PS3 launches in Australia

Hundreds of retail stores around the country are getting ready to throw their doors open at midnight tonight for the official launch of Sony's PlayStation 3 in Australia.

One of the biggest crowds is expected to be at Sydney's Pitt St Mall, where retail store Myer (in conjunction with Sony Computer Entertainment Australia) will be entertaining eager gamers lining up for the new console with free entertainment, including a public screening of the James Bond film Casino Royale.

GameSpot AU will be covering the Sydney launch of the PS3 with regularly updated news reports from the Pitt St Mall location. Check back here for our coverage later tonight. For more information about the PS3 in Australia, check out our extensive PS3 Launch Centre.

9:40 p.m.: There's less than three hours to go now until the midnight launch of the PS3, and Sydney's Pitt St Mall is... empty. Workers are still setting up barricades leading into the entrance of the Myer store, and the big screen to be used for showing Casino Royale at 10 p.m. was just erected 15 minutes ago. 2Day FM radio personality Lizzie Lovett has been hyping up the nonexistent crowd. Here's hoping some eager gamers line up soon.

10:00 p.m.: Still no one lining up behind the official barricades, but a small group of curious onlookers have started to gather outside and around the stage.

10:15 p.m.: We just spoke with Sony Computer Entertainment Australia head Michael Ephraim, who said that he still expects the PS3 to become the winner in this generation of consoles. As for the launch finally happening after months of waiting, Ephraim said he was excited that the time had finally come.

10:35 p.m.: A crowd of about 100 people have now gathered around the official Myer lineup area. Simply said, no one is in the line, but a sizable crowd is starting to gather. 2Day FM staff are walking around the crowd giving away free drinks and popcorn. Casino Royale is playing on the big screen, and it's at the section where Bond is running around Morocco.

10:42 p.m.: Alert! Alert! Five people have now actually formed a line. The movie has been paused to allow some live gameplay with people from the crowd. Gran Turismo HD is now being played on the big screen. MC Lizzie Lovett is urging the crowd to join the line.

11:00 p.m.: Twenty people are now in line. It's a good mix of people, with some teenagers and a few parents waiting. The first in line is Danny Zarka from Pyrmont, who says he's been looking forward to buying this console for more than a year.

11:12 p.m.: There are now close to 50 people lining up, and about 300 more milling around outside the official barricade. Some lucky crowd members just completed a lap on FI Championship Edition on the big screen. Free massages are being given out underneath a tent at the end of the line.

11:20 p.m.: There are now about 60 people in line, but the crowd outside the line has dwindled somewhat to about 200. We just spoke to Bernie Brooks, CEO of Myer, who said that the PS3 had by far the most preorders of any next-generation console. Brooks quoted a presale figure of close to A$2 million.

11:40 p.m.: We've just received reports from our colleagues at CNET.com.au who are staking out the Moore Park Supa Centa. Jeremy Roche reports a crowd of about 40 people, who have just finished watching Kostya Tszyu play Fight Night. Ella Morton is at the Bondi EB Games, and she reports a very small turnout of about 10 people.

11:50 p.m.: Getting close to launch now, and there are about 70 people in line. Updates will now become more sporadic as we cover the midnight rush.

LATE UPDATE: Just before midnight, Lizzie Lovett led the countdown. The number of people in line was still roughly 70 or so, but they made plenty of noise while counting down to zero. After midnight, the lineup of people had to travel up a flight of escalators to reach Myer's sales area. At roughly 12:30 a.m., there were still close to 20 people waiting to pay for their consoles.

12:50 p.m.: Back at GameSpot AU HQ, and we've turned on our PS3 to see whether the firmware upgrade (1.6) has been released yet. No luck.