PlayStation 3: A Timeline to Doom

Kikizo looks back at the events leading up to the delay this week of the release of the PlayStation 3 in Europe.

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January 2006: With the arrival of the new year came the analyst guesstimates about the PlayStation 3 launch. Pacific Crest Securities in the US predicted a spring 2007 release in Europe and a November launch in the US.

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February 2006: Kikizo went hands-on with the PlayStation 3, and our developer sources gave the first signs that Sony's hopes of having games running in 1080p were perhaps unattainable.

March 2006: Sony had yet to announce any launch details for the PlayStation 3 - it was supposed to launch in Japan in the spring - but it said it was waiting for final Blu-ray specifications to make the announcement, giving the first suggestions that the next-generation DVD technology could cause headaches for the company. The first reports on Sony's online plans also came to the fore.

April 2006: PlayStation's French boss was rumoured to have commented that the PlayStation 3 would cost €500 to €600, but PR representatives said he had been misquoted.

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May 2006: By the time E3 rolled around again this year, people were in a frenzy. The time had come for Sony to dazzle us with its games, but all we got was a fizzle. There's speculation that E3's demise is directly linked to Sony's dissatisfaction with the beating it took in the media when the console failed to live up to most people's expectations. MotorStorm was hidden in a corner of Sony's booth and Killzone 2 was nowhere to be found. Of course, the biggest shock was the price, which largely came down to the inclusion of Blu-ray and the costs involved in creating the Cell processor. Sony also went against its own statements and announced two bundles for the PS3.

June 2006: Perhaps realizing the strength of the Xbox 360, Sony said that it was unconcerned with market share in the next generation and rather wanted to expand the industry as a whole. At the same time, Sony officials said that Microsoft's predicted 10-million-unit lead by November was not a concern. Meanwhile, Sony boss Sir Howard Stringer admitted that the PlayStation 3, which forms a hub for the company's digital entertainment products, was a risky venture. Sony also made outlandish statements, accusing Microsoft of stealing its ideas.

July 2006: With chinks starting to show in Sony's armour, several analysts predicted that, should things go horribly awry, there was every chance that the PlayStation 3 could end up last in the next-generation race. At the same time, Americans picked Sony as their favourite brand. It was also in July that the PlayStation 3 was reported to have gone into production.

August 2006: Reports out of Taiwan suggested Sony was already taking delivery of assembled consoles, though PlayStation's US boss Kaz Hirai admitted later in the month that production had yet to start. Hirai let slip that Sony would only have 2 million consoles ready by the end of the year, but PR handlers quickly said he had been misunderstood.

September 2006: Amid rumours of Sony struggling to find blue laser diodes, the company came clean, admitting that it couldn't get enough of the Blu-ray component and that it was forced to cut back its schedule. Europe took the brunt of the blow, with the launch being delayed until March 2007, though the US and Japan would both get the nasty surprise of much smaller launches - 400,000 units and 100,000 units respectively.

What will the future bring? Europeans now have an extra four months to think of that. Meanwhile, hoarders will fight for every last PlayStation 3 so that they can sell them at online auction sites. It should make for quite a spectacle.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games

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