The flagship Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street store opened its doors to the first customers keen to get their hands on PS3 at noon on Wednesday. Although only a handful turned up to spend the night in the store, by 11pm on Thursday the queue had grown to over 100 people.

With just 20 minutes to go until the console officially went on sale, Sony UK boss Ray Maguire stepped up to address the crowd in front of a large flatscreen TV.

" This is a 46-inch Bravia W series. It' s an award-winning flat panel," he said. " And do you know what the good news, is guys? I' m going to give you one free."

The cheers were muted at first, but then the news began to sink in. When Maguire clarified, " Every single one of you in this queue is going to get one," the crowd responded with whoops and applause.

At midnight, the first PlayStation 3 was handed over to 17 year-old Ritatsu Thomas, who' d been waiting since 5am on Wednesday. He also received a Bravia TV to take home, but everyone else in the queue - 125 people in total - was told they' ll receive their television next week.