Sony - PlayStation 3 launch delayed until November

The release of the much awaited PlayStation 3 (PS3) games console has been postponed until November, Japanese electronics group Sony has announced.

Technical hitches related to the console’s Blu-ray disc drive had forced the delay, Sony said. Sony games chief Ken Kutaragi said they were still finalising agreements on disc copy protection technology.

The news was announced at a hastily convened news conference, after reports of a delay appeared in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan’s main financial daily newspaper.

BBC - Sony delays PlayStation 3 launch

A six-month delay in the launch date could mean handing further advantage to rival Microsoft Corp., which launched its competing Xbox 360 console last November.

Sony is now also likely to go head-to head with Nintendo Co. Ltd.’s next-generation Revolution console, which is expected to hit markets around the same time.

Shares of Sony fell 1.8 percent on Wednesday after media reports that the PS3 launch would be pushed back.

Reuters - Sony’s PlayStation 3 to be delayed until November

As The Nihon Keizai Shimbun is a Japanese publication, the speculated release date presumably refers to the Japan launch. If the report is in fact true, it could mean that the U.S. won’t see the PS3 until 2007, giving the Xbox 360 two holiday seasons without competition from Sony, although Nintendo is expected to launch its Revolution before year-end.

GamesIndustry - Report: PS3 Delay ‘Official’