PS3 to Launch Worldwide in November

[Queasy]

Conference Summary

PS3:
- GLOBAL RELEASE NOVEMBER 11th
- 60GB HDD 2.5" with pre-installed Linux OS will be included?
- Dev kit specs fix as of today
- Final PS3 development kits will be sent to developers in June
- 10.000.000 BD-ROMS manufacturing capability per month @ cost around same as 2-layer DVD
- Every PS3 game will be on a Blu Ray Disc, in an attempt to prevent piracy
- Price will not be less than 50.000YEN (~$425USD)
- PS3 will have HDMI support from launch
- Sony plans to produce 1 million PS3s a month; 6 million PS3s for FY2006 (by the end of March 07)
- basic" online service free, no details yet (could be XBLS for PS3)
- Full backwards compatibility, hi-res and texture filtering for all titles (akin to what the Xbox 360 does to Halo)
- The online service will be working off of GameSpy technology

PSP:
- videophone in autumn
- MinGol GPS
- Eyetoy
- Flash support with next update
- Mem.Stick boot support in autumn
- first-gen PS1 official emulator
- buy/download games from net
- 199 CORE PACK PSP being released in USA/Europe by end of March (March 22nd for Europe)
- 19,800 yen Ceramic White PSP CORE PACK from 15 April in Japan

Updated:

Price to start at $425?

Promising 6 million units by march 2007

HDD Required

Next-gen biz

At a meeting in Tokyo today, Sony confirmed a worldwide launch for PlayStation 3 in the first half of November. But shortages are already looking likely.

At its public meeting in Tokyo today, the company promised a launch in the U.S, Europe, Japan and Asia in November.

The firm said it would have a million units ready for launch, with a further million a month following soon after. These numbers suggest shortages at launch.

Speaking at the meeting - originally planned for developers but extended to analysts and press - Sony's Ken Kutaragi confirmed yesterday's report blaming finalization of standards for Blu-ray.

Sony's launch will therefore be a year behind that of Xbox 360. By the time PS3 arrives - probably in short supply - Microsoft's manufacturing problems should be resolved. Sony's promise of a million units for the whole world looks certain to repeat Microsoft's woes at the end of last year.

Ken Kutaragi offered some details of the company's online gaming service. He called it the "PlayStation Network Platform" and confirmed that the service would be free.

The firm also stated that new peripherals would be launched for PSP, converting the machine into "an internet phone and GPS tracker". The PSP will support video voice over IP beginning in October, via a camera peripheral, and will offer an emulator to play original PlayStation games. The firm also said PSP can be used together with the PS3 in yet-to-be-disclosed ways.

GamesIndustry.biz

Kutaragi commits to aggressive worldwide simultaneous launch schedule

The PlayStation 3 is set to launch in North America, Asia and Europe in early November this year, Sony Computer Entertainment boss Ken Kutaragi has announced, with the firm committed to shipping six million units by the end of March 2007.

Kutaragi was speaking at the PlayStation business briefing in Tokyo, where the firm is outlining its plans for the videogames business over the coming year to an audience of media, analysts and third-party publishing partners.

He told the briefing that the PS3 will be launched in early November in all three major global territories, confounding industry and analyst expectations of a staggered release schedule which would see the European launch delayed to 2007.

From launch onwards, Sony plans to ship a million units a month of the PlayStation 3 - with six million units to be on the market by the end of its financial year in March 2007, indicating that the company plans to have up to two million units ready for day one.

It's an ambitious plan, but the firm certainly has time on its side - having moved its launch target from "spring 2006" to November, and with reports indicating that manufacturing of the console could begin as soon as June, Sony has plenty of time to ramp up the manufacture process and build up stock of the system pre-launch.

Sony also today confirmed that the final development hardware for PlayStation 3 will roll out in June, which tends to support the claim that manufacturing will also start then, as final development hardware requires almost all of the components of the final consumer hardware to be completed.

However, the November target is likely to be the subject of some speculation for months to come - especially given Sony's track record with such ambitious worldwide launch targets in the form of the PlayStation Portable, which was originally due to launch globally at the end of 2004, but ended up not arriving in America until the second quarter of 2005, and didn't launch in Europe until nine months later, at the beginning of September 2005.

**********************************************************
link - official word comes tomorrow during a press conference but some are reporting it already.

Internet and Wall Street rumblings are pointing to a report in a Japanese newspaper which states the PlayStation 3 launch has been delayed until early November.

While nothing has been confirmed as of yet, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported today that the delay is due to Blu-ray copyright protection technology which has yet to be finalized, according to Dow Jones.

As The Nihon Keizai Shimbun is a Japanese publication, the speculated release date presumably refers to the Japan launch. If the report is in fact true, it could mean that the U.S. won't see the PS3 until 2007, giving the Xbox 360 two holiday seasons without competition from Sony, although Nintendo is expected to launch its Revolution before year-end.

The unconfirmed news comes one day ahead of a PS3 briefing in Tokyo, during which Sony is expected to reveal details about the console's pricing and launch date.

Nikkei Link

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. will delay the release of its PlayStation 3 next-generation video game console until early November because the copy protection technology for the Blu-ray Disc has not been finalized, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun learned Tuesday.

The six-month delay could impact the Sony Corp. group's business rehabilitation plans because the PlayStation 3 is key to the group's business recovery.

Development of the copy protection technology has fallen behind schedule as consumer electronics makers and movie companies have been unable to work out the details.

Other core parts, including the Cell high-performance chip, are believed to have been developed on schedule.

Featuring the Cell, which came about through joint efforts by the Sony group, Toshiba Corp. and IBM Corp., as well as a Blu-ray Disc drive, the PlayStation 3 is expected to enable users to not only play game and movie software but also download and view high-quality videos on the Internet.

Sony Computer Entertainment announced last May that the successor to the PlayStation 2, the world's best-selling video game console, would be launched this spring. More than 100 million PlayStation 2 consoles have been shipped worldwide to date.

Among rival products, Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 was released late last year. Nintendo Co. plans to start selling its next-generation video game console, code-named Revolution, this year.

 

[ballmode]

uh oh, they HAVE to get the ps3 out by christmas or its looking grim

 

[destrekor]

shall be awaiting tomorrow's word from sony then.

 

[chambersc]

if i had stock, i'd sell it.

 

[Atlantean]

I am gonna wait for the official report from Sony... it could have been a tabloid type newspaper in Japan.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Atlantean
I am gonna wait for the official report from Sony... it could have been a tabloid type newspaper in Japan.

Wiki - No such luck.

Nihon Keizai Shimbun ("Nikkei") is a Japanese corporation that publishes financial, business and industry news, and owns TV Tokyo. Nikkei publishes the Japanese newspapers Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Nikkei Kinyu Shimbun, Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun and Nikkei Ryutsu Shimbun, as well as an English newspaper, the Nikkei Weekly. Nikkei sells these newspapers around the world, in their original languages and in translation.

From these, Nihon Keizai Shimbun (??????) is perhaps the most prominent publication. It is a leading financial newspaper in Japan. It is often called by a shorthand Nikkei. It measures the Nikkei 225.

Nikkei also makes many of its Japanese articles available in English through wire services, an English language website, and a licensing agreement with Lexis/Nexis.

It also owns Nikkei CNBC which provides coverage of the Japanese market during trading hours and rebroadcasts CNBC during off-hours and weekends, as well as TV Tokyo.

 

[Anonemous]

breaking news... MS has delayed Halo 3 to 2007...

 

[chambersc]

Originally posted by: Atlantean
I am gonna wait for the official report from Sony... it could have been a tabloid type newspaper in Japan.

that's why, with the stock market, you invest early before official reports are announced which means everyone is the same. to sell earlier at a higher price rather than waiting till something official is announced and everyone floods the market with sell orders is the way or the world...it's all about speculation.

 

[BillGates]

Sony sucks - I hope it bombs.

 

[Nick5324]

Originally posted by: BillGates
Sony sucks - I hope it bombs.

Your comment didn't get much of a reaction out of me.... until I noticed your user name, .

 

[venk]

if PS3 comes out a year from now, it may be seen as a next gen steup up from the 360.


Of course by then the 360 will have made a much deeper inroad into peoples homes.

 

[purbeast0]

LOL ... I really wish someone could go dig up my quote in one of the other 360/ps3 threads where I say "quote me on this ... the PS3 won't be out in USA until 2007"

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: venk
if PS3 comes out a year from now, it may be seen as a next gen steup up from the 360.


Of course by then the 360 will have made a much deeper inroad into peoples homes.

With the way Sony markets, they'll make it seem like a stepup from gaming heaven...

Unless Sony upgrades some components between now and then (doubtful) the PS3 and 360 will be comparable in power. One will be better at some things while the other will be better at others.

Nintendo will get to make some in-roads too but they aren't trying to go directly against MS or Sony with the Revolution.

 

[KrazyBabaGanoush]

I am honestly not surprised... this also probably means Late Q1/Early Q2 for North America and Q4 for Europe

 

[venk]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: venk
if PS3 comes out a year from now, it may be seen as a next gen steup up from the 360.


Of course by then the 360 will have made a much deeper inroad into peoples homes.

With the way Sony markets, they'll make it seem like a stepup from gaming heaven...

Unless Sony upgrades some components between now and then (doubtful) the PS3 and 360 will be comparable in power. One will be better at some things while the other will be better at others.

Nintendo will get to make some in-roads too but they aren't trying to go directly against MS or Sony with the Revolution.

If they delay it a year, then I think they HAVE to enable true 1080p inputs (not 720p upconveted), otherwise they are looking at pretty much the same kind of graphics and features as the 360. The Sony fanbois will still buy it, but a year and a half of listening to Microsoft hype and all the A+++ Next Gen titles out in Stores (From GRAW to Halo 3) all before the PS3 is released could pull some of the swing fans into Microsoft's camp.

 

[tanz]

totally called this like in november 05
no way they can get their stuff together that quickly
sony's earliest release period is x-mas 2007
they still got the blue ray to do, along with developing these supposed games that
will "blow away" 360

 

[AMDZen]

Originally posted by: purbeast0
LOL ... I really wish someone could go dig up my quote in one of the other 360/ps3 threads where I say "quote me on this ... the PS3 won't be out in USA until 2007"

I actually said the same thing, on more then one occasion. And even used "quote me on this"

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: AMDZen

Originally posted by: purbeast0
LOL ... I really wish someone could go dig up my quote in one of the other 360/ps3 threads where I say "quote me on this ... the PS3 won't be out in USA until 2007"

I actually said the same thing, on more then one occasion. And even used "quote me on this"

Makes me wonder what tricks Sony is going to pull out to get people in N. America and Europe to hold off buying another console until the PS3 is finally released.

I don't think it will take much in Japan. They could take a pinecone and slap a PS3 sticker on it and the Japanese will buy it up...

 

[Vette73]

Bad news is MS will not have to drop the price of the 360. So good for them but bad for those waiting for a little price drop.

 

[uhohs]

yeah, ps3 will sell well in japan and asia no matter what. they're all sony fanboys. lol.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
Bad news is MS will not have to drop the price of the 360. So good for them but bad for those waiting for a little price drop.

Actually, I think this makes a 360 price drop around the time of the PS3 release more likely if anything. If the PS3 were to be released this summer, no way would MS reduce the price of the 360. If the PS3 is released a year or more after 360 then a price drop on the 360 is more likely to occur.

 

[five40]

This might be trouble for Sony if MS gets Halo 3 out well before the PS3 comes out. Look at what Halo did for the xbox. Think of what it might do for the xbox360 if there are no competing consoles out within a couple months of its release.

 

[suicidalpigeon]

wtf no gran tourismo 5?!

 

[arod]

i think this xmas will be the final straw for most consumers..... if they still cant get a ps3 in the states by xmas i see most people getting a 360 instead.

im really glad I got mine a few weeks ago now.... i was trying really hard to wait for some ps3 reviews but had enough with sony not saying a thing. I also think the price of these consoles most people will "pick one or the other" as your talking around 1000 bucks to buy both (and much more after games and accessories). I dont see the average joe consumer dropping that kind of money on both systems.

 

[Cattlegod]

damn, it is sounding like ps3 is going to bomb.