PS3 Launch Delay...

[jones]

In Europe there will be no PS3's until March 2007. And, oh yeah, no matter where you are you will have to buy your HDMI cable which can run between $75-$100.

Also, there will only be 400,000 PS3's at launch in the U.S. and 100,000 at launch in Japan.

Stick a fork in Sony. They're done.

[Klefmung]

This pretty much gives the Wii a nice little solo spot for the Christmas season. Only new release. w00t.

[totokan]

Wow, really good news. Sony is allowing people to buy food!
See, the PS3 is aimed at the rich person who owns everything, and the raving mad Sony fanboy who would gladly not pay for food to afford a PS3. Hell, that person would give up electricity, but then they wouldn't be able to play . I don't see anybody else who would spend the money for:
A) PS3
B) Insane television to actually view the amazing graphics
C) HDMI cable, which should be included with PS3
D) Games
E) Controllers
F) There is no F
G) Online service (the one like xbox live is still on it, right)

[blackbox_dev]

Where did you find this out? I want to tell my Sony-fanboy brother so that he'll get real pissed, but he won't trust it unless its from a verifible news source (and Benheck obviously doesn't count).

[benheck]

Yeah my next Sonic Boom podcast is gonna be about Sony and how nuts they seem.

They're handing Microsoft victory, more or less. Oh well, happened with the N64, happens here.

-Ben

[CronoTriggerfan]

They're handing Nintendo victory, more or less.

-Ben

There. I edited your post to make it seem more realistic! Seriously, though, Ben, you have to start accepting the fact that the Wii is definitely in the running for the top-selling console this season. Like it or not, the majority of the world supports it. Although I agree with some of the pints you've stated in your podcast, you still have to be realistic, here; the fact is, most people show support for the Wii.

CTFan

[Xiro]

CTFan, i think what Ben was getting at is how the PS3 is mainly competing with the X360. The Wii is just kinda doing its own thing and is acting completely independantly of what the rest of the industry is doing.

[jones]

Where did you find this out? I want to tell my Sony-fanboy brother so that he'll get real pissed, but he won't trust it unless its from a verifible news source (and Benheck obviously doesn't count).

Here it is.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6157152.ht ... ws;title;0

Read it and weep (or dance for joy depending on your point of view).

The text follows below for those who don't care to click the link.

Report: US, Japan PS3 launch numbers slashed
[UPDATE 3] AP Sony reducing day-one PS3 shipments to 500,000 in North America and Japan combined; US Sony reps say previous 2 million-unit launch estimate still stands--but tell MTV 1-1.2 million will be sold in US through the holidays.
By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot
Posted Sep 6, 2006 10:36 am PT
This morning in Tokyo, Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi reportedly announced that only 500,000 PlayStation 3s would be available in the US and Japan at launch, and that the console's European debut had been pushed back until 2007.

Of the 500,000 launch PS3s, 100,000 will go on sale in Japan on November 11, and 400,000 will hit store shelves in North America on November 17. "We decided to focus on the Japanese and US markets," Kutaragi told reporters at a Tokyo press conference before apologizing for the delay, according to the Associated Press.

[UPDATE] When contacted by GameSpot about today's PS3 news, Sony reps said only that the company had "not announced specific ship numbers for Japan or North America."

Two weeks ago, Sony Computer Entertainment America president Kaz Hirai spoke with GameSpot about the forthcoming launch of the PlayStation 3. In the interview, the veteran game executive said that Sony expected to ship 2 million units worldwide by the end of the calendar year.

However, Sony corporate communications quickly contacted GameSpot to say that Hirai had misspoken. What he actually meant, according to Sony PR, was that there would be 2 million PS3s available when the PS3 launched in the US, Europe, and Japan nearly simultaneously in November, and that 4 million units would be available by the end of the 2006 calendar year.

[UPDATE 2] This morning, US Sony reps told GameSpot that, despite the European delay and the AP report of reduced shipment numbers, the previous estimates still stood. "[We] have announced that 2 million will be available in the world come November 11 and 17 and 4 million by the end of the calendar year," said a spokesperson.

[UPDATE 3] If that wasn't confusing enough, a third set of numbers has entered the mix, courtesy of MTV News. Dave Karraker, SCEA's newly appointed head of corporate communications, told the youth network that around 1 million PS3s will be available at retail during the holiday shopping season.

"People shouldn't fixate on the day-one allocation number," Karraker told MTV. "They should instead be more interested in the overall units available through the holidays, which will be 1 million to 1.2 million, which are significant amounts that will provide retail supply week over week with no dips in available stock."

Karraker also said that consumers shouldn't compare the PS3 launch to last year's Xbox 360 launch, which was also plagued by massive shortages and the occasional scuffle. "The supply we have at launch is comparable to what was available for the PS2, not Xbox 360," said Karraker. The PS2 launched in October 2000 with just a half-million units at retail--causing near-riots at some stores.

It was unclear which "holidays" Karraker was referring to when he spoke to MTV. Traditionally, though, the last day of Christmas shopping is December 26--meaning Sony would have to sell between 800,000 and 1 million PlayStation 3s in five days to make its 2 million-unit target. If he meant through New Years, then the 2 million-unit target is no longer valid. Requests for clarification sent to Karraker had not been returned as of press time. [END UPDATES]

Though the various launch estimates are confusing, one thing is perfectly clear. Sony is also officially sticking to its original PS3 sales estimates for its current fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2007. "The previously announced PlayStation 3 shipment forecast of 6 million units globally within the fiscal year ending 2007 is not changed," the company said in a statement issued early this morning.

Sony blamed manufacturing laser diodes for the PS3's Blu-ray Disc drive for the shipment issues. "The revision of the launch date in [European] territories is caused by the delay in the mass-production schedule of the blue laser diode within the Sony Group, thus affecting the timely procurement of key components to be utilized in PlayStation 3," read Sony's statement. Kutaragi gave similar comments to the Associated Press, though he reportedly said they would also cause short supply.

In February, Sony hinted similar problems could delay the PS3 from its then-scheduled Spring 2007 launch. The new November launch was confirmed at Sony's Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference in May, the same month Sony announced the US launch of the Blu-ray format had also been pushed back. Meanwhile, in July, several Taiwanese business newspapers, including the Commercial Times, reported that Sony was falling behind in production of Blu-ray laser diodes, although Sony would not confirm those reports.

Analysts were swift in their response to the PS3 news. UBS's Michael Wallace predicted the delay could have an alarming ripple effect with third-party publishers. "We also think this delay could cause some of our companies to push some of their PS3 games out until March 2007 to take advantage of a larger installed base," he said in a statement. "We note that Activision (three launch titles), Electronic Arts (four to five launch titles), and Take-Two (three titles by January 2007) currently have the greatest exposure to the PS3 at launch, so they could be impacted the most by this delay."

Today's PS3 developments caused Wedbush Morgan Securities' Michael Pachter to lower his entire US annual software sales estimate--just issued yesterday--from three percent growth to two percent. He also tweaked his European annual game-sales estimate from one percent growth to a one percent loss. "Our prior forecast assumed that Sony would ship 2.3 million PS3s to the US and Europe in 2006," said Pachter. "Our revised forecast assumes shipments of 1.5 million to the US (unchanged) and zero to Europe (down from 800,000)."

Needless to say, the PS3's delay and any supply issues will be a boon to Sony's rivals, Nintendo and Microsoft. "There will undoubtedly be some 'substitution effect' from lower PS3 shipments, with a portion of the shortfall offset by higher sales of PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and Wii hardware and software," Pachter said. "We have not adjusted our model to reflect this substitution...but we suspect that 25 to 50 percent of the shortfall in PS3 software sales (an estimated $124 million in Europe) will be offset by sales of software for the other platforms."

[Sparkfist]

Also, there will only be 400,000 PS3's at launch in the U.S. and 100,000 at launch in Japan.

Didn't Sony learn anything from the launch of the PS2? Gee lets think what's going to happen.... Oh I know there will be about half that number buying the system for themselves and the rest will go up on ebay/charity aution. Oh and yeah Sony's just bent themselves over a table and spanked themself having less then half a million units for the U.S. launch.

Good job Sony you've taken a great product and made the public hate you and it at the same time.

[jones]

Where did you find this out? I want to tell my Sony-fanboy brother so that he'll get real pissed, but he won't trust it unless its from a verifible news source (and Benheck obviously doesn't count).

I forgot to add the story regarding the HDMI cable, or the lack thereof. Here it is.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6157113.ht ... ws;title;3

PS3: HD cables not included
Gamers looking to get the best picture out of Sony's premium PlayStation 3 package will need to shell out extra for proper hookups.
By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot
Posted Sep 5, 2006 4:32 pm PT
The price of Sony's upcoming PlayStation 3 has been the subject of much debate. The system will come in $499 and $599 packages, the latter including a larger hard drive, built-in wireless network capabilities, and an HDMI port. However, according to Sony's own official PS3 Web site, the system won't come with the cables necessary to carry an HDMI signal, or any high-definition signal, for that matter.

According to the double-asterisked bit of small print on the page, "Video output in HD requires cables and an HD-compatible display, both sold separately. Copy-protected Blu-ray video discs can only output at 1080p using an HDMI cable connected to a device that is compatible with the HDCP standard. HDMI cable not included. Additional equipment may be required to use the HDMI connector."

HDMI is a video/audio interface that allows high-def content to be displayed in uncompressed form over a single cable. It also supports High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP), an antipiracy measure expected to be encoded into Blu-ray discs. Those discs will also make use of Image Constraint Token (ICT) technology, which would artificially reduce the output resolution of any signal not sent over a secured connection like HDMI.

Currently, Microsoft's premium Xbox 360 comes packed with an HD component video cable, while purchasers of the Xbox 360 core system get a standard A/V cable and can pick up HD-compatible cables for $39.99. GameStop is also currently accepting preorders for a "universal" game-console HDMI cable that will cost $99.99. [UPDATE: The GameStop HDMI cable listing has since been pulled.]

That said, the premium PlayStation 3 has a standard HDMI output, meaning it can use regular HDMI cables. Those can be found for far lower prices on sites such as eBay, where a 15-foot HDMI-to-HDMI cable can go for under $10.

It does state that you can get an el-cheapo HDMI cable for $10 or so, but when you're paying 6 bills for the system are you really going to go cheap on your connectivity. Me'sa no'sa bein' thinkin' so.

Microsoft wins this Holiday season with Nintendo coming in a strong second and the PS3 struggling in third. Over time Sony will come back to reclaim second from Nintendo in the Next-gen wars, but they have no hope of catching Microsoft now.

[totokan]

The only reason I'd buy a 360 is for dead rising, which looks to be it's 'killer app'.

[Extreme_Jesus]

dammit not again

i had hihg hopes for the PS3 but they defintly all gone now

i was never gonna buy one at launch (i have better things to spend £400 on) but i still thought it was the most impressive of the three

but i suppose its all kind of a moot point for me seeing as i dont plan on buying any of them

[jones]

The only reason I'd buy a 360 is for dead rising, which looks to be it's 'killer app'.

Dead Rising is a pretty cool game. I've spent probably 15 to 20 hours playing it and it's been time well spent. It's got a really good story which keeps you playing to find out more too, which can be a rare thing in a game. It's kinda like GTA in a mall with zombies and psychopaths. In other words, it's a good time.

That said I don't quite know if I would buy a 360 solely for the purpose of playing Dead Rising. But, when you combine Dead Rising with all of the other great stuff you can play on the 360, buying a 360 rapidly becomes a slam dunk in my opinion as long as you can afford the entry fee.

[totokan]

See, they should put dead rising on the PC. Then, I would not have to waste all this money on an underpowered PC. Name one other game that I'd get that isn't out for PC.

[vskid]

See, they should put dead rising on the PC. Then, I would not have to waste all this money on an underpowered PC. Name one other game that I'd get that isn't out for PC.

Halo 3. Its not out yet, but if its as good as the first two it would secure the 360's first placeship, or at least second, as either the wii or PS3 will be in third (likely the ps3).