The PlayStation 4 is nearing and it seems Sony are going all out as we near launch.
The London skyline took on a brand new look this past Friday, as the lettering on the OXO Tower’s iconic facade was replaced by the famous PlayStation circle, cross, square and triangle symbols to mark the global launch of the new PlayStation 4 which was released in the US yesterday and in Europe on November 29th.
The fantastic light are made up of 72 neon light strips in the trademark red, blue, green and pink colours, and were switched on at 4pm to celebrate the global launch of the PS4 and the arrival of PS4 Lounge #4ThePlayers in Covent Garden. It took over 4 days to complete the transformation and saw a team of six abseilers scaling the tower from heights of 58 metres to secure the symbols, weighing in at 97kg each, on the North, East and West facing sections of the tower. The planning alone took months and the team were responsible for checking 410 electrical connections and creating and securing the symbols with 1,845 nuts and bolts.
The PS4 Lounge is the perfect chance or the UK public to try the retail version of PS4 for themselves before it hits stores across the UK at midnight on 28th November. Customers outside of London can also get hands-on with PS4 in over 600 retail stores nationwide. The Lounge is open until December 1st. You can find out more about the launch over at the Facebook page.
There was a host of celebrities which attended the event which included Jonathan Ross and Professor Green. Pete Hancock, chief abseiler for the installation, stated:
This is the first time in the OXO tower’s 85-year history that any amendments have been made to the lettering featured on the tower and it has been an extremely challenging project. We have had to do multiple lifts with 1.1 tonnes of aluminium to get the symbols in place – it was pretty hairy at times!
Fergal Gara, PlayStation Managing Director also added:
The PS4 has now officially launched in the US and the countdown to the UK retail launch has commenced. Excitement from gamers across the country is beginning to hit fever pitch, and we wanted to kick-start the countdown with a bang to highlight that next generation gaming has now landed for the great British public to enjoy.
You can see a selection of pictures for this remarkable transformation below. Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.
