OMEN
09-07-2006, 08:23 AM
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Electronics giant Sony has announced that its keenly-awaited PlayStation 3 console will now not be launched in the UK until March 2007.
It's a bit of a bombshell for games fans who had been expecting to get their hands on a PS3 on 17th November this year. Customers in Japan and North America will still pick up their consoles as planned, on 11th and 17th November respectively, but fans in Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Africa and Australasia will have to be satisified with other consoles for the busy Christmas period.
Sony said the delay has been caused by "the delay in the mass production schedule of the blue laser diode". Ah, that old chestnut. The diode is evidently a key element of the Blu-ray disc drive that Sony has put such faith in. PS3 games run off these discs - but as well as providing drives for the games machine, Sony also needs to manufacture a large number of stand-alone Blu-ray players as they help the new format do battle against High-definition DVDs.
The news is a massive blow for Sony who will miss the key Christmas market and could find that when the console is finally launched in Europe, many consumers will have spent their cash on an Xbox 360 instead.
A further potential annoyance attached to the new release date is that spring 2007 could also see the arrival of Halo 3, the Xbox 360 game that will singlehandedly sell a huge batch more consoles for Microsoft and could somewhat steer buyers away from the PS3. On the plus side, developers beavering away on PS3 titles at present will probably get to produce a more impressive European games launch line-up because of the delay.
So, what are the options for those looking to invest in a different games console in coming months? Well, the barnstorming Xbox 360 is no longer in short supply and the core system is available for £200. The Nintendo Wii, meanwhile, is expected to appear in November with an estimated price point of around £150.
If you've never got round to getting a PlayStation 2 or Xbox, now is a great time to pick one of these up cheaply; their RRPs are a modest £99.99 or £79.99 respectively.
Virgin
Electronics giant Sony has announced that its keenly-awaited PlayStation 3 console will now not be launched in the UK until March 2007.
It's a bit of a bombshell for games fans who had been expecting to get their hands on a PS3 on 17th November this year. Customers in Japan and North America will still pick up their consoles as planned, on 11th and 17th November respectively, but fans in Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Africa and Australasia will have to be satisified with other consoles for the busy Christmas period.
Sony said the delay has been caused by "the delay in the mass production schedule of the blue laser diode". Ah, that old chestnut. The diode is evidently a key element of the Blu-ray disc drive that Sony has put such faith in. PS3 games run off these discs - but as well as providing drives for the games machine, Sony also needs to manufacture a large number of stand-alone Blu-ray players as they help the new format do battle against High-definition DVDs.
The news is a massive blow for Sony who will miss the key Christmas market and could find that when the console is finally launched in Europe, many consumers will have spent their cash on an Xbox 360 instead.
A further potential annoyance attached to the new release date is that spring 2007 could also see the arrival of Halo 3, the Xbox 360 game that will singlehandedly sell a huge batch more consoles for Microsoft and could somewhat steer buyers away from the PS3. On the plus side, developers beavering away on PS3 titles at present will probably get to produce a more impressive European games launch line-up because of the delay.
So, what are the options for those looking to invest in a different games console in coming months? Well, the barnstorming Xbox 360 is no longer in short supply and the core system is available for £200. The Nintendo Wii, meanwhile, is expected to appear in November with an estimated price point of around £150.
If you've never got round to getting a PlayStation 2 or Xbox, now is a great time to pick one of these up cheaply; their RRPs are a modest £99.99 or £79.99 respectively.
Virgin