Playstation 3 goes on sale for £550

The console can be pre-ordered on the site and is "due for release on 17 November 2006".

But Play.com is already warning customers that there will be a shortage of the consoles, which may or may not be a smart way of getting eager punters to order early.

"Due to an expected European shortage of the PS3, we are unable to guarantee delivery of your PS3 before Christmas," the site says.

"All pre-orders will be fulfilled on a first-come, first-served basis and game titles in this package may be changed, subject to availability," it adds.

The £549.99 model up for grabs at some point in the future sports 60GB hard drive and comes with three games. It can be paid for here. µ