Article: Playing for a fortune The launch of Playstation 2 is critical not only to Sony but also to electronic games developers and electrical retailers, reports Richard Fletcher

There will be no fireworks on Friday when Sony launches PS2, its new games console, in the UK. With just 165,000 units available before Christmas, all of which have been reserved, a slightly red- faced Sony will not be cracking open the champagne.

Sleek looks, a built-in DVD player and the promise of future internet access - not to mention the fact that it is a great games machine - has made PS2 a best seller in Japan. But that popularity means that only the lucky few in the UK will get the chance to try the PS2 as Sony seeks to satisfy domestic demand in Japan.

Ray Maguire, managing director of Sony Computer Entertainment UK, put its bluntly: "Once you have tried it, you will want one."

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