PlayStation 3 enjoys record pre-orders

Advance orders for Sony's highly anticipated PlayStation 3 console have broken all records, with high street stalwart Woolworths revealing it has been taking one order every 20 seconds during the past week.

The state-of-the-art PlayStation 3 will go head-to-head with Microsoft's Xbox 360 when it hits the shops on March 23 and Woolies, one of the first stores to accept pre-orders, has admitted it has been staggered by the demand.

Gerry Berkley, Woolworths' head of games, said, "It's the hottest gaming system since the PS2 launched in 2000 - demand will outstrip supply."

With a retail price of £425, the 60Gb PlayStation 3 costs £125 more in the UK than in the US, but this has failed to deter those determined to try out Sony's latest dream machine.