PlayStation 3 delay to disappoint eager gaming fans

SONY has pushed back the European release of its PlayStation 3 games console by four months.

The eagerly awaited system will not be released until March 2007. It was supposed to hit shelves this November, and will now miss the crucial lucrative Christmas sales period.

The technology giant blamed delays in the production of a component for the PS3’s new disc technology.

The revised date will come as a serious blow to Sony’s aspirations in Europe and especially Ireland, where the ratio of PlayStations per capita is one of the highest in the world.

Sony blamed problems “in the mass production schedule of the blue laser diode” — a key component of the PlayStation 3’s hardware — as the reason for the delay.

However, the system is still on schedule for release in both Japan and the US on November 11 and November 17 respectively.

The delay hands the advantage to Sony’s chief rivals, Microsoft and Nintendo, in the battle for top spot between the so-called “next-generation” consoles.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 was launched last November and has sold well in both Europe and the US, though Japanese sales have been very low. The Xbox 360’s strengths lie in its capabilities for online gaming and in popular software titles, such as Halo.

Nintendo, meanwhile, are set to launch their ‘Wii’ console worldwide this November. The Wii is tipped for huge success due to its innovative controller, which is shaped like a television remote and uses motion-detection, such as hand movements, for playing games.

Despite the PlayStation 3’s delay, Sony’s long-term future in the market is secure. The PlayStation brand remains extremely strong, as evidenced by impressive sales of the PlayStation Portable in its first year and continued sales of the PlayStation 2, which have totalled over 100 million.

The revised March launch date will also give gamers a chance to save up for the new console — the PlayStation 3 is set to cost €499 for a ‘basic’ package and €599 for the standard package.

Announcing the new delayed launch date at a press conference in Tokyo, Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi said:

“We’ve been working hard to try to tackle the problem, but we see the delay is inevitable.”

The PS3 uses blu-ray discs — the high definition replacement for DVDs.