PlayStation 3 Delay Imminent
We could soon have some sort of official word on when the console will be hitting. Maybe. Who can tell anymore?
After having trouble getting certain technology ready for the PlayStation 3, Sony is expected to announce this week that it will delay the launch of the console until autumn. This is according to reports hitting the internet based on an article in Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
Details are sketchy right now, but according to a Next Generation article it seems that Sony is having a hard time working out the last details for the copy protection mechanism of the new high-definition Blu-ray drive. Because of this, the PlayStation 3 will reportedly launch in November - presumably in Japan.
Sony had hoped to get the PlayStation 3 out this spring in Japan, with delivery for the rest of the world coming soon afterwards. This delay could mean that Sony will miss the all-important Christmas season in both North America and Europe, giving Microsoft another Christmas period alone to solidify its footing in the next generation.
Sony is expected to announce the delay at a PlayStation meeting for developers in Japan this week. Speculation flared when Sony revealed just before the meeting that media and analysts, normally excluded from such events, would be welcome.
Not everyone is convinced, though. One analyst told news service Reuters that the meeting is too low-key for such a big announcement.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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