The Playstation 3 has just recently been launched in Europe and Australia, and Microsoft isn’t just sitting back and watching. While its no secret that the launch events in both territories have been far less dramatic than the frenzied launch in Japan and North America last November, Microsoft isn’t taking any chances.
In Paris, France, Microsoft decided to crash the launch party surrounding the Playstation 3. Not that there was much of a party to speak of, [url=http://www.jeux-france.com/news19695_la-playstation-3-sort-en-europe.html]judging by these images[/url] of the PS3 launch party (the site is in French but images are located down the page). At any rate, Microsoft played their card and sent a boat with a friendly message reminding PS3 enthusiasts that [url=http://kotaku.com/gaming/only-in-france/xbox-crashes-french-ps3-launch-246475.php]Xbox 360 loves them a lot[/url]. Creepy, but flattering.
Meanwhile, in New Zealand where the Xbox 360 is celebrating its one-year anniversary, Microsoft used the PS3’s high price to try and turn gamers away from the PS3, whose launch also happens to share the Xbox 360’s NZ birthday. How is Microsoft doing it? With alcohol, of course. [url=http://www.nzgamer.com/news-all-1668]480 dollars worth of beer[/url] to be exact, which happens to be the price difference between the Xbox 360 ($719.95) and the PS3 (1199.95). The ad-campaign? “What would you buy with $480?”
In some cases, however, Microsoft hasn’t the need to step in. That’s because in many places, launch events are turning out far less gigantic than they did in the U.S., including mild launches in [url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/games/playtime-for-midnights-children/2007/03/23/1174153291466.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1]Australia[/url], France, and the [url=http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,2039112,00.html]the United Kingdom[/url]. With many retailers also heavily stocked in the United States, this shouldn’t make for a pleasant read back at Sony HQ in Tokyo.
Could this mean trouble for Sony? That, my friends, would be an understatement.
