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   It's going to be a challenge to write anything objective about Sony so soon after our previous story, regarding the unannounced (and unforgivable) lack of PlayStation Store service in so many European countries. In hope of clinging to one last thread of impartiality, however, I'll just stick to some sales figures in this story, and see how Sony's console is faring so far in PAL territories. Or at least in the United Kingdom and Australia.

   Through a couple of reports issued after the first weekend of the console's availability in these zones, Sony claims that it sold around 165,000 PS3 units in the UK, and over 20,000 in Australia in the first three days. According to MCV, the UK sales figure was confirmed by ChartTrack, meaning that the PlayStation 3 now holds the record for the fastest-selling home console over the opening weekend in the United Kingdom - although still second to the PSP's formidable 185,000 units sold at launch in December 2005.

   Comparing to PS3's 165,000 units (which still only account for three quarters of the total 220,000 units allocated for the UK launch), Nintendo only managed to sell 105,000 Wii consoles during its launch weekend in December 2006, while back in December 2005 Microsoft barely shifted around 70,000 Xbox 360 units in the same time frame. I can't say I expected such a high (preliminary) count...

   What I would have expected to happen in Europe is what actually took place in Australia this past weekened, where the PS3 was beaten by both of its arch rivals. Ausie blog The Age passed word that retailers sold over 20,000 PlayStation 3 consoles in the machine's first three days, and that "the combined sales of hardware, peripherals and software generated in excess of [AU] $25 million of retail spending", according to Sony Computer Entertainment Australia.

   The launch record in that territory is held by Nintendo's Wii, with over 32,000 units sold, followed closely by Microsoft's Xbox 360, with over 30,000 units - 50% more than the PS3's launch figures in Australia. So basically Sony lost a minor battle, while winning the most important of them in the UK. And, like we said earlier, pissing off plenty of people in between.