PS3 launch delayed. Implications?

[SolidSnake]

*www.scee.presscentre.com/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=4268&NewsAreaID=2

London, Wednesday 6 September 2006 – Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) today announced that it would revise the launch date of its PLAYSTATION® 3 computer entertainment system in the PAL territories of Europe, Russia, Middle East, Africa and Australasia from 17th November 2006, as previously announced to March 2007.

Launch dates for Japan and North America will remain the same, which are November 11th and November 17th respectively.

The revision of the launch date in the SCEE 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 utilised in PLAYSTATION 3.

The previously announced PLAYSTATION 3 shipment forecast of 6 million units globally within the fiscal year ending 2007 is not changed.

***************

Though I am a PS fan, it would be interesting to see what effect does it have on the console market. Can MS take advantage of the delay, can they produce more 360s to benefit from this situation? What can Sony do to make sure that 360 sales don't get jumped due to the delay? Maybe a massive price drop for PS2/PSP?

 

[hbk549]

microsoft xbox360 has got huge fan club and it is growing day by day by launching in india it would create some lakhs of fans here....

 

[tarey_g]

I dont think so , India is not exactly the market for such costly consoles,maybe lakhs of fans here ,but not lakhs of buyers.

 

[Sourabh]

Nothing is going right for Sony. Battery recalls, delays after delays for the PS3, neither the Portable PSP is doing any good worldwide with its overpriced 250$ pricetag.

I am not much of a gamer or a console freak, but I really dont care for the PS3 even for the drool quotient now.

The reason for the delay is lack of supply of the blue laser diode, something Sony promoted themselves. I cant understand how can they be short by such a huge margin if they were serious about their 2 million PS3 figures in 2006 earlier.

With the current launch strategy, they are just restricting themselves to the bigger market of NA and Japan ( with less volumes than claimed ). March 2007 for other countries is like ages away. X360 and Wii would already be up their a$$es by then.

With the nov. 2006 worldwide release they were gonna loose more per unit than even the X360. On the brighter side for them, that would be much less if it goes main stream in March 2007. Or probably that was the reason for this in the first place.

Sony is cursed. Anyone agrees?

As for your last thought, decreasing PSP or PS2 price may affect the sales of competitiors by a small margin. But what about the whole next generation consoles and big talks Sony was talking about. This would affect their image badly.

 

[paul_007]

absolutely agree with tarey_g

in india when it comes to buy a console most of them prefer to go ultimately for PC
__________

Sony is cursed. Anyone agrees?

i completely agree with u , SONY is his "hitting axe on their own feet" by delaying the launch of PS3, i think a genuine buyer/gamer wont b able to bear the delay and ultimately go fo XBOX 360

 

[SolidSnake]

I personally don't see this delay affecting them much. Launch delay has been a usual thing in Console launch history. Sony still has the GAMES which made PS2 a resounding success, MS won't be able to displace PS3 unless Sony makes a series of BIG blunders and if major PS3 franchises desert PS3.

 

[tarey_g]

MS won't be able to displace PS3 unless Sony makes a series of BIG blunders and if major PS3 franchises desert PS3.

This has already happened.

 

[fortebuster]

Screw Sony. No way I'm buying a PS3. I could go for a Wii60 for the same price. They've already lost most of their exclusives.

 

[SolidSnake]

Screw Sony. No way I'm buying a PS3. I could go for a Wii60 for the same price. They've already lost most of their exclusives.

Which exclusives have they lost?
__________

This has already happened.

Like what? Delay? I don't think delay would matter too much. The critical factor is Games and they still have all the BIG titles (and some new ones too like Heavenly Sword) which they had with PS2.

 

[tarey_g]

Not only delay dude , the cost ,availability,loss of exclusiveness of major titles which i think u r totally unaware of (GTA,Assassin's Creed,COD3,etc), no vibration controller etc.

 

[SolidSnake]

Not only delay dude , the cost ,availability,loss of exclusiveness of major titles which i think u r totally unaware of (GTA,Assassin's Creed,COD3,etc), no vibration controller etc.

It is getting delayed only in EU, and their original plan for 6 Million units before March 2007 (?) is still in place. Every console lanuch is marred by lack of units. GTA is I agree a setback, AC though hyped is a new title so can't be given too much weightage, COD2 was a 360 title so infact PS3 has gained it from 360, vibration is gone but tilt function has been added. Playstation name is synonymus with gaming around the world, it will extremely hard to topple it.

 

[QwertyManiac]

Playstation 3 will go down the slope, its time for others to take over and that's already happening, afterall, its MS... and Nintendo

 

[SolidSnake]

PS3 may not dominate like PS2 did this gen but my prediction is that it will still finish as No 1.

 

[tarey_g]

It is getting delayed only in EU, and their original plan for 6 Million units before March 2007 (?) is still in place. Every console lanuch is marred by lack of units. GTA is I agree a setback, AC though hyped is a new title so can't be given too much weightage, COD2 was a 360 title so infact PS3 has gained it from 360, vibration is gone but tilt function has been added. Playstation name is synonymus with gaming around the world, it will extremely hard to topple it.

COD3 was supposed to be a 'PS3 exclusive' ,but later 360 also grabbed it. AC is hyped as its from pop people and it was a ps3 exclusive sony fans were bragging about the whole time. Tilt function instead of the vibration function sucks , tilt may be useful no doubt but the lack of vibration function is total lameness.
No. 1 on the market or not sony has faced big market loss to the xbox 360 because of the launch delay and other issues , if the console was cheap or on time it would be a success like the Ps2. the condition of sony is so lame that the gamer support for wii is heigher than the ps3 even in japan.

 

[SolidSnake]

COD3 was supposed to be a 'PS3 exclusive' ,but later 360 also grabbed it. AC is hyped as its from pop people and it was a ps3 exclusive sony fans were bragging about the whole time. Tilt function instead of the vibration function sucks , tilt may be useful no doubt but the lack of vibration function is total lameness.
No. 1 on the market or not sony has faced big market loss to the xbox 360 because of the launch delay and other issues , if the console was cheap or on time it would be a success like the Ps2. the condition of sony is so lame that the gamer support for wii is heigher than the ps3 even in japan.

I didn't know COD3 was PS3 exclusive earlier, can you post the link? No one buys a console for vibration function, I have been playing my PS2 since years and I can't remember noticing vibration much in the controller. Cheaper in price does not mean anything, Dreamcast was $100 cheaper than PS2 when launch, Gamecube was $100 cheaper too. It didn't help them, it is Games and games only which matter in the end and except GTA (which will be a simultaneous launch now), all other BIG titles are still on PS3.

 

[runeet]

you know sony was lucky twice with their ps1 and ps2 console, but with the ps3 having so many problems first delays, then pricing and now delyas again, I dont think that they will be lucky the third time, I think sony is in for a good thrashing.

 

[tarey_g]

I didn't know COD3 was PS3 exclusive earlier, can you post the link? No one buys a console for vibration function, I have been playing my PS2 since years and I can't remember noticing vibration much in the controller.

COD3 was PS3 exclusive , i don't have the link but you can google for it.
Saying that no one buys console for vibration function is a joke , Nowadays almost every game uses the vibration function to add realism to the experience, it may only be you or few more who dont need the function but i can't imagine playing MGS4 without the vibration function.
Sony says that the PlayStation 3 controller has lost its vibration functionality because it interfered with its motion sensors which is not the real reason.

In September of 2004, Immersion Corporation was awarded damages of approximately 90 million dollars in a lawsuit against Sony, who Immersion said made illegal use of its technologies. Immersion, which manufactures force-feedback and so-called “haptic” (engaging the user via the sense of touch) devices for a wide range of applications, is headed by Victor Viegas, who took some time to speak with Gamasutra about the lawsuit, and about Sony’s announcement that the PS3 would not contain rumble technology.

Previous lawsuits in which immersion has played a part include a settlement with Microsoft (who was originally named as a defendant in the same suit Sony is currently fighting) and Electrosource, the company which produces the Pelican brand of third-party controllers. Both of these companies have settled with Immersion, but Viegas says he sees no current indicators that Sony will follow suit.

The company announced in a press release that the PS3 controller would lack vibration due to the possibility of it interfering with the controller’s new tilt sensors, which Viegas feels is unlikely.

“If what they’re saying is in fact the reason why [the controller will not have vibration], I’ve offered them numerous solutions to the problem,” Viegas said in an interview Tuesday. “I don’t believe it’s a very difficult problem to solve, and Immersion has experts that would be happy to solve that problem for them.”

“We feel haptic or vibration technology is quite possible in a next gen system,” he said. “It can provide greater fidelity, better effects, and a more complete sense of immersion, using a wired or wireless controller.”

source

Cheaper in price does not mean anything, Dreamcast was $100 cheaper than PS2 when launch, Gamecube was $100 cheaper too. It didn't help them, it is Games and games only which matter in the end and except GTA (which will be a simultaneous launch now), all other BIG titles are still on PS3.

It's the games only which matter, and when ppl can play most of games coming on a ps3 on a 360 too why would they bother to shell out more money that too after a long wait of 1+ yrs from the 360 launch. 360 has exclusive too every console has, if 360 has Halo then PS3 has MGS.

 

[SolidSnake]

COD3 was never PS3 exclusive, maybe you are talking about UT2k7. BTW, if PS3 loses vibration it also gains Tilt...which may prove to an interesting feature if used properly. Imagine your player ducking if you tilt the controller, BTW, tilt is being used in Resistance:FoM.

It's the games only which matter, and when ppl can play most of games coming on a ps3 on a 360 too why would they bother to shell out more money that too after a long wait of 1+ yrs from the 360 launch. 360 has exclusive too every console has, if 360 has Halo then PS3 has MGS.

But the problem is that people buy consoles mainly for exclusives. 360 has exclusive but most of them ain't as established as PS3 ones. FF, Tekken, GT, MGS, DMC, GoW, Virtua Fighter, Resident Evil, Ace Combat...I mean the entire PS2 lineup will be there on PS3 except GTA which will be a simultaneous release.

 

[hbk549]

i agree sony has got big library of some popular games but microsoft is not less it has got games which has got a class like midnight club and NFS most wanted microsoft has got games of class like quake4,god of gears etc where as sony accepts any type of games from adult to 8+ games where as ther is not adult types of games for xbox or xbox360...
i am totally against sony...

 

[tarey_g]

I am against no console , sony has a big library , so has microsoft . I can write a big list of good games on 360. but in the end its gamer's choice .

COD3 was never PS3 exclusive, maybe you are talking about UT2k7. BTW, if PS3 loses vibration it also gains Tilt...which may prove to an interesting feature if used properly. Imagine your player ducking if you tilt the controller, BTW, tilt is being used in Resistance:FoM.

Imagine your player gets hit by a bullet and you don't feel the punch because of lack of vibration . Tilt function is welcome but vibration has become such a basic function in game controllers which sony gamers are going to miss badly.
COD 3 was Ps3 exclusive when activision first announced it.