Free £2,000 TVs at launch of PlayStation 3

Free £2,000 TVs at launch of PlayStation 3


Crowds fail to materialise as the next big thing from Sony goes on sale

Paul Lewis and Bobbie Johnson
Saturday March 24, 2007
The Guardian

Crowd control barriers were erected, security guards manned the escalators and uniformed nurses prepared for the herd of teenagers about to scramble for the "Rolls-Royce" of games consoles.

Everything was in place for Sony's midnight launch of the PlayStation 3 yesterday. Except, that is, for the masses of hungry customers.

Throughout the week Sony officials dismissed claims that the £425 "paystation" - sold at £120 more than its US retail price - would prove too expensive for consumers. Originally scheduled to hit the continent last November, a glut of manufacturing problems pushed back the launch of the PS3 by four months, handing the crucial Christmas slot to its rival, the Nintendo Wii.

In the US Sony's flagship product has been outsold by the Wii and even come second to its seven-year-old predecessor, the PlayStation 2. But in the run-up to yesterday's launch the company predicted record sales for its "fabulous value" and "future proof" console.

As well as console games, Sony points out, the machine plays high-definition movies and MP3s, stores photos and connects to the internet via its own browser. "Look at what's inside the box, it's fantastic value for money," said Alan Duncan, UK marketing director for Sony PlayStation, "That figure [£425] reflects the cutting edge technology that's in the box."

But even the 125 "hardcore gamers" who queued for the first PS3s to go on sale this week had their reservations. "I think it's a rubbish turnout," said Lucy Fenner, 24, from Enfield - at number 82, in the tail of the queue. "I thought there would be 500 people here - they've changed the date so much that people are just annoyed. If you create a buzz for too long, it wears off."

Whilst teenage boys poured praise on the PS3's life-like graphics, others - notably their parents - grumbled about the hidden costs required to run the machine - including games, DVDs and, to make the most of the high-definition pictures, a new TV screen. As midnight approached, Sony's public relations team twitched at complaints from the queue, where few could see the entertainment - lethargic looking breakdancers, basketball spinners and a DJ. Virgin Megastores had acquired the stale air of a near-empty nightclub.

Then, out of nowhere, an almighty cheer. The event's MC, Cole Parker - stand-up comedian and presenter of Bravo TV's The Ultimate Gamble, paused the music and announced that everyone in the queue would get a 46 inch Sony Bravia flatscreen TV worth £2,000. Free. "It's pretty generous," said Rana, a public relations man, as the crowd went mad. "Personally, I've read a lot of negative stuff, but we've rewarded our most committed fans with a spanking new plasma. Best PR you can do!" After the 17-year-old from Mitcham at the front of the queue, Ritatsu Thomas, tapped his pin number into Virgin's tills at 12:02pm, Sony had taken £425 and given away £250,000 of equipment to their queuing "ambassadors".

The company is, however, optimistic it will recover profits in the next few months. "Even if we only have the sales from the pre-orders that have already been taken this will be the biggest console launch in history by a very long distance," said Alan Duncan. "But we want to wait and have the money in the tills before we start talking about that."

Sony shipped more than 200,000 units to the UK, although many high-street sellers do not expect to sell out soon. "This launch may not have generated quite the same level of hype and excitement as Wii and Xbox 360 did," said HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo. "But it's been pretty impactful given that we're post-Christmas and the price threshold is a little higher than the other consoles. We expect sales to keep building over time."

For Sony, the sales of the PS3 over the coming weeks will be crucial. Howard Stringer, the Welsh-born chief executive of the Japanese company, heralded the PS3 as the key to his strategy for reviving Sony's performance against its main rivals such as Microsoft and Apple. Ken Kuturagi, the visionary "father of the PlayStation" who masterminded Sony's success in the 1990s, recently lost control over the games division, allegedly as a result of the PS3's stunted performance. The beneficiaries of Sony's expected sweetener were on message as they spilled out onto Oxford Street in the early hours of yesterday morning, £1,500 in profit.

"It's beyond belief that they gave us all that," said Gary Tahmasbi, 25, from Bethnal Green. "I don't want to big up Sony too much, but it's a really cool gesture."

The rivals

Sony's PlayStation 3 costs £425 with games about £50. At 5kg this is the console heavyweight. It plays Blu-Ray discs, CDs and DVDs, has 256MB of built-in memory and a 60GB hard disk for storing games and digital media. It can connect to the internet.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 costs £280 with games £40-£50. It is slightly smaller than the PS3, and can play DVDs. It has 512MB of on-board memory, a 20GB hard disk and the built-in internet play is a big plus.

Nintendo's Wii £179 with games £30-£40. Less powerful but found success with its controller which means on-screen action can be directed with real-life movements. It has 512MB of memory, no hard drive, but can download games from the internet.