Already out of date - that must-have PlayStation
Shoppers unable to buy the sold-out PlayStation 2 console can take heart - despite being launched only weeks ago, it is already out of date.
Sony caused chaos in Japanese shops last week when it launched the PSP, the portable version of its hugely popular PlayStation console. Thousands queued overnight and it sold 200,000 units in one day.
Now the portable is available in London, despite the fact it will not be officially launched in Britain until March at the earliest. The Evening Standard was able to play with the first model to reach Britain.
About the size of a video cassette, it has a large widescreen display. As well as games, it can play music and even films using tiny discs that slot into the back of the machine. Experts say it could even give Apple's iPod a run for its money as the "must-have" gadget.
Prices for the portable, which is selling in Japan for about ?170, have rocketed. British bidders on eBay are already paying up to ?700.
Ealing video game shop Skill 2K has so far managed to secure 20, which sold out instantly despite a £350 price tag.
"The demand has been amazing. Even though we are getting shipments in every week they're selling out straight away," said a spokesman for the shop, which has only three games available for the machine, all from Japan.
Sony today issued a warning. "People who buy import machines will probably have to pay inflated prices from unofficial stockists," said a spokesman. "We also won't honour any warranty claims made on the imported machines because the models will come with non-UK compliance components (e.g. power pack)."
