in your 360 i did "

    Yeah, who wants a system that already has games out on it anyway?

  • SpaceMoose

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 7:03 pm GMT

    "I got my PS3 on launch day, and despite all the awful press that sony have been recieving, I am very impressed with the new console. It certainly has some irritating little niggles that will hopefully be ironed out soon, but other than that, it was well worth the $1200. And before anyone beligerantly shouts out "fanboy", I have used both the 360 and wii. The wii was awsome fun, if not graphically impressive, while the 360 simply played like the xbox, but with better graphics. So there."

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    So, uh, aside from Resistance and possibly Motorstorm, what GAMES were you impressed with exactly?

  • EMAN2g

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 5:41 pm GMT

    lol PS3 lol

  • JimBurber

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 5:39 pm GMT

    hooray for stuff being available to everyone... or at least to everyone with about 800 bucks lying around! ARGH!!! I'm just jealous cause i'm a poor bum... lol

  • Fathomglow

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 5:14 pm GMT

    I for one think this is a good thing.. Sony's delayed release of the PS3 to Europe overinflated its price here in the US.. much to my dismay. Ebay was especially chaotic and unbelievable when devoted UK/European gamers were willing to pay literally in the thousands for it. With a global release, hopefully it'll help simmer down the demand. If its too much to hope for a retail price reduction, at least I can look forward to a good ebay deal sometime in the near future. Oh well.. the 360/Wii combo is keeping me occupied.. (though Resistance's storyline has me very interested)

  • coolcon2000

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 1:07 pm GMT

    Hahaha, At least they are having fun at the end of the day.

  • Daymos

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 11:29 am GMT

    I dont know why people commend sony for not selling its stock.. trying to pretend ohh.. its a good thing..

    ok then if you say so..

    people payed 4- 800 for a 360 and although the selection of launch games were debatable.. the whole package felt like better value..

    Why hasnt sony sold out yet.... I dont know.. some local stores have like 50 units and has sold less that 10...

    So please find a way to tell me how this is meant to be good

  • Daymos

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 11:24 am GMT

    Is that a snake logo... FANBOY ALERT!! FANBOY ALERT!!!!

  • Riamo_10

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 11:19 am GMT

    @darklight86 stop lien

  • darklight86

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 11:07 am GMT

    rofl 95% stock left after France launch

  • Klash47

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 11:03 am GMT

    PS3 owns all. theres really not much more to say

  • daniel665

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 10:41 am GMT

    ps3 is gonna be reduced by £50-£70 before the christmas period this year and there will be some game complimation packages. unless your'e getting a game or tv for free with the ps3 then wait. also there are some great games coming out and out for the 360 and the wii that you could enjoy in the mean time.


    This is why im waiting plus the is a bigger online community on the 360 that make finding online games easy and alot of competittion out there. jezz i can go on to street fighter 2 any time and find a match. thats power. For me forza 2, halo 3 and mass effect, mario melee, mario galaxy and zelda are games that can't be missed in my humble opinion.

  • princeofgames90

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 10:12 am GMT

    saw at last it out in uk i wonder when will they reales it in libya (NEVER) hahaha

  • SpeedNut_CV

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 9:32 am GMT

    PS3 lesson # 2345699322932: People who whine about no HDMI cables have never shopped for one online. They're seriously $5-8 bucks. That's the same as a VC game on the Wii for crying out loud.

    The TVs make sense as a reward for those that honored the street date, unlike Italian retailers who inevitably will be the ones paying for those comps

  • rsmiley017

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 9:15 am GMT

    let's be fair about this one,honestly.forgetting all the bad press surrounding it, the price(which is the main reason PS3 isnt selling), Sony's overwhelming cockiness etc. PS3 is a really good console,probably the best one going atm, its a power gussler thats for sure, but apart from that, theirs nothing to fault it.a lot of peoples arguments are based around the console itself, rather than the company who designed it. to the people that have said that the reason PS3 is selling at retail price on ebay because its rubbish.actually the reason is that why pay over the odds for a console u can just go and pick in in store, in a nutshell, XBox 360 sold for over the odds at launch(on ebay) as they had a shortage, Sony made sure that wouldnt happen with them, shortage sorted out, therefore no way some guy can make a big buck out of re-selling their PS3. Anyway here's to a price cut by Sony, which def wont happen till xmas.

  • sun_spirit

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 8:34 am GMT

    Too bad the bacon buttie wasn't entered in the console war.
    It would have done alot better than the PS3

  • Daymos

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 8:17 am GMT

    "Evilsmiler "Finally, we've got two next-gen consoles [competing in the market].
    ...........eh? isnt there three now competing on the market!!"

    thats a strange one.. the Wii has this gens Hardward with Last Gens Software..

  • bgres077

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 7:53 am GMT

    Good news, hope it sells well.

  • Evilsmiler

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 6:28 am GMT

    "Finally, we've got two next-gen consoles [competing in the market].
    ...........eh? isnt there three now competing on the market!!

  • John1059

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 5:58 am GMT

    damn...I wanna know who that virtua tennis model is...shes hot, as I said before, pretty stupid using sex just to sell a games console...but still...shes hot lol.

  • chickenfeed9

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 5:53 am GMT

    Sony have blown it, they waited too long and treated their gamers too badly.

  • Groovay_Dude

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 4:38 am GMT

    If only Sony gave me a HDTV: /

  • Daymos

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 3:18 am GMT

    you were doing so well... until the bit about the 360 playing like a normal box.. durr

    the games this gen and last gen are not much different in terms of noticable game physics and the graphics are now coated with better res textures..

    as the pad on xbox has changed.. I dont get how it could be the same..

    Ps2 graphics have been below parr since the dreamcast days.. its only now that the ps3 is almost the same as 360 for graphics.. that people look back and say.. hey.. wow.. regular unbrainwashed people noticed good graphics with xbox 1 and Game cube... and have been saying wow up until 360 ....

    as for the dude who said god resistance is the best fps ever.. your entitled to your opinion but its people like you who said the same thing about red steal on on Wii.. for a ps console it probably is.. as there is no competition.. give it 1 month after you calm down and tell me if its still the best fps youve played.. better still play other real fps properly without that look of discust in your face if its on a non sony machine and you may be surprised..

  • alexatkin

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 3:13 am GMT

    Walking through Sheffield City Centre at lunch time on Friday, even WH Smiths had 3 in stock and they have a TINY games section.

    Sony would like us to think its because they released more stock, but the numbers I have been hearing is they havent any more than the 360 or Wii had available and THEY were out of stock immediately at launch. The 360 was out of stock for months and the Wii I believe still is.

    "I don't think the price point is really putting people off."
    Most stupid quote EVER! Of course its putting people off.

    Of course it could also be people busy playing Crackdown and Gears of War dont have time to buy another console. I dont see anything on PS3 that I would want that I cant get for 360 or even PC. Im also the only person I know that runs my 360 in HD, most people dont have HDTVs still so Blu-ray isnt going to be appealing when they just look the same as DVD on a SDTV.

    The PS3 is a good console but for most people it doesnt offer anything they cant get cheaper on 360 right now. Let me think, Oblivion for £50 or Oblivion second-hand for 360 for half that price? Even if you buy the addon pack to make it equal to the PS3 version its still cheaper especially if you factor in the cheaper price of the console or moreso if you already have the console.

  • Tebbit

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 12:41 am GMT

    I got my PS3 on launch day, and despite all the awful press that sony have been recieving, I am very impressed with the new console. It certainly has some irritating little niggles that will hopefully be ironed out soon, but other than that, it was well worth the $1200. And before anyone beligerantly shouts out "fanboy", I have used both the 360 and wii. The wii was awsome fun, if not graphically impressive, while the 360 simply played like the xbox, but with better graphics. So there.

  • jamesfffan

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 12:11 am GMT

    got my ps3 on launch and i can safely say its the best console i have ever played. (having owned 360 and ps2, gamecube, ps,). i am really pleased with its look and my god resistance is best FPS i have played (co-op is real fun) on console upto now. Everything i have tried on it is great but with odd updates here and there there could be even more functionality. it's great, and btw most ppl that dont like ps3 are normally those who dont have one. and if u cant afford one trade in your 360 i did

  • SpaceMoose

    Posted Mar 24, 2007 8:28 pm GMT

    "Is the people of UK less consumism than US people???"

    No, they just pay so many taxes, they don't have the money for a Resistance: Fall of Man / Blu-Ray Player.

    Sorry, dumb joke. Just screwing around. (I don't have a PS3 either.)

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