Sony said on Wednesday it would delay the European launch of its PlayStation 3 (PS3) game machine to March from November due to inadequate supply of a key component, missing the critical Christmas shopping season in one of its main markets.

This is the second time Sony, which competes with Microsoft and Nintendo in the nearly $30 billion video game market, has delayed the sale of its latest blockbuster PlayStation console.

“I feel sorry. I think there are so many people out there who hold such high expectations for PS3,” said Ken Kutaragi, the head of Sony’s game unit and known as the “father of the PlayStation”

The delay means that the PS3 falls substantially behind its rival machines — Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii — in time to market in parts of the world. Microsoft launched its Xbox 360 late last year and Nintendo plans to offer the Wii in the final quarter of 2006.

I think a comparison with Microsoft is appropriate. Don’t you?



  1. Improbus says:

    Maybe these companies need to think about breaking themselves apart so they are more nimble. Either that or get competent management.

  2. Mike says:

    I guess the real lesson to learn here is high-risk development of an over-hyped, experimental technology for a consumer level product is a bad idea.

  3. Mark Derail says:

    Look at the size of the PS3, it’s huge.

    Reminds me of the first solid-state telephones that had an enlarged base filled with lead/steel. Consumers would not buy small and light telephones.

    One thing to explain the size is ventilation and heat sinks, which means that these thing will overheat badly.

  4. Firas says:

    This is a major disappointment, even if it was an expected one. Sony has been stressing the worldwide simulaunch since E3 and everyone was hyped about getting 2 million units at launch. This sucks, and what key component is missing? maybe Sony had a shortage of “on/off” buttons. I wonder…

  5. James Hill says:

    Well said, Mike.

  6. ECA says:

    Considering all the DELAY,
    Its giving the others, one HELL of a jump ahead of the PS3.
    In the time lag, and disputes of What the PS3 will DO, and wont do.
    These others companies are getting a great foot hold.

    The ONLy way to get anything back is to have 1 GREAT machine. but it will still be a Loss, if it has ANY problems.

  7. Matthew says:

    I just put my hands on a 360 for the first time last month; and I have to say for a product that shipped in ’05 it is an amazingly solid and robust platform. How sony could compete this christmas was a long shot; now the target is farther away.

  8. moss says:

    Eid, you should have photoshopped like w/Charlton Heston’s head — with that 10 commandments pose!

  9. Gregory says:

    Basically Sony is going to find the PS3 in the same position MS found the XBOX – behind it’s main rival by quite a bit, and while the XBOX was a solid competitor (I actually preferred it, and most of the games) it never really caught the PS2 in terms of raw sales.

    With Sony pushing features of the PS3 that almost no-one cares about (Blu-Ray, HDMI, etc etc), and that if you go by current hardware it will produce inferior looking DVDs… why buy it?

  10. ECA says:

    If Sony is going to DENT there product, AS MS did/does…
    That will hurt them Sooo bad…
    If they dont come out with a BETTEr product with better options…They will shoot themselves in the FOOT.

    Agreed, they should make the seperate PARTS of sony, SEPERATE..

  11. JoaoPT says:

    The key component lackin in Europe is Dollar$…
    Clearly they can’t launch it simultaneously, so they go to the most important market first

  12. ECA says:

    12,
    on the LASt analysis, the Blu ray WILL be there…
    BUT they wont let it run movies..
    Why pay for that??

  13. Bruce IV says:

    The actual missing key component is the blue lasers for the Blu-Ray drive. That drive is what is really killing the PS3 – Price, Delays, Low production – blame it all on Blu-Ray.

  14. ECA says:

    ANd the CELL chip set….as its production only makes about 30% that WORK.

  15. JoaoPT says:

    And the rest is 70% of cells that don’t make it on the PS3 will go to DOE supercomputer…

  16. mice says:

    zdravo svima
    jel neko zna gde mogu u slovenii nabaviti lasere za ps2 i druge delove?Hvala unapred pls posaljite mi email na mice270@yahoo.com


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