The launch of Sony's PlayStation 3 games console got off to a feeble start last night with officials, media and security outnumbering customers for most of the evening.

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.

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.

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.

The scene was a stark contrast to the US launch in November last year, where one man was shot by thieves and fights broke out over limited stock.

In Britain, where the PS3 was also launched today, two major Oxford Street stores in London - Game and HMV - cancelled their launch events amid police fears of muggings.

Danny Zarka, 31, was first in line to collect his PS3, which was handed to him personally by Mr Ephraim and Myer CEO Bernie Brookes.

The advertising executive from Pyrmont was shocked because he had arrived after 9pm, yet still found himself at the front of the queue.

"I'm surprised there aren't more people here, I thought the place would be packed," he said.

The PS3 launches with a total of 30 games, each with a recommended retail price of $99.95.

One of those games is Gran Turismo: HD, which Sony is offering free - as a download from the Playstation Network - to all PS3 buyers.

And Sony said the first 20,000 people to register their PS3 online would receive a free copy of the latest James Bond movie Casino Royale on Blu-ray disc.

From today, Sony will launch into its $6 million marketing campaign, which it hopes will convince the public that the PS3 is not just a games machine but an all-in-one home entertainment system.

The campaign will stress the inclusion of a high-definition Blu-ray disc player, sleek design, 60GB hard drive, web browser and, most importantly, the PS3's ability to act as a multimedia hub for organising photos, music and movies.

This is crucial if Sony is to convince consumers that the PS3's $999 price tag is justified, in the face of the $650 Xbox 360 and $399 Nintendo Wii.

A Sony spokeswoman said: "The marketing tag line for PlayStation 3 is 'This is Living' and you'll see this develop with time to include broader messaging beyond gaming enthusiasts; after launch we will begin our approach to communicate with entertainment enthusiasts and beyond."

Travis Johnson, a veteran advertising executive at Universal McCann, was partly responsible for the Xbox 360's launch marketing campaign. He described Sony's $6 million budget as "sizeable", and said the Xbox 360 only launched with a $1 million marketing spend.

The PS3 was originally slated for release locally on November 17, but this date was pushed back to today due to production delays.

It has meant the Wii and Xbox 360 have a significant head-start in the next-generation console wars - the Wii has been on sale since early December, while the Xbox 360 has its first birthday next week.

Another potential stumbling block for Sony is the fact that it has priced the PS3 higher in Australia than it has overseas. The console sells for just ¥60,000 ($630) in Japan and $US599 ($740) in the US.

Mr Ephraim said in an interview last month the higher price was justified because factors such as Australia's currency exchange rate and small population size when compared with the US led to a higher cost of doing business.

Owners of the previous PlayStation, the PS2, should also bear in mind that PS2 games will not necessarily be compatible with the PS3.

A full list of compatible games can be found here - 1782 PS2 titles are listed, which represent the majority of the 2308 PS2 games that Sony shipped to Australia.

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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

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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

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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.

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Kabuki Waq said:

is the source reliable?

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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.

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Segata Sanshiro said:

Well, there goes the last resort "Risk" strategy.

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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

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Wiitard said:

How long can we feast on Sony's corpse? Apparently for a little longer. Let's talk about the real console war: DS vs. Wii vs. PS2.

Seriously, was anybody expecting anything else? For real?

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DeaconKnowledge said:

Hilarious, but did anyone really expect different from Australia?

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Gexecuter said:

The PS3 launches with a total of 30 games, each with a recommended retail price of $99.95

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And Sony said the first 20,000 people to register their PS3 online would receive a free copy of the latest James Bond movie Casino Royale on Blu-ray disc.

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Filter said:

sonyland? um, yeah.

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Fallout-NL said:

The only reason for me to buy a PS3 now is cause I want to play God of War 1 and 2, and wasting 130 euros on a PS2 seems kind of stupid.

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Fredescu said:

Wrong.

That or most retailers are selling games for above RRP. Yeah.

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Infernal Monkey said:

Aaaand Harvey Norman cries. They were running TV ads like every ad break screaming at people about their midnight launches, proclaiming the world will change forever (while showing the Earth exploding in a blaze of 1980's special effects).

Midnight launches are stupid anyway though.

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Infernal Monkey said:

But but but, you can get Need for Speed for the bargain price of $108 from Big W. Bargain! The $120 price point for third party games on PS3/360 is a joke.

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pilonv1 said:

It's the same story as on SMH.com.au (Sydney Morning Herald).

Also see http://kotaku.com/gaming/ps3-launch/australian-ps3-launch-shindig-246437.php

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11:25pm - Still nobody here. A band of douches with a filmcrew were trying to interview people about the PS3. "****, mate, there's nobody here!" one exhales between cigarettes. "Hey, ladies!" another, the cameraman, hollers.

Two thirty-something women who had stopped for a moment to perv on Daniel Craig were pounced upon. "Hey, ladies, are you hear to buy a PS3?" the interviewer pleads.

"Uh...no".

"****! Nobody is! Well, can you pretend you are? You'll be on TV!"

Fantastic.

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Fallout-NL said:

The only reason for me to buy a PS3 now is cause I want to play God of War 1 and 2, and wasting 130 euros on a PS2 seems kind of stupid.

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Bildi said:

I probably won't be picking up a PS3 until the price drops to AU$300. Nice to know it'll come with a free copy of Casino Royale though - I'm looking forward to it.

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Bildi said:

Yeah, I think Harvey Norman had no choice. They've missed the Wii-train because Nintendo have shunned them for not supporting them during the Cube era.

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Sho_Nuff82 said:

That other banned blog site that begins with k and rhymes with otaku has similar impressions and pictures of the failed launch party.

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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

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Angry Gamer said:

Angry Gamer's roving reporters drank a heap of chocolate milk, grabbed a camera and checked out the alleged hotspots of PS3 midnight launch activity in Australia. Here's what we saw. The short version? The worst launch since the Challenger space craft.

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Adumaha said:

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So Sony apparently brought 20,000 machines into the country. So if Brisbane sold just over 50, let's say Sydney and Melbourne did 200 each to be generous. Throw in some extras for the other capital cities and we'll call it 500 machines on launch night. Oh all right, let's be really generous and call it a thousand.

1,000 out of 20,000.

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Greg said:

It is Australia, what do you expect?

:lol

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