Sony PS3 launch could be delayed, aims for spring

Sony’s launch of its next-generation PlayStation 3 video game console could be delayed if industry specifications for some of its technology are not finalised soon, although it is still aiming for a spring launch, it said on Monday.

“We’re aiming for spring, but we haven’t announced specific regions,” a spokeswoman for Sony Computer Entertainment said, adding that it was waiting for the final specifications on some of the technology it is using in the PS3, such as that related to the Blu-ray DVD drive and to input and output video and sound.

Sony has been promising a spring launch but has been deliberately vague about exactly when that would be. Analysts have said it could mean anytime between March and the end of Japan’s rainy season in June.

Sony’s shares fell as much as 4.4 percent on Monday after Merrill Lynch said in a research note last week that the PS3’s launch might be delayed by six to 12 months and the cost of production could initially approach $900 per unit.

Source: Reuters