Sony has finally launched its next-gen console, the PlayStation 3 in Europe and Australia. However, not many people turned up at the PS3 launch. The console did not get the attention in Europe and Australia as it had got in North America. But Sony is asserting that early sales are faster than those of its predecessor PS2!
Nevertheless, there were gamers who had lined up hours before the launch. They were not disappointed as at the London launch, everyone who bought a PS3 received a free 46-inch Sony Bravia HD television and a taxi ride home. Sony gave away £250,000 (approx. Rs. 201 Crores) worth of televisions to more than 100 gamers.
Ray Maguire, Head, Sony Computer Entertainment UK says, “High definition is very important to people. A lot of people have bought flat panel TVs and they want content to go on it and PlayStation 3 is one of the few places they can get that kind of experience. The TV giveaway in the UK is a reward for gamers’ patience.”
Agreed Phil Harrison, Sony’s head of worldwide studios, “The delay was regrettable.But there are advantages for European consumers, there are more games available, more Blu-ray movies and we’ve updated the online PlayStation network.”
Here is the list of games that were launched with the PS3:
Ubisoft Romania’s Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII
Treyarch’s Call of Duty 3
EA Chicago’s Def Jam: Icon
EA Chicago’s Fight Night Round 3
Studio Liverpool’s Formula One Championship Edition
Pseudo Interactive’s Full Auto 2: Battlelines
Game Republic’s Genji: Days of the Blade
EA Redwood Shores’ The Godfather The Don’s Edition
BEC’s Gundam: Target in Sight (aka Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire)
Raven Software’s Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Evolution Studios’ MotorStorm
Visual Concepts and Kush Games’ NBA 2K7
EA Canada’s NBA Street Homecourt
EA Black Box’s Need for Speed Carbon
Visual Concepts and Kush Games’ NHL 2K7
Insomniac Games’ Resistance Fall of Man
Namco’s Ridge Racer 7
Sonic Team’s Sonic the Hedgehog
EA Redwood Shores’ Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
Neversoft’s Tony Hawk’s Project 8
Sony Online Entertainment’s Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
Sega-AM2’s Virtua Fighter 5
Sega-AM2’s Virtua Tennis 3
Blade Interactive’s World Snooker Championship 2007
PlayStation Network games available through the PlayStation Store:
Bluepoint Games’ Blast Factor
SCEE’s Super Rub-a-Dub
Namco’s Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection
Only the coming few days will tell how the PS3 will perform in Europe and Australia. The launch in Europe wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either.