JAPANESE ENTERTAINMENT FIRM Sony will provide early Playstation 4 (PS4) gamers with only a stripped down Playstation Network (PSN) experience.
The console went on sale in most locations last night and flew off the shelves. Sony said that pre-orders were all gone, but some retailers were quick to say that they had stock for late night shoppers.
Before the launch Sony admitted that some elements of the PSN network would be unavailable while it assesses and copes with demand.
"Following the successful launch of PS4 in North America on the 15th November, we have seen an unprecedented influx of players onto PSN. When we launch in Europe on Friday, once again, we are expecting record sales and record numbers of people logging onto PSN at similar times, alongside the North American players already on PSN," it said in a statement that applies to gamers in Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand and others.
"We want to make sure that your online experience is positive. To help ensure that this happens, we have made the decision to switch off a couple of features for European customers on day one. These features will then be switched back on a few days later, once the intensity of launch day calms down."
The features lacking are related to your friends and their activities and anyone that is desperate to see who else has copped a PS4, and what they are doing with it, will be in the dark until these features are restored.
Still, other features will be available, and Sony said that people will be able to enjoy much of its games machine. "Not to worry, all of the other features of PSN will be fully available on day one," it added.
"You'll be able to play online multiplayer games with friends and your gaming community, get trophies, make friends and share videos and live broadcast your games so you can have a great online gaming experience."
The PS4 is on sale now. You will need around £400 if you want one and a game or two. µ