After all the hype, all the controversy and more than one big delay, the arrival of PlayStation 3 in Europe is now only hours away.

Spong reports that keen gamers have already begun to queue at the London branch of Virgin Megastore in Oxford Street, the venue selected by Sony to host the official UK unveiling this evening.

17-year-old Ritatsu Thomas is the lad currently heading the queue at Virgin, and also the lucky chap on track to become the first official UK owner of a PAL PS3. “There’s just a little lonely shelf there waiting for the PS3 under my TV, which will finally be filled tomorrow,” the teen told Spong.

Elsewhere, online retailers such as Play and GAME have been contacting customers to inform them that their pre-ordered machines are on the way.

Unlike in Italy, however, most retailers seem to be honouring the UK launch date with no reports so far of machines arriving at their final destinations.