Delay for PS3
The delay of the PS3 was inevitable, but many people still thought that Japan would see the console this summer. Back on the 7th March, in an interview with Variety.com, Howard Stringer, Chairman of Sony, revealed "Sony will roll out the PS3 by year end, in time for the holidays. If PS3 "delivers what everyone thinks it will, the game is up."
At a Tokyo conference, Sony Computer Entertainment SCE president, Ken Kutaragi, has addressed the audience and confirmed that the PS3 will be launched simultaneously across Asia, Europe and the U.S. The conference is still underway, the following details have been revealed so far...
* World-wide PS3 launch in November this year, the 11th November is the predicted date.
* Delay is due to the fine-tuning of the consoles Blu-Ray technology
* A 60GB hard drive should be included in the price of the system.
* Backwards compatibility with PS1 and PS2 games.
* PS3 development kits to be sent to developers in June.
* Gigabit Ethernet adapter will be present
* 1 milliion PS3s per month to be produced
Due to the global launch, we can expect huge shortages in November, similar to Microsoft's Xbox 360 launch.
Mr. Kutaragi also talked about the PSP and revealed the following information:
* PSP videophone capability by the end of the year
* EyeToy and VOIP capabliities
* GPS function
* Flash support for the next web browser
* PS1 games available to download onto your PSP at an affordable price
Shares in Sony have dropped as a result of the news, stock fell by 1.8 percent to 5,470 yen ($46) at the close of trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Analysts were already predicting what a delay would actually mean to Sony, "A delayed PS3 launch would provide needed room for Microsoft to consolidate its early lead in fifth generation game consoles," Merrill Lynch analyst Joe Osha wrote in a report in February.
"This would be particularly true if Sony does not launch in North America and Europe until late 2006 or spring 2007, giving Microsoft a key second holiday season to sell game consoles and software," he added.
If we could only see the look on the face of Bill Gates, he'd probably look something like he did in this 1980's photo shoot.
More details may still be
revealed in the next few hours.
Update: Microsoft respond
"This announcement certainly doesn't change any of our plans. We've blasted out of the gate with the greatest launch in the history of video games and we're keeping our eyes squarely fixed on today and on the Xbox 360 road ahead, including continuous new content and programming through our premier Xbox Live online gaming service, the delivery of 80 high definition games and shipping between 4.5 and 5.5 million consoles by June."
- Sony Press release
Update: Microsoft respond
"This announcement certainly doesn't change any of our plans. We've blasted out of the gate with the greatest launch in the history of video games and we're keeping our eyes squarely fixed on today and on the Xbox 360 road ahead, including continuous new content and programming through our premier Xbox Live online gaming service, the delivery of 80 high definition games and shipping between 4.5 and 5.5 million consoles by June."
- Sony Press release
Sony Computer
Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) announced today that it would launch
PLAYSTATION3 (PS3) in early November 2006 in Japan, North America and
Europe simultaneously. With a monthly production capacity of one
million units, SCEI will push forward a powerful product launch to
spread the platform rapidly throughout the world, together with a
strong and attractive lineup of PS3 game titles.
PS3 incorporates the final specifications of BD (Blu-ray Disc), and with the overwhelming computing power of PS3, it enables to playback BD software at a high bit rate. With a maximum storage capacity of 50 GB (dual layer) and robust security, BD is a highly anticipated storage medium that delivers digital entertainment content such as games and movies at an unparalleled level of image quality.
PS3 is compatible with a vast lineup of television sets currently out in the market, from standard-definition TV to full high-definition TV.
Users can also connect PS3 to high-speed broadband network through Gigabit Ethernet and comfortably enjoy a wide-range of rich and exciting content and services over the network.
SCEI, together with the support and cooperation of game content creators around the world, will strongly promote the creation of a new world of computer entertainment available on PS3.
PS3 incorporates the final specifications of BD (Blu-ray Disc), and with the overwhelming computing power of PS3, it enables to playback BD software at a high bit rate. With a maximum storage capacity of 50 GB (dual layer) and robust security, BD is a highly anticipated storage medium that delivers digital entertainment content such as games and movies at an unparalleled level of image quality.
PS3 is compatible with a vast lineup of television sets currently out in the market, from standard-definition TV to full high-definition TV.
Users can also connect PS3 to high-speed broadband network through Gigabit Ethernet and comfortably enjoy a wide-range of rich and exciting content and services over the network.
SCEI, together with the support and cooperation of game content creators around the world, will strongly promote the creation of a new world of computer entertainment available on PS3.
Sony's PSP press release is on the following page
