Europeans will finally be able to get their hands on the PS3 starting on March 23, when an an expected shipment of 300,000 units will go on sale in the U.K., and another 700,000 units in the other European nations.
Last week, a misstatement by Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer gave the European gaming community a scare when he incorrectly stated that the PS3 launch date was slated for April, instead of the scheduled March date. Europeans, who already have suffered through a PS3 launch delay once before, were concerned that they were in store for yet another delay.
The European launch of the PS3 should have a solid lineup of launch titles–30 in all–including games such as Resistance: Fall of Man, Ridge Racer 7, Genji: Days of the Blade, and Formula One Championship Edition.
The PS3’s price point in the U.K. will be 425 GBP ($836 US) for the 60GB version of the PS3. No plans are currently in the works for a release of the less expensive 20GB model, although it may come "later in the year dependent on demand".
Ray Maguire, Managing Director of Sony UK, 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 UK." Maguire continued, "To be able to launch with over 30 titles including retail versions and great downloadable gaming experiences across every genre shows that this is our strongest launch line-up in the history of PlayStation, and is what PlayStation fans in the UK have been crying out for."
With the PS3 available in both North America and Japan since November, the anticipation of seeing the PS3 in Europe has been continually mounting. Although the price of the PS3 is quite high, Maguire addressed this point last May when he said, "GBP 425 is definitely not a mass-market price, no. But you think about the price, think about the price of just a Blu-Ray player. It will be cheaper than a Blu-Ray player just by itself. So fundamentally we’re going to be great value just from that point of view without even looking at the games side."
With only two months to go before the European launch of the PS3, it won’t be long before we can see if Maguire’s statement will be proven true or not. If the frenzy that surrounded the PS3 launch in the US is any indication of how the launch will proceed in Europe, PS3s will be flying off store shelves in no time at all. But beyond that period, no one can say what will happen with any certainty.
