Hundreds queue on Oxford Street as PSP launches in the UK

The PlayStation Portable has launched at last in Europe, with queues of hundreds of people forming before midnight last night in London's Oxford Street as the very first European units went on sale.

Hundreds of stores opened across the UK at midnight to give gamers a chance to buy the hardware as early as possible, with Paul Arneil being the official first buyer in the UK, at the HMV store in Oxford Street.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz just minutes after the doors opened at midnight, Sony Computer Entertainment UK boss Ray Maguire predicted a sell-out launch, with over 100,000 units likely to be sold in the first day.

"The retailers did the pre-order scheme, and most of them had sold out," he commented. "A few of them have some stock there, but it's only in pockets - so I would imagine that people will now start scouting around and trying to find the available stock."

However, he assured the market that the company is working to bring new stock in and meet demand as best possible.

"We've got more stock coming in, obviously, on a daily basis all the way up to Christmas," he said, "so hopefully there should be sufficient, there or thereabouts, to satisfy the demand."

You can read our full interview with Ray Maguire, where he discusses his hopes for the console in the run-up to Christmas and the reason why it's taken so long to arrive in Europe, on the site today.