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Presumably having worked out the kinks in manufacturing that had delayed a European launch, Sony finally released their next-gen PS3 game console in Europe and Australia and there was the predictable PR puffery:
At the London launch everyone who bought a PS3 also received a free 46-inch HD television and a taxi home.
In total, the giveaway amounted to £250,000 worth of televisons to more than 100 gamers.
and not forgetting the Continent:
Midnight sales under the Eiffel Tower and at Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz were aimed at pushing Sony’s PlayStation 3 onto the European stage Friday, but the console faces tough rivals who have head starts.
A handful of gamers showed up at a midnight store opening at Schiphol Amsterdam, including Sony fan Nomey, 24, who said the Blu-ray drive for new, high-density disks that can also play high-definition movies is reason enough to buy a PS3.
“I’m not a fanatic gamer. But if I would have to buy a standalone Blu-ray player it would cost me 1,000 euros,” he said. A new high-definition flat-screen television would complement his home entertainment by next week, he added.
It would certainly be paradoxical if the Blu-ray drive that caused so many problems turned out to be the saving grace of the PS3. Maybe Sony should sell a feature reduced version without the gaming support? For some more Friday snarking, see Xbox Crashes French PS3 Launch.
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March 30th, 2007 at 8:20 PM
[...] Microsoft’s announcement of the Xbox 360 Elite was rather an anticlimax after all the leaks. The key point is that the targets for the Elite are the upscale gamers and home entertainment users courted by Sony with the PS3 while Microsoft disdains those “childish” gamers buying the Nintendo Wii. (That’s Nintendo you hear laughing all the way to the bank.) There’s also another opinion that the primary target is really Wall Street, but I digress. Meanwhile, Sony’s PS3 looks to be getting a new 80GB hard drive and apparently sold well after its European launch. [...]