The PlayStation 3, which hit North America and Japan late last year, finally landed in Europe last week. This final launch also kicked the rivalry between Microsoft and Sony up a few thousand notches. The launch-day shenanigans across the continent:

• In England: More than 100 people who showed up at the London launch of the console got a little something extra when they purchased a PlayStation 3: a free 46-inch high-def television and a taxi ride home. But Microsoft had the last laugh, handing out free camping chairs with a Web address printed on them to those waiting outside one store. Anyone who visited the site found a message from the Xbox 360 welcoming the PS3 to the next generation with a note that read "Sony . . . you're late!"

• In France: Sony moored a boat by the Eiffel Tower to act as an impromptu store, selling the console to eager fans. But Microsoft navigated a boat of its own, coated in Xbox 360 logos and the phrase "Xbox 360 Loves You," up and down the Seine near Sony's boat.

• In Germany: Sony strikes back, encouraging its customers to jump up and down . . . on their Xbox 360s. While about 300 customers waited in Berlin for sales to begin, the entertainment involved a lot of audience participation and Xbox 360 destruction. One store offered to give out a free PlayStation 3 to customers who were willing to climb a wall and smash their Xbox 360s on the ground.