The PS3 has finally launched in Europe, and there was some very good news for the PlayStation faithful who lined up for the midnight launch at the Virgin megastore located in the UK. Sony’s Ray Maguire decided to step up to the 100 or so waiting customers at 11pm Thursday to greet them. He stood in front of a beautiful, top-of-the-line Sony Bravia HD TV. He announced joyfully, "This is a 46-inch Bravia W series. It’s an award-winning flat panel .And do you know what the good news, is guys? I’m going to give you one free."
The crowd, upon hearing his words, was rather solemn, as most probably thought that they had little chance of winning the unbelievable prize. But Maguire must have picked up on this and then said, "Every single one of you in this queue is going to get one!"
Needless to say, the reaction the second time around was deafening as the people whooped and hollered in excitement. The first of the RVs went to 17 year-old Ritatsu Thomas. The rest of the 125 person queue will be getting theirs next week.
Maguire said that the gesture was in recognition and thanks to those who braved the long hours to be the first ones to adopt the PS3. "PlayStation 3 is about the new generation of high definition. There are some people in that queue for whom the HD part is the more difficult part of the equation, and I think it’s a way of just saying thank you. They’ve got the best console, and now they’ve got the best screen."
He seemed to be very touched by the dedication of the PlayStation fans, and rightly so, as Sony has taken a beating from both the press and gaming community. "People waiting for 36 hours and sleeping overnight is absolutely unbelievable – it shows the affinity people have for the brand, and it’s really humbling."
Unbelievable? Maguire must have missed all of those people who camped out for Xbox 360s and Wiis in the US.
