PS3 European Launch Details
Sony announced in a press release that the PS3 will launch in Europe on March 23 at £425 in the UK. While they didn’t mention the price Europeans on the mainland would have to pay, it is expected to retail at €599.
Sony has promised over 1 million PAL consoles available on launch day, 300,000 in the UK alone. 30 games will be available at launch, including Resistance: Fall of Man and Motorstorm. Fl0w, Gran Turismo HD and Tekken 5 will be available for download on the PlayStation Network. A firmware update will also coincide with the European launch.
Press release and launch list after the break
London, 25 January 2007 – Sony Computer Entertainment Europe today announced that PLAYSTATION®3 will be launched in the PAL territories of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Australasia on 23rd March 2007 at a price of EURO 599 (GBP 425, AUD 999.95, NZ 1199.95).
Responding to retail and consumer demand, SCEE confirmed that initially only the 60GB model would be available, with the 20GB model to follow later in the year dependent on demand.
An expected one million PS3 units will be made available during the initial launch period.
SCEE also announced a stellar launch line-up of over 30 game titles for PS3, including eagerly awaited titles published by SCEE such as Resistance: Fall of Man™, MotorStorm™, Genji™: Days of the Blade, FORMULA ONE ™ CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION and Ridge Racer™ 7. An exceptional range of titles in every genre will also be available at launch from the world’s leading third party publishers, including Electronic Arts, Activision, Namco Bandai, Sega, Take 2, Ubisoft, Vivendi Universal, and Sony Online Entertainment.
In addition to games on disc, an exciting range of fully-featured downloadable games will debut on the PLAYSTATION®Network. These will include gaming icons such as Tekken® 5: Dark Resurrection and Gran Turismo® HD Concept; the fully-featured PS3 debut of the best-selling franchise Gran Turismo, realised with full HD (1080p) visual quality. Created by Polyphony Digital Inc and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, Gran Turismo® HD Concept has been downloaded by more than 350,000 users since it was released in December 2006 in North America and Japan.
Also available on the PLAYSTATION®Network will be brainteasers such as Go! Sudoku and Go! Puzzle, and innovative games such as Blast Factor™ and flOw™, designed exclusively for PLAYSTATION 3 and delivering on the promise to provide original content created by non-traditional developers and publishers.
Concurrent with the European launch, a new System Update to further enhance the entertainment potential of PS3 will be issued.
Announcing the launch details, David Reeves, President of SCEE said, “Following the hugely successful launches of PS3 in Japan and North America, we are absolutely delighted to be able to bring significant numbers of PS3 to the SCEE territories. To be able to launch with over 30 titles across every genre shows that this is our strongest launch line-up in the history of PlayStation, and is what PlayStation fans in Europe have been crying out for.”
PLAYSTATION 3 LAUNCH TITLE LINE-UP
PS3 Launch Title – Publisher – Network or Disc based
Resistance: Fall of Man™ – SCEE – Disc
MotorStorm™ – SCEE – Disc
Genji™: Days of the Blade – SCEE – Disc
FORMULA ONE™ CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION – SCEE – Disc
Ridge Racer™ 7 – SCEE – Disc
Tekken® 5: Dark Resurrection – SCEE – Network
Lemmings™ – SCEE – Network
Go! Sudoku – SCEE – Network
Go! Puzzle – SCEE – Network
Blast Factor™ – SCEE – Network
flOw™ – SCEE – Network
Super Rub’a'Dub – SCEE – Network
Call of Duty 3 – Activision UK Ltd – Disc
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance – Activision UK Ltd – Disc
Tony Hawks Project 8 – Activision UK Ltd – Disc
Gundam – Target in Sight – Namco Bandai Games – Disc
Full Auto™ 2: Battle Lines – Sega®Europe Ltd – Disc
Sonic the Hedgehog™ – Sega®Europe Ltd – Disc
Virtua Fighter™ 5 – Sega®Europe Ltd – Disc
Virtua Tennis™ 3 – Sega®Europe Ltd – Disc
World Snooker Championship 2007 – Sega®Europe Ltd – Disc
NBA 2K7 – Take 2 International SA – Disc
NHL 2K7 – Take 2 International SA – Disc
Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWll – Ubisoft Entertainment SA Disc
Enchanted Arms – Ubisoft Entertainment SA – Disc
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent – Ubisoft Entertainment SA – Disc
The Elder Scrolls lV: Oblivion – Ubisoft Entertainment SA – Disc
Def Jam: Icon – Electronic Arts Ltd – Disc
EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 3 – Electronic Arts Ltd – Disc
NBA Street Homecourt – Electronic Arts Ltd – Disc
Need for Speed™ Carbon – Electronic Arts Ltd – Disc
The Godfather® The Don’s Edition – Electronic Arts Ltd – Disc
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 07 – Electronic Arts Ltd – Disc
Untold Legends™ Dark Kingdom™ – Electronic Arts Ltd – Disc
F.E.A.R. – Vivendi Universal Games Intl SA – Disc
Gripshift – Sony Online Entertainment – Network
PLAYSTATION 3 Peripherals Available at Launch Peripheral
RRP in Euros
SIXAXIS™ Wireless Controller – EURO 49.99
Blu-ray Disc Remote Control – EURO 24.99
HDMI Cable – EURO 24.99
AV cable – EURO 16.99
Component AV cable – EURO 24.99
S Video cable – EURO 16.99
January 25th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Ok European consumers obviously don’t want the cheap version because we are all far too super psyched about making up for the shit sales in America! We all demand the 60gig version at the bargain basement price of £425 lol
Seriously though the costs are getting ridiculous. Average package someone will want I’d say is 2 games, 1 extra pad and a cable actually capable of playing on HDTV as that is kinda the point of PS3.
Console – £425
Pad – £35
Cable – £18
Games – £120 (assuming 60 each as Sony has kept quiet about these)
Total – £598
What a fucking bargain! Now what should I spend the £2 change I get from £600 on?
January 25th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
i doubt the ps3 will get sold out in teh u.k. we have been bombarded with increasing interest rates, and increases in nearly everything. we had an interest rise 2 weeks ago, and we will have another one a week or more before the ps3 comes out… sometimes i hate this country…
January 25th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
PS3 is getting totally f*cked on by the British Press today. The Sun, Britain’s biggest newspaper ran the announcement with this statement at the bottom
“Maybe Sony has made the March date so they can ship over here all the ones that aren’t selling in the US. The question is whether people will stump up that outrageous asking price.”
Half the other papers didn’t even bother talking about the launch and a load of the others like the Standard ran articles focusing on how Sony is ripping Europeans off.
January 25th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
just read the papers, i don’t think sony is going to get good business like they did with the ps2. maybe in a few years?
January 25th, 2007 at 10:10 pm
Well at least their launch line up for Europe is better than the one they had for America. Assuming that most of the European gamers don’t have 360’s then even more of these titles will be fresh new experiences for them (and of course assuming they didn’t play F.E.A.R., The Godfather, Oblivion, MUA etc. on the PC). Who knows … maybe having all these titles to choose from will help make a difference. We will have to wait and see.
January 26th, 2007 at 6:02 am
I’ve seen first hand how long it takes a PS3 to sell here in America…
A whole day.
At a freaking Target. Where it is always busy.
4 months after the 360 came out people were all over it if we happened to get any. It just isn’t the same with the PS3. Now I see tons of 360’s, no Wii’s, and if the store gets any a PS3.
Launch games are always lame, if not they aren’t as great as the games that come out later on.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:28 am
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