Beginning on August 14th, hopeful PS2 owners in England can pre-order a PS2 leading up to and possibly through the system's launch on October 26th. The unique campaign works via an online and mail ordering system, and is controlled by a third party call center. Deposit fees are set by respective retailers and works on a first-come first-served basis, £25 is expected to be the norm for deposits.

　　A pre-order program of this magnitude is unique in the videogames industry, it remains to be seen how it will go down with the European consumer. Through the program Sony plans to gain a large database of information on its customers, which can them be implemented for marketing and retailer relations.

　　"Our objective is to get PlayStation 2 into homes as quickly as possible", stated SCEE's sales director Kevin Jowett. "We feel that with this system, we can achieve this whilst offering our retail partners a level playing field to reap the rewards of being part of this successful launch, and to give our consumers the most fair and equitable solution."

　　Sony also believes that this campaign will strengthen its relationship with consumers and retailers. "The success of PlayStation 2 will rely upon strong new relationships with both consumer and retailer," said Ray Maguire, managing director of SCEE UK. "PS2 is as different from PS as PS was from 16-bit consoles. This new type of hardware requires a new type of philosophy, and we believe our bold route to market is the start of this."