PS3 European Launch Date Revealed To Be March 23

Authored by Jay Baage on January 24, 2007 - 6:01pm.

UPDATED. Sony has announced that the much delayed PlayStation 3 will finally go on sale across Europe on 23 March, 2007. One million of the consoles will be made available at launch, with around a quarter of the stock landing in the UK. Only the high-end version of the PS3 will be available to start with and the machines will cost 599 Euros ($775) or £425 in the UK ($835). This makes the UK the most expensive place to buy a PlayStation 3 in the world. In America the console retails for $599 (£303).

"We will focus on the launch of the one with a 60 gigabyte (GB) drive and have no plan now to introduce the 20 gigabyte model," Sony Computer Entertainment spokesman Satoshi Fukuoka said.

The 60 GB model will also become available in Africa, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand on March 23. The cheaper Nintendo Wii console went on sale in November 2006 and immediately made an impact, selling over 700,000 units across Europe in December alone, according to BBC News.

Sony Computer Entertainment UK will be launching the PS3 with more than 30 titles, including 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.

Related Links:
Sony Press Release
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6295359.stm
Sony to launch high-end PS3 in Europe on March 23 (R)