PS3 Australian launch date revealed

Sony Computer Entertainment Australia today confirmed Australian release details surrounding the release of PlayStation3.

Managing director Michael Ephraim said the PS3 will be available 23 March 2007 with an RRP of $999.95. Australians will only have the option of buying the 60GB-equipped PS3 – the 20GB version available overseas will not be released in Australia.

It is expected 30 titles will be available at launch. The Blu-ray disc-based games will have RRPs set from $99.95.

A new Sony marketing initiative was also announced. Ephraim said that the first 20,000 Australian PS3 registrants on the PlayStation Network will be rewarded with Casino Royale on Blu-ray Disc. Casino Royale is a Sony Pictures movie.

PlayStation 3 also used the launch to announce its continued sponsorship of the MTV Awards and to announce their new sponsorship of Eminence; a classical music orchestra group specialising in scores from video game soundtracks. Eminence will be performing video game theme music in April in Sydney and Melbourne for “A Night in Fantasia 2007: Symphonic Games Edition”.

US-based Insomniac Games CEO Mr Ted Price was also on hand for the launch, with a technical demonstration of his company’s hugely-impressive first-person shooter Resistance: Fall of Man.

Jim Ryan, executive vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe was widely expected to be in attendance, but was not present. "Urgent matters,” were cited as the cause.

Richie Young