Sony PS3 Still on Track for Spring Launch

Sony Corp. on Thursday said it remained on track to roll out its PlayStation 3 game console by spring 2006 despite industry speculation that the scheduled launch could face delays.

A spokesman for Sony, the No. 1 provider of game consoles, said it was still targeting a spring 2006 launch for the PS3, which is key to maintaining its lead in the game console market against Microsoft Corp., which recently launched its competing Xbox 360 console. Larry Probst, chief executive of the No. 1 video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc., said last week that he believed Sony’s console would not be available until fall 2006.

Reuters – Sony Says PS3 still on Track for Spring Launch

The Sony-backed Blu-ray Disc next-generation optical format is also due to be formally launched next Spring, and the PS3 is widely seen as the system that will drive the adoption of Blu-ray. With so much riding on Blu-ray’s success – all the supporting companies’ reputations, not the least of it – the format’s backers will be urging Sony to get PS3 into consumers’ hands as quickly as possible.

Equally, an Autumn 2006 launch will leave the PS3 an entire year behind Microsoft’s Xbox 360, a situation Sony’s Computer Entertainment division may not be keen on either.

The Register – Sony still primed for Spring 2006 PS3 debut