PlayStation 3 launch
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The PlayStation 3 launch marks the second major seventh generation video game console to be released. The successor to the PlayStation 2 was first released on 11 November 2006.
History
The PlayStation 3 was launched in Japan on 11 November 2006 at 07:00. There were reports that many of the initial consoles were obtained by businessmen who paid mainly Chinese nationals to buy the console without any software to resell on eBay. According to Media Create, 81,639 PS3 systems were sold in the 24-hours of its introduction in Japan. Sony has opted to go with an open pricing scheme for the 60 GB model, allowing retailers to set a price point themselves.
The PlayStation 3 was launched in North America on 17 November 2006. During its first week of release in the United States, PlayStation 3s were being sold on eBay for more than $2300 USD. Reports of violence surrounding the release of the PS3 include a customer shot, campers robbed at gunpoint, customers shot in a drive-by shooting with BB guns, and 60 campers fighting over 10 systems. Two GameStop employees fabricated a robbery to cover up their own theft of several PlayStation 3 and four Xbox 360 consoles.
As of January 16, nearly two months since the US launch, at least 1,000,000 consoles have been shipped to the US, and a further 1,000,000 have been shipped to Japan, plus more elsewhere in Asia.
Sony announced on 6 September 2006 that the PAL (European and Australasia) launch has been delayed until March, 2007 due to a shortage of diodes used in the Blu-ray drive. At midnight on January 24, 2007, Sony announced that the Playstation 3 will go on sale on March 23, 2007 in Europe, Australia, the Middle East, Africa and New Zealand. The PS3 will initially be available only with a 60GB hard disk, with the planned 20GB model held over till later in 2007. The 20GB model will only be launched if Sony believes there is sufficient demand to warrant its inclusion in the line-up.
According to Gamexis, there will be Singaporean Official launch on March 2007, with the price of 60GB announced as S$799, without games. It is likely that Sony Singapore will sell it bundled with some games, so the price of S$1000 can be expected.
The high launch price of the PS3 has been subjected to criticism from analysts, developers and consumers. Sony executive Phil Harrison has defended the price by citing its Blu-ray support and overall value. The production cost is estimated to be US$805.85 for the 20GB model and US$840.35 for the 60GB model.
Release data and pricing
| Region | Expected pricing at release | Accesories Pricing | Release Date | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic (20 GB) | Premium (60 GB) | SIXAXIS | Blu-ray Remote Control | Games | Memory Card Adaptor | ||||||||
| Local | US$ | Local | US$ | Local | US$ | Local | US$ | Local | US$ | Local | US$ | ||
 Japan
|
JP¥49,980 | $420 | JP¥59,980 | $510 | JP¥5000 | $40 | JP¥3,600 | $ | JP¥Variable | $ | JP¥1,500 | $ | 11 November 2006 |
 United States
|
US$499 | US$599 | US$49.99 | US$24.99 | US$59.99 | US$14.99 | 17 November 2006 | ||||||
 Canada
|
C$549 | $480 | C$659 | $580 | C$59.99 | $51.82 | C$ | $ | C$ | $ | C$ | $ | 17 November 2006 |
 Hong Kong
|
HKD$3,180 | $410 | HKD$3,780 | $490 | HKD$370 | $47 | HKD$ | $ | HKD$ | $ | HKD$ | $ | 17 November 2006 |
 Taiwan
|
NT$14,980 | $450 | NT$17,980 | $540 | NT$ | $ | NT$ | $ | NT$ | $ | NT$ | $ | 17 November 2006 |
 United Kingdom
|
TBC | GB£425†[1] | $710 | GB£35[1] | $69 | GB£18[2] | $35 | GB£45[3] | $ | GB£ | $ | 23rd March 2007 | |
 Eurozone(excluding Ireland & Finland)
|
€499 | $550 | €599 | $660 | € | $ | € | $ | € | $ | € | $ | 23rd March 2007 |
 Denmark
|
4295 DKK† | $720 | 5495 DKK† | $930 | DKK† | $ | DKK† | $ | DKK† | $ | DKK† | $ | 23rd March 2007 |
 Finland
|
€550 | $710 | €650 | $840 | € | $ | € | $ | € | $ | € | $ | 23rd March 2007 |
 Norway
|
TBC | 5000 NOK† | $750 | NOK† | $ | NOK† | $ | NOK† | $ | NOK† | $ | 23rd March 2007 | |
 Sweden
|
TBC | 5999 SEK† | $650 | SEK† | $ | SEK† | $ | SEK† | $ | SEK† | $ | 23rd March 2007 | |
 Switzerland
|
CHF 749 | $550 | CHF 899 | $660 | CHF | $ | CHF | $ | CHF | $ | CHF | $ | 23rd March 2007 |
 Australia
|
A$829 | $650 | A$999 | $780 | A$ | $ | A$ | $ | A$ | $ | A$ | $ | 23 March 2007 |
 New Zealand
|
NZ$999† | $590 | NZ$1199.95† | $700 | NZ$ | $ | NZ$ | $ | NZ$ | $ | NZ$ | $ | 23 March 2007 |
 Singapore
|
S$ | $ | S$799 | $520 | S$ | $ | S$ | $ | S$ | $ | S$ | $ | March 2007 |
 Mexico
|
MXN$ | $ | MXN$ | $ | MXN$ | $ | MXN$ | $ | MXN$ | $ | MXN$ | $ | Q1 2007 |
 Brazil
|
R$6,999 | $3,499 | R$7,499 | $3,769 | R$ | $ | R$ | $ | R$ | $ | R$ | $ | No Official Release |
 Indonesia
|
IDR | $ | IDR7,000,000[4] | $771 | IDR600,000 | $67 | IDR | $ | IDR600,000 | $67 | IDR | $ | No Official Release |