British gamers trying to order a PlayStation 3 from HMV were in for something of a shock today. The high street chain e-mailed customers to let them know it has opened up preorders for its PS3 as part of a bundle that includes a PlayStation Portable and two PSP games: Killzone: Liberation and Gangs of London.

　　The total price of the HMV bundle comes to £674.99 (approximately $1,328), almost £250 (~$490) more than the console itself. Buying games for the new console is likely to add at least another £50 (~$98) to that sum.

　　In the US, similar "deals" were offered to consumers in the launch period of the console there, including one from CompUSA that made customers purchase a Sony 40-inch (or larger) HDTV to secure a PS3.

　　Customers who opt for the HMV bundle will "take precedence" over others who simply order the console on its own. The e-mail states that the company will have only "up to 5,000" units available.

　　A HMV spokesperson commented, "The reason we went down this route, which has met with a mixed response, is in order to maximise the number of consoles to as many as we can get from Sony. Inevitably, there's a limited number, and we decided to do it this way to ensure we could meet as many of our preorders as possible."

　　Various Web sites have been offering preorders for the PS3 for some time now, including Littlewoods, where the console has been touted at £579(~$1,139) with one game, making it around £100 (~$196) above Sony's quoted price.

　　Only the 60GB version will be available during the "initial launch period," meaning that gamers strapped for cash cannot choose the cheaper 20GB console.