Computer games fans slept on the floor of a London store on Thursday to be among the first in Europe to buy Sony's PlayStation 3 console, despite concerns over its price.

A small group of shoppers snatched a few hours of rest in sleeping bags at the Virgin Megastore and enjoyed a sneak preview of a motor racing game before the machine goes on sale at midnight.

But there was little sign of the frenzy that surrounded its launch in the United States and Japan last year when thousands queued or camped outside stores.

Only a handful of gamers were queuing at major London stores early on Thursday. Police have raised concerns about young people being mugged for their consoles at late-night launches.

First in the queue at the Virgin Megastore was student Ritatsu Thomas, 17, who arrived at 5 a.m. on Wednesday with his own sleeping bag. He has passed the time playing computer games on a huge TV in the store's basement.

Most of his friends want one of the new consoles, but have been put off by its 425-pound ($836) price tag, he said.

"They want to buy it but don't have the money. A lot of people are opting for the Wii/360 combo," he said referring to friends who have bought two consoles made by Sony's rivals.

Buying a basic version of Microsoft's Xbox 360 for about 200 pounds and Nintendo's Wii for 180 pounds would still be cheaper than buying Sony's offering.

Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vincent Cable said British consumers were being "charged over the odds" because the Sony machine costs less in the United States.

"Rip-off Britain seems to be alive and kicking," he said.

Sony says the machine's extra functions mean consumers don't have to buy lots of different devices.

The addition of Blu-ray high-definition DVD, a large hard drive to store music, games and pictures and an Internet connection help make the price more palatable.

"With all those features it's not that bad a price," said psychology student Gary Tahmasbi, 25, from east London, who arrived at the store at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

"We've got plans to spend the whole weekend playing, day and night," he said.

But first he has to get the machine safely home. Police have warned shoppers to take extra care to avoid being mugged.

"My intention is to take the Tube if it's still open, but if there are cabs I'll take one just for security," Tahmasbi said.

Virgin, which provided sandwiches and fruit smoothies, said it had decided to allow customers to sleep inside after liaising with the police and local authority.

"In March it can be a bit cold and the West End of London isn't the nicest place to sleep outside," said Stephen Lynn, senior promotions and PR manager. "We have got our own in-house security team and medical guys on stand-by, just to make sure everything's safe."