Sony delay PlayStation 3
Sony has delayed the launch of the new PlayStation 3 (PS3) until November 2006. What’s so special about this console, and what’s behind the delay?
At its May 2005 pre-Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) press conference, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) gave the world its first look at the PlayStation 3 (PS3). Ken Kutaragi, head of Sony’s video games division, introduced it as a "supercomputer for computer entertainment," with release scheduled for spring 2006.
The PS3 would incorporate the final specifications of Blu-ray Disc (BD), a storage medium that delivers digital entertainment at a high level of image quality. It would be compatible with many of the television sets currently in the market, from standard-definition TV to full high-definition TV, and users would be able to connect to the Internet via broadband and utilise a wide-range of content and services.
PS3 would also support CR-ROM, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD+R formats, and SCEI confirmed that it would be backward compatible all the way to the original PlayStation.
Enthusiasts claim it’s twice as powerful as Microsoft's Xbox 360, 15 times more powerful than Nintendo Revolution is predicted to be, and 35 times more powerful than the Playstation 2.
In March 2006, although the specifications and capabilities remain unchanged, the launch is a different story; it has now been delayed until November 11, when the product will be released simultaneously worldwide. According to the Associated Press, Kutaragi made the announcement only after reports of the delay surfaced in the business daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun and other papers.
What, then, is the problem?
The official word is that complications with the Blu-ray technology are the source of the trouble. “Sony,” Kutaragi says, “is still trying to finalise the copyright protection technology (anti-piracy) and other standards for the Blu-ray DVD disc.”
Blu-ray discs are newcomers on the optical disc scene. Although the concept is identical to CDs and DVDs, Blu-ray uses a blue laser to read the discs rather than the red lasers used on earlier discs. Blue lasers can be focused on a smaller area, which means more data can be fitted onto on an identically sized disc. A standard Blu-ray disc holds 27 gigabytes of data, about 40 times the amount that a CD can hold.
In an article recently posted on Nikkei Net, Japan’s leading financial newspaper, Shin Kiyoshi, president of the International Game Developers Association Japan, reported that Sony hasn’t been able to provide key PS3 development tools to game makers in a timely fashion, and as a result most companies haven’t even been able to go into full-scale development for PS3 games.
What does this mean for video gamers?
The Associated Press recently quoted market research firm NPD Group which indicates that video games sales in the US dropped 5 per cent from 2004 to 2005 as gamers held off buying consoles until the next-generation models are released. In addition, consumers had been waiting for new supplies of Xbox 360 which debuted last November.
Is this trend also evident in Australia?
EB Games in Perth is part of GameStop, the world's largest video game retailer with over 4400 GameStop, EB Games and Electronics Boutique retail stores located in 16 countries. Manager Sam Baldrey has seen no signs of buyers holding back. “Video games are more popular than ever in Australia,” he says, “A very small per cent of customers might be holding off for the release of the PS3, but game sales are excellent, we’ve had a huge increase in store numbers in 2004 and 2005, and we’re still expanding.”
Baldrey is not interested in buying into speculation and opinions, rife on Internet gamers' forums and websites, about the reason for the PS3 launch delay. “Sony has given us an assurance of the global release date of early November. Like most people, I’ve not seen the product, but the word is that it will be extremely exciting. Most gamers don’t really care; they just want the best product.”
