In a marketing move that puts the launch of the Xbox 360 and Wii to shame, Sony pulled a massive card from up its promotional sleeve. Not content with giving away a copy of Resistance: Fall of Man with every PS3, Sony handed out free food and drink to scores of attendees purchasing PS3's at the launch event at Oxford Street's Virgin Megastore.

The biggest surprise was yet to come, though, with Sony paying for taxi's home, possibly to help them carry their brand new 46" HD TVs with them. We kid you not. Sony gave away a 46" HD TV to every single customer to purchase a PS3 this evening, and it's times like these we wish we'd gone.

So, if we're going to ignore the free food and drink, what sort of money are we looking at? Only a cool £250,000 pounds worth of HD flat panel technology.

The first person to buy a PS3 this evening was understandably beaming. 17-year-old Ritatsu Thomas said the giveaway and PS3 had been well worth the wait of nearly 36 hours.. "I feel fantastic" he said. "I'm delighted that everyone here also gets a television."

Obviously a very well spoken 17 year old by the sounds of it, and certainly a very lucky one. We'll bring you more updates tomorrow, with hopefully some sales figures, and at the very least, some industry reaction.

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