The launch of Sony's PlayStation 3 next month will be accompanied by a host of freebies that Sony hopes will take the sting out of the game console's $1,199.99 price tag.

The James Bond film Casino Royale will be offered free to the first 20,000 buyers who register their PS3 online. Additionally the game Gran Turismo: HD will be available to all PS3 buyers as a free download from the PlayStation Network.

In total 30 game titles will be available at launch, with a recommended retail price of $109.99 each.

Sony Australia and New Zealand managing director Michael Ephraim made the announcements at a media briefing this week.

The March 23 launch was originally scheduled for November 17 last year, but this was marred by production issues associated with the bundled Blu-ray player.

As a result, Sony's competitors have enjoyed a significant head start, which some say will put a cap on the PS3's potential sales. Microsoft's Xbox 360 was launched almost a year ago, while Nintendo's Wii was unveiled locally in December.

Sales of the Xbox 360 remain strong given its maturity, and retailers have reported that the Wii is selling as fast as they can get their hands on stock.

Sales figures from market-watcher GfK show that it took the Wii just three weeks to surpass the Xbox 360 in Australian sales for the entire fourth quarter of last year. Nintendo sold 51,744 units, whereas Microsoft sold 45,036.

But the PS3's late entrance may not have a significant impact, as Sony is positioning the console as an all-round entertainment system for a mature audience. Its photo, music and movie viewing capabilities, as well as the built-in internet browser, are being marketed just as heavily as the gaming features.

Targeting an older generation could prove to be a smart move for Sony - a recent report released by the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia said the average age of gamers had risen from 24 to 28 in the past two years.

Aside from causing delays, the Blu-ray player built into the PS3 has also pushed the price of the console up - it will sell for $1,199.99, whereas the Xbox 360 and Wii can be had for about $549.99 and $499.99 respectively.

Blu-ray is one of two next-generation disc formats competing to be the successor to DVD. HD DVD, the other format, is backed by Sony's chief console rival, Microsoft.

Unlike Sony, Microsoft decided against including a HD DVD drive in all Xbox 360 consoles, instead offering it as an optional add-on. The add-on will cost $249.95 and be sold from March 29.

Microsoft insists that, by letting consumers decide whether to upgrade to HD DVD, it is "not forcing technology on the consumer", while Sony says the inclusion of a Blu-ray player in the PS3 by default makes the console "future-proof", and will result in better looking games.

Regardless of PlayStation's pre-launch setbacks, the strength of the brand is undeniable - the first two PlayStations boast combined unit sales of more than 200 million worldwide.

And even seven years after the PlayStation 2 was unveiled, it was still by far the highest selling games console during the fourth quarter of last year with 122,639 units sold.