msftsonyps4A new console era officially kicked off a few hours ago when thousands of Sony fans waited in line and walked home from retailers just after midnight with the new $399 PlayStation 4 in hand — and some of them didn’t even drop a dime thanks to an NFL star.

Sps4ony livestreamed its big launch event from New York City, mostly using the time to talk about upcoming launches like a new Uncharted game and Destiny. 

Not every PS4 owner went home happy, though. It appears at least a few gamers are having trouble with their new consoles, with Sony telling IGN that 0.4 percent of PS4’s have problems. Others are having issues with the PlayStation Network.

Microsoft, which launches the $499 Xbox One next Friday, tweeted a congratulations note to Sony on Twitter and Facebook, while Xbox executives and employees also used social media to congratulate their rival on the launch.

Here’s video of the first guy on this planet to buy a PS4. Man, he sure does look thrilled:

And Sony’s official PS4 launch video is here:

We’ll have coverage of the Xbox One launch next week, so check back on GeekWire for that.

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