Sony PS3 fizzles in Oz
p2pnet.net news:- Australians apparently aren’t exactly falling over themselves for a chance to buy Sony’s by-now-not-so-new PlayStation 3.
Its launch, “got off to a feeble start last night with officials, media and security outnumbering customers for most of the evening,” says the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Over 500 retailers around the country threw open their doors as the clock struck 12:00am, expecting the frenzy that accompanied the games console’s overseas debuts. But most stores were virtually deserted, despite the 20,000 pre-orders Sony said it had received.”
In the UK, the Virgin mega-store went ahead with a planned camp-in but two other stores cancelled their midnight madness events because they didn’t want to set their customers set up for a mugging.
There, a London official, “confirmed that there have been meetings with Sony and the police,” also saying, “It’s an advert for muggers, basically.”
Back in Oz, “Even at the official launch event held at Myer’s Pitt Street store in Sydney’s CBD and attended by Sony’s local managing director, Michael Ephraim, media and security outnumbered PS3 fans until at least 11:00pm,” says the SMH. “At midnight, about 40 PS3 buyers had arrived to collect their consoles, causing distress for the army of camera crews who turned up expecting to capture launch mayhem.
“Desperate producers unashamedly asked the crowd to fake excitement when the cameras were rolling, while a team from 2Day FM let out bogus cheers to convince their radio listeners that a launch extravaganza was underway.”
Also See:
Sydney Morning Herald – Crowds go mild at PlayStation launch, March 23, 2007
mugging – Sony PS3 ‘mugging’ fears, March 23, 2007
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