Billed as the "must-have" Christmas toy, the latest PlayStation portable games console went on sale early yesterday, with manufacturers Sony predicting 100,000 sales in Ireland before the end of the year.
A number of stores opened specially at midnight on Wednesday to cater for "gamers" eager to get their hands on the new machine.
Sony said about 20,000 PSP consoles have been made available initially on the Irish market, adding that most had been pre-sold in advance bookings.
Some 250 of the devices were stolen ahead of the Europe-wide launch by thieves who hijacked a van outside a petrol station in Swords, north Dublin.
A spokeswoman for Sony said it was unaware of any security feature that prevented the consoles from being used, despite reports to the contrary.
Of the sleek new computer devices, she added: "We're expecting people to be using them particularly on their travels, on the Luas, and so on."
Retailing at €254.99, the PSP allows users to watch movies, listen to music and play 3D games in any location.
The price includes a package of 33 games and 30 movies, among other accessories, for the hand-held device, which features an 11cm (4.3inch) wide screen.
More than five million have already been sold in Japan and the US. A further million consoles are expected to be sold in the UK. The European launch was delayed by five months due to insufficient supply.
