PS3 launches in North America

The PlayStation 3 was released across North America in the early hours of the morning, with a bunch of celebs on hand to start the party.

After several days queuing in-line to get their hands on a launch PS3, desperate gamers were finally able hand over their cash and take home a shiny new PS3. At the SonyStyle store in Manhattan, New York, CEO Howard Stringer and president Kaz Hirai were both part of the launch show, handing out consoles to the early buyers.

Queuing for days paid off for four lucky gamers, the first three people in line were given their PS3 for free, and one other lucky person who found a special ticket in a gift bag, was also taking home a free PS3.

Once the doors to the store opened, and a short delay later, the launch event got under way and a bunch of celebrities were on-hand to get the crowd hyped up. Fatboy Scoop and Lara Croft model, Karime Adibebe, got the party started, and later rapper Ludacris - apparently one of the reasons many of the people were in the queue - showed up to perform on stage.

The launch in San Francisco was also over-the-top, with SCEA vice president Jack Tretton turning up, accompanied by an armed guard, to deliver what was the first batch of PS3 consoles. It was all an illusion though; the armed guard wasn't real and the box of PS3s was empty.

In the store over 700 PS3s were ready to be sold, but only to those who had managed to secure a wristband guaranteeing them a console.