@Lord N: I don't know about other countries, but in Portugal the PS2 was launched for 500 €, and it sold out at launch due to the success of the Playstation. One of my friends only got one because he knew someone who worked at a supermarket. That person diverted one of the pre-ordered consoles to him (probably causing someone else to get pissed off about not getting a console).
My Mario Kart Wii friend code: 2707-1866-0957