PS3 launch date set for Europe, Africa, Middle East and Australasia at last!

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Thursday, 25 January 2007 17:04

Your IT - Entertainment

Still, whatever the price of the unit, you are still buying a next-generation computing, gaming, entertainment and online device for less than USD $1000. It even displays in high definition if you have a high-def capable screen, although you wouldn’t want to the use the PS3 or an Xbox 360 without one. 10 years ago we were still stuck in a world of Windows 95 and the dawning age of the Internet with the mainstream population.

10 years later, broadband circles much of the globe, through wired and wireless means, dual-core, quad core, octo-core and more to come are fast becoming standard equipment, high-definition is finally here, next-generation devices are emerging and the path of technological innovation is more alive than ever before.

While we might complain about the price, getting a device that does so much for less than USD $1000 is truly a miracle of the modern era, where distribution is effectively global and can be in enormous quantities. Imagine in Gutenberg could have sold his books to a worldwide market immediately after having invented the printing machine – that kind of distribution didn’t arrive for centuries.

While online reports say Sony won’t discount the price until the Northern Hemisphere summer of 2008, price drops will eventually come, too, as they will for the Xbox 360, giving people more reason to buy in the future when ever greater numbers of games will be available, many more accessories, and an ever increasing richness in the respective consoles’ online stores and experiences – what will be on offer for the PS3s, Xbox 360s and Wii’s in Christmas 2008 promises to be spectacular, even while the companies already plan for the current crop of consoles’ successors. Whether the Wii will fall in price anytime soon really depends on what Sony and Microsoft do, but it’s hard to foresee Nintendo dropping prices anytime soon – they already have the cheapest entry price.

So, while the next-gen console war has already been in high gear for some time now, the availability of the PS3 on a worldwide basis, even if only at the better but more expensive 60Gb size marks the time when the battle hots up to a whole new level of intensity. Prepare for some serious fireworks – the next-gen is finally here, and just like Vista, if you want to take part, buying the console, accessories, plenty of games and perhaps even a new TV will mean that the ‘ow’ doesn’t start now – there’s been a lot of ‘ow’ for some time now to your wallet already!

PS3 games and accessories list at ‘rest of the world’ launch:

The accessories are only priced in Euros at this stage

PLAYSTATION 3 LAUNCH TITLE LINE-UP
Resistance: Fall of Man - SCEE - Disc
MotorStorm - SCEE - Disc
Genji: Days of the Blade - SCEE - Disc
FORMULA ONE CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION - SCEE - Disc
Ridge Racer 7 - SCEE - Disc
Tekken: Dark Resurrection - SCEE - Network
Lemmings - SCEE - Network
Go! Sudoku - SCEE - Network
Go! Puzzle - SCEE - Network
Blast Factor - SCEE - Network
flOw - SCEE - Network
Super Rub’a'Dub - SCEE - Network
Call of Duty 3 - Activision UK Ltd - Disc
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Activision UK Ltd - Disc
Tony Hawk’s Project 8 - Activision UK Ltd - Disc
Gundam – Target in Sight - Namco Bandai Games - Disc
Full Auto 2: Battle Lines - SegaEurope Ltd - Disc
Sonic the Hedgehog - SegaEurope Ltd - Disc
Virtua Fighter 5 - SegaEurope Ltd - Disc
Virtua Tennis 3 - SegaEurope Ltd - Disc
World Snooker Championship 2007 - SegaEurope Ltd - Disc
NBA 2K7 - Take 2 International SA - Disc
NHL 2K7 - Take 2 International SA - Disc
Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWll - Ubisoft Entertainment SA - Disc
Enchanted Arms - Ubisoft Entertainment SA - Disc
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent - Ubisoft Entertainment SA - Disc
The Elder Scrolls lV: Oblivion - Ubisoft Entertainment SA - Disc
Def Jam: Icon - Electronic Arts Ltd - Disc
Fight Night Round 3 - Electronic Arts Ltd - Disc
NBA Street 4 Homecourt 2007 - Electronic Arts Ltd - Disc
Need for Speed Carbon - Electronic Arts Ltd - Disc
The Godfather: The Don’s Edition - Electronic Arts Ltd - Disc
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007 - Electronic Arts Ltd - Disc
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom - Electronic Arts Ltd - Disc
F.E.A.R. Vivendi - Universal Games Intl SA - Disc
Gripshift - Sony Online Entertainment - Network

PLAYSTATION 3 Peripherals Available at Launch
SIXAXIS Wireless Controller - £34.99
Blu-ray Disc Remote Control - £17.99
HDMI Cable - £17.99
AV cable - £17.99
Component AV cable - £17.99
S Video cable - £12.99