I have an XBOX360 and a PS3 and i can clearly say on every front that the PS3 is in an elite league. The only reason the shops aren't selling out is because it is, yes, a high price, and people just don't have it; however, if any of you do, go buy it!
Im a console crazy-man, i have a PS1, PS2, PSP, XBOX, Wii etc.; out of all of them, the most excitement I get out of any of them is the PS3! who cares, £425? everybody remembers how the Xbox360 fell in price, just like this will.
Trust me, im a doctor.

Joel, Essex, UK

I USED to be a loyal Sony consumer and have many of their products across many markets (Hi-Fi, Walkman, Phone, Tv, etc..) I have enjoyed their other gaming consoles such as the PS1 & PS2. But I just cannot justify spending that amount of money on a console! £425 for what is, from what I can tell, a powerful console with superb graphics and processing capabilities that has been let down by it's creators by:
1) An outrageous opening Price - especially when considering it was released EARLIER & CHEAPER in the US & JAP (Don't even start with currency exchange rates.).
2)Lack of innovative games - possible exception of Motorstorm - which I'm told has a disappointing amount of tracks.
3)A blatent reliance on it's previous followers despite forfilling promises of delivery or the ability to play their back catalogue of games.
I doubt I will purchase one of these systems out of disgust for Sony's arrogance and will be putting the spare cash towards a holiday for the same price!!!

mark, Oxford, Oxfordshire

So much for the PS3 craze! I’ve got a PS2 and an Xbox and might upgrade at some point. At the moment, two things come to my mind: first, it seems to me that you'd better have a HD television to truly enjoy the advantages of a Xbox360 and a PS3. Secondly, although the Xbox is rather affordable, I find the price tag of the PS3 difficult to justify. Yes, the games on offer look the part, but is it really worth paying £427 to be able to play what’s after all a similar game at a higher resolution? Have the gameplay and the storyline in current games really evolved from the previous generation? Also, why do we have to pay the equivalent of $835 for a PS3, when it costs $600 in the USA, a staggering 39% extra? We are being ripped off. Prices will have to come down, and games will have to bring something new and refreshing. Not surprisingly, there wasn’t any shortage in the high street shops I visited today, only 1 day after launch! No kidding, who wants a PS3 at that price?

victor, london,

I have fond memories of Sony. I remember playing, Tenchu and Metal Gear Solid on the Playstation, and then Grand Theft series on the PS2 and being amazed my the graphics in God of War. But my love affair with Sony was destroyed by their lack of respect for the European gamer. How can you justify delaying a product launch and then giving no choice on the hardware on offer and then extort over £400 on a product that is late on arrival. If we mean so little to Sony why bother with their product.

Anyway I have an xbox 360 now, which might be a little weaker and a little noisy but is both affordable and has enough good publisher behind it to give me a variety of games.

The biggest mistake Sony made was taking there European “fan base” for granted.

Roshan , London , London

The wii is not a games console.Its a toy and a gimmik. The novelty will wear off very soon. Wait till ps3 pushes its capabilities to the limit. The ps3 without exaggeration will be a milestone in gaming history

jack, london,

The wii is not a games console.Its a toy and a gimmik. The novelty will wear off very soon. Wait till ps3 pushes its capabilities to the limit. The ps3 without exaggeration will be a milestone in gaming history

jack, london,

Regarding Blu-ray - as top film reviewer Barry Norman used to say, the 3 most important qualities in a film are 1. the script, 2. the script, and 3. the script :-)

John Matthews, Reading, UK

I had a PS3 test machine over Xmas and was a little dissappointed. For all the giga-whatsits, mega-schnitzels and its stingray disk, the 'next-generation' machine seemed to merely perform at the high-end of what the PS2 is capable of. Whilst I admit that there is great scope for improvement your best bet is to stick with the X-box or Wii, wait for the price to drop (or pro-evo!!!) and laugh your little nerdy head off at the paupers who have already got one and are now living on the bread-line and begging for more of Mr Browns mercy!!!

Bob, Runcorn, UK

As a die hard PC fanatic, and someone who generally holds distain for consoles, I would like to add that the main reason why I purchased an Xbox 360 2 days ago was due to the inconectivity of the PC and XBox.

Sony have failed to move forward with the PS3, mainly due to the technical problems they were having with Blu-ray. Anyone who buys a PS3 tommorow will be gambling on a system that has loads of issues, and as such still has to prove its worth.

It's simply not true that the PS3 has only had a few months to develop games - the specs have been out for nearly 18 months, and it's due to the vastly more technical problems that the games are of a lower threshold on launch day. Anyone who wants to enjoy gaming needs to think seriously before spending £450+, as the return may be a long time in coming.

Also, please bear in mind that as a media center the PS3 is mainly hype - the Mac mini will do a far better job for £100 less.

Rachel, York,

Why all this concentration on graphical abilities? Surely the criterion of a game is its playabilty? You know, that quaint old idea of a game being FUN to play and interesting. I would rather play Zelda and Mario on the SNES than most of the flashy short-lived games with no depth on the modern consoles. Anything else, online games like Call Of Duty etc. play on a PC. Perhaps the best idea is to buy a WII, download the classics forfun and have a PC for its all round capabilities and for playing graphics hungry games. I am writing this as a fify-odd year old who has watched his kidsgo through the whole thing from the NES up to the present day. Which is why I quoted Zelda and Mario. Nothing else engrossed them, their friend, or myself to be honest, as much as those games.

Dave Proctor, Leeds,

Grow up. Read a book.

CJ, Luxembourg,

C'mon. PS3 with all it's beauty, graphics & Cell processors (7 of which are actually less powerful than the 3 in x360) could never compete with PC. When Ps2 came out it outdone modern pc's by graphics & kept the lead for a year or even more. If ps3 came out in november 06, it wud've been able to compete for a couple of months, but nowadays, it's already left behind by the newest Nvidia & ATI graphic cards, Core 2 processors & so on. Yes, PS3 is three times cheaper than the up to date pc, but, let's be honest, pc is a 100 times more functional & comfortable. As of PS3-x360-Wii battle i think they are aimed at differen audiences, so it' doesn't matter who outsells whom. Wii for casuals, probably young schoolboys, X360 for online gaming enthusiasts & Ps3 for hardcore-like gamers with no life.

John M, Moscow, Russia

Xbox/Microsoft people really do bore me! We have XBOX fanboys informing PS fans on what a REAL console should be. Pah!!! Hey XBOX fans let me ask you a question.. Why is it you feel so compelled to pass comment/judgement over the PS3 and Sony? What are you so worried about exactly? If you are happy and content with your chosen console why talk!! You all seem to follow Microsoft's self-vindicating and brainwashing opinions on what a true gaming console should be. Why is it you fools insist that if it DOESN’T fit the MS mould or if it’s NOT within the same price bracket of the beloved XBOX then it shouldn’t be considered as a true gaming machine? Who cares! Sony and the PS3 dares to do something new and cutting edge with there console whilst sticking to its core gaming origins offering its consumer more than what the PS2 and XBOX is capable of. Perhaps it doesn’t quite match Microsoft’s LIVE environment quite just yet, but Sony does has the capacity to challenge that!

Kev, London,

Buy or not to buy that is the question. Years ago I purchased an N64 on launch day for £250. Six months later due to poor sales you could buy the console for around half the price. The lesson to be learned was one of simple economics - when supply exceeds demand there is no option but for the manucturer to reduce the cost. There are several arguments as whether or not the PS3 is worth the extensive asking price of £425 but at the end of the day if Sony has poor sales on the launch of the console they have no choice but to reduce the price. On Friday instead of going to pick up my preordered PS3 I am going to get my deposit refunded. I will then wait a few months until the price falls and Sony's proves they have created a console of true greatness like the PS2. I urge all potential buyers to do the same.

Scott, Inverness, Scotland

Elisio, perhaps I should have made myself more clear - the CELL has 7 synergistic processor elements (SPEs) which are powerful processors in their own right.
With regard to the games you mention, you fail to understand that the Xbox 360 has been out for some time now, so is bound to have better games. Do you seriously think the 360 will be able to match the graphical capabilities of the PS3 in the not-to-distant future? The PS3's make-up is such that it WILL outshine the Xbox, as developers get to grips with it's power. Simply put. it's more futureproof - oh, and better ;)

VB, London,

buy it from Malaysia. its a hell of a lot cheaper.

Rakan, Kuwait, Kuwait

Well, I'm from Bosnia, and I have waaay lower salary than people in UK do, but I really don't find PS3 expensive. I see it all over the internet, all these rich nations, Americans, WEuropeans complaining about the price of PS3. See a post from "lohit, bangalore, india"? He's from India and doesn't think it's expensive.
There must be some connection between that you're rich and that you complain about the price. ;) Oh you wicked spoiled colonists, hehe ;) (a joke, really, I don't find being a spoiled colonist a bad thing, do what you want)
Well just don't buy it. The guys from Sony are offering PS3 for xxx$/EUR/GBP, it's not like they say it has Blu-Ray or something and it doesn't, it really does! Buy stg. cheaper.
Anyway, in my personal opinion, Wii is something I'd buy for my little nephew or my sister/mother/father, Xbox360 is perfect for my teenage cousins, Ps3 is for me and it's mine next month! It could have been far more expensive, I'd just have started saving earlier :P
Enjoy

Petar, Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina

VB.............PS3 has 7 processors ????? i seriously advise you to revise your specs............. (it has only 1 !!! and its called the CELL).....I wont dive further in a specs war with you........ cause none of us knows enough to even mention each consoles capabilities !! However, instead of going all theorical......... lets get practical : Name a single PS3 game that has grafics as good as Gears of War, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 or Mass effect ???

elisio, lisbonne,

Not quite accurate on the comments under Multimedia in the article.
The XBox 360 does not have media card readers- the PLAYSTATION®3 does. The 360 does not have Wi-Fi - the PLAYSTATION®3 does. It may cost more but you get much more for your money. Roll on Friday!!

Gareth, Auckland, New Zealand

I agree with Rob. I own a xbox 360 but have a ps3 on order. I've even booked the day off work so I can have a 3 day weekend doing nothing but gaming. If you're happy with your Wii or 360 good for you, I personally want more than the 360 offers. Why should I have to have my PC on when wanting to listen to music. The 360 does a little bit of this and a little bit of that with the help of add ons and media centers, whereas the Ps3 does all in one. The Ps3 launch games are equal to xbox 360 by what I understand and the xbox has had a year to develop games. Just imagine what the ps3 games will be like in a year. The 360 (a year ago) cost me more than the ps3 by the time you add a controller battery, wireless broadband connector, HD drive and spare controller. The only downside is the lack of Rumble but that will be rectified soon.

Jon, Derby,

I've played the PS3-I'm in america, and I can say I am distinctly unimpressed and I would class myself as big Sony fan boy. The console is big bulky and ugly, the games that I have played (Motostorm, Tony Hawk) have been rubbish and even the graphics weren't that good. The controller feels tacky-it's too light and the triggers are rubbish. Also unbelievably it still had LOADING times!! 425 pounds what a joke-stay away, in a year or so it may start to become a viable option. For the time being I am sticking with my PS2.

Darius, New York, New York

Some people say that once you add all the cost of everything you need for the Xbox to realistically compare the two (PS3 and X-box 360), i.e. hard drive, HD DVD player etc, the amount is about the same with the added bonus of the PS3 having it all in one box to begin with....... That's in fact true........ however........ who said that gamers wanted a Blue Ray player in their platforms ??? and who said that their were willing to pay 200 euros more !!! (do you use a console to play games or to whatch movies...) So before yelling that the relatif price of the PS3 is cheaper.... better stay focus on the fact that it is expensive as hell in absolute terms !!!
And speaking of games......... what a conole is made for.............. can anyone tell me which cross-platform game released yet performed better on PS3 than on the the X-box 360 ??? So, based on what facts, do moste people claim the PS3 of being the Super Horse Power of gaiming platforms ???

elisio, lisbonne,

VB, the PS3 is region free it was announced in 2006 at the GDC. This is just another reason to buy one, cheap imports of mad Japanese games. Its designed to stop people chipping the machines to play imports as well as stopping piracy and with the capacity of blu-ray discs its possible to fit multiple languages onto games so you can choose. Unfortunately it seems this only applies to games and not movies though.

Pj O Reilly, Glasgow, Scotland

Paulo Gonçalves, London, UK.

You forget that the £309 you state as the price for a full-specced Xbox 360 doesnt include the "bolt-on" HD-DVD player which costs £180. Add that to the £309 and suddenly the PS3 isnt that much more expensive than the Xbox.

Whats more, there will be a few million die-hard Sony fans who will buy the PS3 regardless of its price. There are currently little to no Blu-ray or HD-DVDs on sale in the high street however, with the couple of million or so PS3s in homes worldwide (and thus, a Blu-Ray player), suddenly there is a market for Bluray movies. The "bolt-on" HD-DVD player for the 360 however, hasnt taken off.

Pete, Cov,

I don't which specs Paulo Gonçalves has been reading but please! Xbox 360 has three processors the PS3 had SEVEN! It is twice as fast as the Xbox in terraflopping, which enables it to render graphics and pyshics easier, also it wins on the HD front - I could go in...
Also, Peter S - I think you'll find the UK in region B (re:DVDs) and it uses a different broadcast standard than US/Japan, we use PAL, they use NTSC - so therefore games will be incompatible - please do not misguide people.
Having said all this, the PS3 will come into it's own in a year or so - maybe it would be best to buy it then, perhaps at a lower price..

VB, London,

I believe Sony are going to struggle on this one. The main problem is that, specification-wise, the XBox360 has both a processor and graphics processing unit which are at least as good as, or, in the case of the gpu, outperform, the PS3's equivalents. The XBox360 is also easier to programme for - i.e. developers can more easily use the advanced capabilities offered by the XBox than those of the PS3. This means that game titles for the XBox will continue to beat the PS3 in terms of number, overall quality and, importantly, price.

Price-wise, somebody commented that the XBox 360 costs the same as the PS3 once one factors in all needed accessories. This is simply false. A full X-Box kit with hard-drive, two controllers and a two or three game bundle can be purchased on the high street for £309. A similar bundle on the PS3 is likely to exceed £500. With the only advantages being Blu-Ray and (currently) a bigger hard-drive, Sony are going to struggle to convince buyers to pay that much.

Paulo Gonçalves, London, UK

I can't wait for Friday it seems like years ago that I ordered my PS3. How can anyone put Xbox 360 as a serious contender to ps3? Ps3 will win the battle of the consoles like the ps2 did, at the end of the day Sony was there first with the PSone. If you think £425 is too much then DON'T BUY ONE spend your money on something else. I however will be plugged in to my ps3 on Friday. Happy Hunting!!

rob , harrogate, yorkshire

We here so much of the fact that the Xbox 360 is cheaper than the PS3. If you in fact add up the cost of everything you need for the Xbox to realistically compare the two, i.e. hard drive, HD DVD player etc, the amount is about the same with the added bonus of the PS3 having it all in one box to begin with. People go on about it being an expensive games console. Sony have never advertised it as being a games console but an entertainment hub that performs numerous tasks. So stop knocking, buy one and live the dream.

Steve, Sheffield,

I am a 24 year old gamer who has finally decided to stop buying consoles. I do continue to play Wow on my Dell XPS laptop and I commonly salivate over Wii pics.

My comment: I would like to formally request we stop referring to console sales as war. I browse Google news and find these headlines in the same browser: "Dozens dead in suicide blast" and "Wii winning the console war."

VIDEO GAMES ARE NOT WAR! Men do not die in relation to console sales. Please do not cheapen the lives of our soldiers by likening them to plastic disks. Newscasters, I am calling you out.

Sincerely,

A Doctor in training

B, NYC,

when it comes to new gaming console it should always have futuristic technology- PS3 has this, the cell processor, 1080p support, blu ray, six axis motion sensing technology. if we split the price of these techs separately it would be more than 1000$. So PS3 isn't costly actually.
coming to wii only the motion sensing technology is good everything is boring. Well if ps2 gets a wireless motion sensing technology it would be much better than wii. SO wii will be success only initially, gradually it will be nowhere.
XBOX is the real contender but its bulky with external adapter, external HD DVD, no motion sensing, no blu ray tech which looks to be the future success

lohit, bangalore, india

Just bought 2 Wii's and had them configured and hooked up to the internet in a few minutes. Games are simple and fun. While I was originally anxiously awaiting the arrival of the PS3, it is too much, too late, targeted wrong, sold wrong. The Wii will outsell the PS3 by a factor of 3 to 5 and the resulting large spectrum of TOTALLY FUN software titles for the Wii will dwarf that available for the PS3. The PS3 has fizzled and will become a sort-lived niche market that will quickly die. The Wii has won, shame on Sony for its lack of vision and detachment what the market really wants. Congratulations to Nintendo who won fair and square through innovation and creativity and offering gaming for the masses. 3 Wiis are much more fun than 1 PS3.

Toby, London, London

my feelings exactly, bravo Pj O Reilly!

Jamie Ball, norwich, england

i think the ps3 is well overprices fact im not buying one there to expensive i might buy a nintendi wii because there only 179 pounds

gary, armadale, west lothian

Buy it from Hong Kong or USA, pay 17.5% VAT (there is no import tax on consoles). The power supply is Universal on all models.

This will cost around £350 for the Premium 60GB version and extra £50 for delivery total around £410 including VAT.

Now you can buy blu-ray films for £7 from amazon.com (no VAT or tax for packages under £18) get the latest Japanese cinema/anime on blu-ray/dvd because you are in the new Region A shared with USA. Europe is in region B Europe/Africa. The games are not region coded.

Simple.

Peter S, London, UK

The games are officially priced at £39.99 gigalo.

Pj O Reilly, Glasgow, Scoltand, Glasgow, Scotland

I, as do my friends, felt that the way Sony handled the launch in Europe typified the attitude of the corporate monster. 'You like it because we say so ' seemed to be the quote of the day, and faith in the consol dwindled.. Until the G.D.C (game developers Conference) last week showed the world what was is store for the Sony-philes watching. Some of the most interactive, beautiful and imersive gaming experiences are yet to come. 'Littlebigplanet' looks amazing and if you haven't already heard of it, I urge you to go to their website and check out this developers love of life.
The Wii is without doubt the most wire-less fun you can have for under £200, being just a little more expensive than the tiny and woefully underdeveloped PSP, (that nub-controller sticks like Grannies porridge, the controls are not where your fingers are and as for putting the on-off switch right under the right hand controls, why, Sony?), but it does scream novelty. A cheaper PS3 may yet knock it's crown off.

David Smith, Romford, england

425 pounds i think il hold on to my xbox 360 for a while longer, since the games on the ps3 are gonna be 50 pounds a pop also, welcome to rip off britan

gigalo jo, adelaide,

If you've grown up with gaming its impossible to think of ps2 as even an adequate piece of hardware, in fact if your even half serious about it then its prehistoric now. The Wii has some good titles available(Zelda, Metroid Prime) but overall feels like and basically is a bit of an underpowered gadget. Still playing Wii Boxing or bowling? didn't think so. Serious gamers are more likely to be found on PC, Sony know this and the PS3 is capable for the next year or two of out-gunning the most powerful and expensive gaming PC's at half the price. Sony's technology will last for at least five years playing top level games and to buy anything which would come close to the PS3 in a PC would easily cost upwards of £800 unless you can build it yourself and therefore won't want PS3 anyway. The Xbox360 is the real rival here and although delays have damaged Sony, over the next few years the PS3 will surpass the 360, its in the specs.

Pj O Reilly, Glasgow, Scotland

nice machine but way over the odds on price sony are expecting people to spend £425 on this even though the games are already out on other consoles and i think they are placeing to much faith in what they call the hard core gamers

lez jones, luton, england

I can't wait for this, i just don't understand why people complain about the price a top end graphics card for a PC cost £500 and the cheapest bluray player on the market at the momment cost's £800 so the PS3 is a bargin. The Wii is just a cheap gimmick which in truth real gamers will tire of very quickly

Jon Shreeve, beccles,

I was about to buy my son a PS3 for his 21st birthday, but, £525 for a console and a game, NO THANKS. Sony have not made it fully backwards compatible and we are paying more for less, it's the Nintendo Wii for me.
I hope others follow me in giving Sony a kick in the pants for treating the European market as an easy touch.

E. Bennett, Leicester,