PlayStation 3 launches in Australia

PS3 News | It's been a long time coming.

Finally, March 23rd, 2007 is here. It's the day countless gamers and technology enthusiasts alike have been eagerly anticipating for a long, long time. There's been delays. Tears of joy after seeing Resistance in action. Tears of agony after hearing of the $999 price point in Australia. A never-ending verbal battle with Microsoft and Nintendo. Giant enemy crabs. But, after much anticipation, Sony's PlayStation 3 has just gone on sale in Australia, with many midnight launches taking place as we speak at stores across the country. For those of you waiting for a more sane hour to pick up a PS3, here's what you'll get:

PlayStation 3

•... PlayStation 3 console
•... SIXAXIS wireless controller
•... 60GB hard drive
•... AV cable
•... USB cable

Price: $999.95

Our weekly bargains article has all the best PS3 launch deals - have a look if you aren't sure where you'll be picking yours up from yet. If you still aren't decided on the games you'll be grabbing with your console, check out our Buyer's Guide. For all the rest of PALGN's PS3 launch coverage, look no further than the hub.

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25 Comments

Nev

5 years ago

I really hate you people that live in the major centres where they're holding launch parties.

I've never been to a midnight launch for anything (wrong place, wrong time).

And to the PS3 (showing up late to the party): "Hey! 'Bout time you got here! Traffic? Oh, Blu-Ray laser diode shortages... Yeah, we've all been there, man... What's that? Sorry, Wii's got the music up too loud... You sound you've had a few already! Well, you know what they say about alcohol and the effect it has on your backwards compatibility... "

arbok

5 years ago

well they're not all that great honestly - my brother has gone to get a PS3. I am absolutely knackered right now as my usual bed time is way past due, i don't expect to be getting much gaming to be done tonight to be honest.

And as for the other midnight console launches i've been to (the PS2 and Xbox 360) - i didnt get much gaming done on those nights either. It was more a case of bring home the console - plug it in and play for about 15 minutes.

I doubt that makes you feel any better though.

Nev

5 years ago

arbok wrote

It was more a case of bring home the console - plug it in and play for about 15 minutes.

Yeah, you're probably right about that, actually. Got work tomorrow, so I'd probably be lucky to get the thing hooked up, much less actually get any gaming in.

Still. It's the principle.

Gutsman Heavy

5 years ago

I may dislike the system, but I know how awesome launches are, enjoy.

Frozencry

5 years ago

Updating the system now, the update may take a while by the looks of it..

But goddamn does the machine look sexy. Makes my 360 look ugly.

Karai Pantsu

5 years ago

Because I am very, very jealous of those who have already bought their PS3s - I'm going to be a wet blanket and post this story (with a key snippet)

"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."

So was this one the odd one out, or were other midnights launches pretty ho-hum too?

Nev

5 years ago

Karai Pantsu wrote

So was this one the odd one out, or were other midnights launches pretty ho-hum too?

Seems like it. Though Michael Ephraim said there's been $20,000,000 in pre-sales, which equates to about 20,000 consoles (if you exclude games, accessories, etc). I think we'll have to leave it for a week to really see if the launch was as lackluster as these early reports make it out to be. The 360 launch sounded like a much livelier affair... whether due to better marketing, or because people were more excited because it was the first next-gen system out of the gates, who knows.

On a side note, I live in a town with a catchment population of 55,000, and Kmart (the biggest department store here) only got 4 systems.

admeister

5 years ago

I was at the midnight launch at Airport West EB.

It was rather quiet when I arrived, but by 11:45pm there was a decent turnout of around 20 people.

The EB staff didn't make a big deal out of it, they got all the PS3 purchasers to take a ticket and wait around until 11:55, then they made a quick speech about the console and soon enough it was 12am! They called up the first two people, and they went in to get their PS3's. The first ones to get one were a kid and his mum.

Up until 12am they had Motorstorm and F1 available to play in the store, so I finally got my first shot at Motorstorm! I really didn't like it much.

Karai Pantsu

5 years ago

Huh, more reports of it being a pretty uneventful launch here - although this one is pretty low on detail and high on 'Boo Sony'. The pictures are worthless, too.

Nev wrote

I think we'll have to leave it for a week to really see if the launch was as lackluster as these early reports make it out to be.

Agreed. Although I'd give it maybe two weeks or so - enough time for people to experience it at a Mates place and such (the kind of flow-on effect that drive Wii sales so well).

stevolution

5 years ago

As much as I also dislike Sony (after all the recent arrogance) and their PS3 I honetsly thought Australians would jump on it because everywhere people have been telling me how Australians are PS mad. Does anyone have any details on the european launch?

Eyce

5 years ago

The Age has a fantastic article on the Launch without the obscenities, entitled "Crowds go mild at PlayStation launch".

http://www.theage.com.au/news/games/playtime-for-midnights-children/2007/03/23/1174153291466.html

Karai Pantsu

5 years ago

As posted above

Karai Pantsu wrote

Because I am very, very jealous of those who have already bought their PS3s - I'm going to be a wet blanket and post this story (with a key snippet)

*snip*

I don't dislike the PS3 or Sony for that matter, even after their baffling array of ****-ups (since GDC they're been back on the right foot, which is nice) - and I was expecting a much larger response to the launch. Especially since practically every time I've been in EBs over the past month or so there's been someone trading in junk and laying down a pre-order.
Still, give it a week or so and then we'll see where we stand.

admeister

5 years ago

This whole thing sounds a bit disasteriffic to me. Looks like the EB that I went to wasn't the only place that was pretty quiet. So much for the PS3 selling out.

dullestrobert

5 years ago

Does anyone really expect this to sell well at that price? Maybe once it drops things will pick up for the better but Sony's off to a bad start. It's why so many developers are changing their exclusive titles.

?oe?oe

5 years ago

Apparantly $1000 is great value for money... *giggles*

Andronicus

5 years ago

If you were to ask me why I think the PS3 had the launch it did, then I would wager a guess that it has to do with the price.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that it's priced as it is because of what it packs, as well as the Blu-Ray player, but for a video game console coming into a market where a whole lot of people recently purchased DSs, PSPs, Xbox 360s, and Wiis, it's a bit of a stretch for the average consumer to go for the PS3 right now as well.

When the price point has come down to a level that the average consumer thinks they can justify paying, then I'm sure things will pick up.

And anyway, it's only been on sale for less than a day.

InvivnI

5 years ago

I think Sony should've bumped the launch date to Tonight (Friday night). That means more people can go because they aren't working the next morning.

Even so, I'm surprised at the lukewarm reception. Any details of the Chadstone launch?

slapshakle

5 years ago

joejoe wrote

Apparantly $1000 is great value for money... *giggles*

How much does the average Blu ray player retail for ?

Eyce

5 years ago

slapshakle wrote

joejoe wrote

Apparantly $1000 is great value for money... *giggles*

How much does the average Blu ray player retail for ?

There's your value.

matrix-cat

5 years ago

I got mine, but I didn't get any games because I'm a rebel (read: I hate all the launch games and I'm poor). GTHD is kinda nice, though.

sephiaya

5 years ago

I can't stop laughing. 80 people LOL.

The 360 had what over 1000 people at the big launch.

Anybody Remeber how the 3DO console turned out. LOL

Jellyfish

5 years ago

That's shocking... I believe there are a few people here that need to eat their words (me included). Looks like the PS3 wasn't sold out from day one

admeister

5 years ago

nikack wrote

That's shocking... I believe there are a few people here that need to eat their words (me included). Looks like the PS3 wasn't sold out from day one

And you said it would never happen.

Looks like my hunch was correct.
It really did end up rather poorly, even the places that got the most people were pretty weak.

Jellyfish

5 years ago

I nearly impulse bought a PS3 tonight too (like I did with the Wii

), thankfully I had someone there to bring me to my senses.

It's a real shame it hasn't sold well, as this kind of thing results in more delays/no-shows for PAL regions.

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