British gamers have been queuing through the night to get their hands on the first PlayStation Portables, which were released in Europe today.

Some electronics retailers opened their doors at midnight to deal with demand for the £179.99 handheld games platform. This compares to £138 plus tax in the US.

"PSPs for the European market will benefit from the latest system software upgrade, and will contain the most up-to-date software available," explained David Reeves, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

"The new consoles feature an internet browser to ease the downloading of game trailers and video content from Wi-Fi hotspots, a new codec for optimising the quality of video content on Memory Stick, and a wealth of other improvements to enhance the user experience.

"European consumers will not only be receiving the most sophisticated and exciting portable entertainment device ever made, but will be able to upgrade their PSP continually as new functionality is announced."

The PSP arrived in Europe nine months after it hit Japanese stores and six months after the US. There are currently 30 games available and a PSP version of the controversial Grand Theft Auto is expected in October.

The darker side of the IT industry has also been at work; PSP porn is now available, and the console's copy protection system has been cracked. 

Avid gamers were buying PSPs from Japan and the US until Sony started to sue companies importing the devices. 

Dixons stopped taking pre-orders last month due to strong demand, and opened 20 of its stores overnight.

Sony expects sales to top 13 million units worldwide by March next year.