Slashdot Mirror
PlayStation 3 Delay Official
An anonymous reader writes "It's official! PS3 has been delayed until November in Japan. Apparently, it's because of copy protection technology issues associated with Blu-ray." From the article: "Today, Sony officially conceded defeat to the recent flurry of rumors and speculation, with Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun reporting the machine has been pushed back until November. There aren't many details out right now, but Sony says issues over the finalization of copy protection technology related to their Blu-ray disc drive is the cause of the delay. As the news is coming out of Japan, that creates a worrisome scenario for America and Europe."
If it's November for Japan, and they don't do the same launch date worldwide, could the Revolution be out before it? Isn't it supposed to be a worldwide release around that time?
Maybe somebody with a better memory could put out some dates they've seen.
You have to wonder if it is realy worth it..
all they are doing is waiting to precect the way they can screw their customers, and making them wait for it.
i realy hope no one buys a PS3, something needs to teach them a lessson
'...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
I was sooo looking forward to getting copy protection sooner than that.
[Insert pithy quote here]
I hope they pay the price for their copy protection scheme. They're most likely going to miss Christmas in the US where presumably Nintendo will have a new console and Microsoft will have a fully stocked lineup of 360s ready to roll.
After all, isn't never launching the console really the best copy protection of all? This ultimate protection of Sony copyright will certainly be a gold mine!
Dewey, you fool! Your decimal system has played right into my hands!
Oh, there's a big surprise. That's an incredible... I think I'm going to have a heart attack and die, from that surprise.
How could anyone have predicted this turn of events!?
Rob
I'll be honest, I'm not one for bandwagons, but I'm starting to get genuinely scared enough by all this SONY/DRM talk. If the delays are truly because they can't figure out a way to keep their media from becoming copied, or somesuch, then we're really in trouble. I was going to wait for a price war for getting either an 360 or PS3, and now the answer is clear. While 360 has its share of problems, to be sure, I'm definitely not waiting around for a DRM/copy-protection scheme that is half-baked, so Sony can make their delayed launch date, including all sorts of potential privacy problems.
I used to consider all y'all who said SONY="privacy killa" luddites and conspiracy theorists... now I'm not so sure. PS3 just moved from "definitely an option" to "needs a killer-app to even consider".
When the ps2 launched in November there was a shittun of info and games shown to the public (not random tech videos) in March of that year. The ps3 has almost nadda, i have gut feeling sony is just putting the blame on the blu-ray but i have a gut feeling they're having trouble in more places then one.
Hmmm... Pie...
Microsoft must be clapping with glee over the delay of the PS3. I don't think it will make much difference though unless they get their shit together and start actually making enough 360s. It's my opinion the shortage situation has really hurt sales of the 360. There was a while there where it seemed supply had picked up as my local Best Buy looked to be getting a few a week. After humming and hawing I decided to get one and I've been trying to find one for about two weeks now. I've just given up for the time being. Maybe it's better to wait as Microsoft is sure to drop the price eventually, perhaps when the PS3 is actually released.
The first is that of a huge, monolith corporation stumbling under its own weight. I think a fair comparison would be a giant Hydra where all heads have to be happy in order to take one step forward. Of course, many Slashdotter-types have seen this coming, the time when the corporations comprising the media cartels will be driven to paralysis by issues like DRM, and this is only the beginning.
The other is the disruptive force of Microsoft on the gaming industry. When I say "disruptive", I mean it neutrally (although my opinions on MS and gaming are definitely not neutral). MS decided to release a year (or three) early, and it's forced Nintendo and Sony to scramble a bit. Unfortunately for Sony, these two issues have compounded in a way that has the possibility of being not so good for their gaming business.
On the other hand, the PS2 had lots of problems launching. Limited stock, few games (especially in Japan). The problems I raise here will definitely affect Sony, but I think it's still too early to guage how much.
Isn't the copy protection in blu-ray (just like in hd-dvd) upgradeable? So why does the copy protection need to be done before launch? They could patch it later. This smells to me like there's some other, real reason for the delay, and they're just using the copy protection as a cover, an excuse.
Oh well. At least this way there will be some actual games ready by the time the PS3 itself is done, and maybe they'll even have the time to make enough units to meet demand. We won't see a repeat of the XBox 360 launch.
To get blu-ray approved as the (or a) next home media for hdtv Sony will need the blessings of more movie studio's then their own. If it was a simple matter of their own games or movies then it wouldn't be much of an issue. They'd easily push the system out.
Hmmm... Pie...
The only real upshot to this is that all PS3 games will essentially get a few more months of dev time to polish their titles, which may result in an unusually strong launch lineup.
The downsides to this are numerous, though. Many people may discount Nintendo, but even with their declined marketshare, Nintendo is not the sort of company you want to give a chance to play catchup in any sort of way. This will also give Microsoft a bit more rope. Whether Microsoft uses that extra rope to hang its self or to help build some momentem for the 360 is another question entirely.
Another problem is that the PS2 is already in decline, due to hype over the next generation of consoles. I am damn sure that while Sony would love to wring every last penny from that cash cow, that they dont want to let their best available retail offering to be the underdog against the 360 or Revolution for very long.
Between a handfull of articles about a bunch of weak 'me too' potential features for the PS3, and the way that Nintendo is steadily edging out the PSP due to the PSP not having any high profile killer apps, Sony is looking alot weaker right now then I would have expected. And if history has proven anything in the game industry, even giants can fall.
END COMMUNICATION
It's kind of funny that they are blaming the delay in part on the DRM. If that's all it was then they might have launched with something provisional and then do a firmware upgrade later. Of course I know nothing of BluRay DRM, so just take that as talking out of my butt. Of more interest now are a couple of questions.
1. Will they launch first in Japan or the U.S.?
2. Will they miss Christmas in the U.S.?
In the seemingly unlikely case that they go with a U.S. launch first, a couple of things could be noted. It could mean that Sony really _is_ worried about the Xbox 360 getting too far ahead in the U.S.. To add some more pain to this though is the prospect of a Nintendo launch in the U.S. in the same time frame. Even if Sony isn't worried about falling behind the 360, Nintendo is another matter.
As for missing Christmas in the U.S., that's a real danger. But again, hard to gauge. The 3rd parties would definitely be pissed along with retailers. But Sony still has a strong brand, and let's face it, the PS3 is likely to sell well whenever it is released. So maybe they should just calm down and formulate a sane launch plan that releases the new console when it and its games are ready to go. I think we've all seen enough crap get released too early to meet generally artificial deadlines. And heck, doesn't Mr. Gates deserve a little happiness occasionally too?
To the making of books there is no end, so let's get started
A lot of people are jumping to conclusions, but what's to say they're not delaying to make the copy protection scheme less intrusive and more practical for end users?
Careful there. Some of the titles on the compatibility list are basically unplayable.
Case in point: Sega GT 2002. The game runs at less than half-speed. And that's not just framerate, the game clock runs at less than half-speed, and everything responds slowly too.
Of my Xbox games that are "compatible" with X360 (about 1/4 of them, slightly less than the official list percentage), a fair number of those run unacceptably slow.
"Sony Computer Entertainment will delay the release of its PlayStation 3 next-generation video game console until early November because the copy-protection technology for the Blu-ray Disc has not been finalized," reported the paper. No specific regions were mentioned, making it unclear if the delay was for the Japanese PS3 or a worldwide release.
While authoritative in tone, it must be emphasized that the Nihon Keizai Shimbun report is in no way official. Though Sony's last-minute decision to change tomorrow's event from a closed-door presentation to a full-fledged press conference augurs a major announcement, Sony is staying mum. When contacted by GameSpot, a Sony Computer Entertainment America rep declined comment, saying "we have not made any new announcements on PlayStation 3."
Report: PS3 delayed until November
Chicken fried butter sticks? Do
From the rumors that have been floating around, they're trying to make it All Things to All People, which is the surest way to please few of them.
I've been saying here since early January that we wouldn't see the PS3 officially launched in the States until March of 2007 at the earliest. (and to the AC who called me a 'good liddle fanboy', thpppt!)
It's now March of 2006. They do not yet have, to my knowledge, working hardware for the video game end of things. They don't have working Blu-Ray drives, and in fact the specs there are changing. (latest news: no degradation on analog HDTV sets, which is good.) They don't seem to have decided on a final feature set. I think a November launch might still be possible, but it's gonna take a lot of overtime by a LOT of people. And they'll have to decide on their final feature set _right now_ and push like hell to make it happen.
Sony seems to be in defensive mode, beset by rivals. It doesn't feel like they have a unified vision of what the PS3 should be. Rather, at least if you can believe the zeitgeist of the rumor sites, they seem to be in defensive mode, where they claim they'll do everything that all the other consoles do, better. That's not gonna happen. They don't have the time or the manpower to make it happen. If they keep trying, the PS3 is going to be the Duke Nukem Forever of consoles... because the 360 and Revolution will be moving targets. Now that Microsoft has hardware on the ground, new features are just a matter of writing code. If there's one company on the planet who's got expertise in doing that, it's Microsoft.
At this point, I'm not sure that the PS3 will make November. Whenever it does ship, it will be monumentally expensive, but the wealthy Japanese consumers will buy it in droves anyway; it will be successful in Japan. When they ship it in the US, they're not going to be willing to take the enormous financial hit it would take to sell it at $400; they're going to be priced higher than that, maybe a lot higher.
Now, this part gets _really_ speculative. They saw the EBay market for the 360 (many 360s sold at $800+), so I bet they're going to try a very expensive US introduction. And, paradoxically, I think it will be completely rejected as 'too expensive' by the American consumer, even though the _exact same people_ would turn around and spend $800 for one on EBay. It's okay, you see, for the Average Joe to be rapacious and greedy, but when corporations do it, it's "wrong". And I'm not sure Sony will get that.
Even if they're smart and take the financial hit of introducing at $400, I still think they're likely to end up in third place, this time around. The 360 is really solid; it's an excellent machine and they're doing lots of interesting stuff with it. And the Revolution is _really_ interesting; Nintendo is focused on doing stuff that's fun.
This time around, Microsoft shipped a Mustang. It's big, loud, and powerful. Sony is going to ship a Porsche; quieter, a little faster, more expensive. (if they choose to eat the extra cost, that would make it a great deal for the consumer.) Nintendo is going to ship a Miata. They don't win drag-races, but Miatas are cheap and fun to drive.
Overall, I suspect Nintendo has a good chance of being the big winner this time around. They'll do well in all markets. I suspect the 360 will place a solid (and profitable) second.. they'll do really well in the US and Europe, but will be lucky to sell 25 consoles in Japan. Sony will do well in Japan, simply from a combination of brand- and country-loyalty, but I now suspect they'll do a huge faceplant in the US and Europe.
The link you give is to an entirely different article. That article is about a Howard Stinger interview from several weeks ago. This article is about an article written in a Japanese newspaper this morning.
Moreover, the "dupe" you give is wrong. The article slashdot posts there claims the announcement is "official", but the "official announcement" there is nothing but a misquote. The article took a quote from Variety Magazine saying the PS3 would be out "before the holidays", attributed Variety's commentary to Howard Stinger, and made it sound like PS3 would not be out until "the holidays".
This honestly makes me a little suspicious about this article (today's article, the new article you think for some reason is a dupe), to be honest. We've already had one case where Variety implied a November release for the PS3, a video game blog misquoted it as a Sony statement, and Slashdot reprinted the misquote as an "official" announcement. What if we have a case now where a Japanese newspaper implied a November release for the PS3, a video game blog misquoted it as a Sony statement, and Slashdot reprinted the misquote as an "official" announcement? Can we get a corroborating source besides just 1UP, or an actual quote from Sony about this somehow?
In other news, Microsoft announced today that it was dismayed at the delay in the launch of the PS3. A spokesman was quoted as saying "Come on Sony, get your act together! Gamers are waiting for Halo 3, and we're not going to sit on this thing forever!"
--------
Nothing can be done before the tremendous power!
RabidComics
Extra time might mean more time for bug testing and a stronger launch lineup, but thats about it. The most important parts of the hardware are already finalized. There is already an enormous investment in money behind production facilities to produce the current hardware. A PS3 released in November will perform pretty much the same as a PS3 released in April because its too late in the development cycle for Sony to make changes to the core system.
After they found out they were not allowed to use rootkits for copy protection it was back to the drawing board.
Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
I don't believe the console is really all that far behind schedule. Well at least not from Sony's internal point of view. I've always assumed that this was going to happen. The whole 2006 target was simply a marketing ploy to divert attention from the 360 and encourage customers to wait it out. I believe they did the exact same thing for the ps2 launch, with the same bullshit tech videos etc, for the exact same reason. The sad part is how many people don't see it for what it is... sort of like the liberation of Iraq ;).
If it were true. But hey, 1up doesn't mind the fanatic traffic.
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6145919.html
While authoritative in tone, it must be emphasized that the Nihon Keizai Shimbun report is in no way official. Though Sony's last-minute decision to change tomorrow's event from a closed-door presentation to a full-fledged press conference augurs a major announcement, Sony is staying mum. When contacted by GameSpot, a Sony Computer Entertainment America rep declined comment, saying "we have not made any new announcements on PlayStation 3."
Thanks CNet, at least you try to be objective.
Do you call Germany "Bundesrepublik Deutschland"?
No, but from time to time I call it "Deutschland"...
Refusing to integrate foreign language terms when talking about foreign stuff is just another way of propagating ignorance.
It's pretty simple. If you translate "Nihon Keizai Shinbun" you've complicated the process of identifying the citation. If you don't leave that redundant "newspaper" qualifier in there, then the people who don't know any Japanese won't know what kind of publication it is. Is that so complicated?
---GEC
I'm but the humble pupil, seeking to snatch the scratchbuilt pebble from the master's fully articulated hand
So are you saying that Microsoft is going to shorten the console cycle to 3 years now? What's next, 2 years? 1 year? Might as well buy a PC then!
Consoles exist because they have along life cycle.
Heck, even if you're sick of the same old game box, you can always run Linux on the darn thing and use it for other purposes. The way I see it, these game system makers are just taking advantage of the fact that people always want to have the newest box.
all they are doing is waiting to precect the way they can screw their customers, and making them wait for it
Sony is now officially admitting that they will miss the Christmas season completely--even in Japan (if your shipments haven't reached retail customers by the end of October you have "missed Christmas"). No manufacturer in their right mind would voluntarily miss Christmas with a new product--especially in North America. If it involved a company's flagship product, it would mean certain death for that company. The PS3 is not "the" flagship product for Sony but it'll still be a huge setback.
Big, established companies don't need to wait to "predict the way they they can screw their customers" because they already know how. The best time to release a new, overhyped product is in the fall: You must get the first shipments out the factory door by the end of October so they can be on US store shelves in time for Thanksgiving long weekend. It helps to take pre-orders and manufacture jsut enough to fill those orders, plus a few more: you need to get enough units out to establish a market position but create enough of a shortage so that you can keep prices elevated (and in the videogame console market that often means minimise losses).
Don't worry, Sony will learn its lesson...it's missing Christmas this year..that means MS will enjoy another solid XBox360 Christmas without serios Sony competition. It also means that Nintendo could debut its Revolution without competition from Sony as well. All in all it means 2007 will likely be a real hurtin' year for Sony.
Not that 960x540 is half-bad:
A motion picture DVD on a progressive scan player is already 720x480 at 24fps or 720x576 at 25fps depending on TV system. Compared to DVD, 960x540 at movie frame rates is only 50% better than NTSC DVD and 25% better than PAL DVD. Is that so noticeable? Based on specs alone, it looks more like the difference between composite and S-video than the night and day that is progressive-scan DVD vs. HDTV.
I think the key thing is they aren't going to down-rez for now on the analog outputs, but are definitely leaving things open to do so in the future. Their launch titles are all catalog releases of little value, so it isn't much of a gamble for them to release them without the flag to drop the resolution. I would not be shocked to see them change their tune soon, though, and incorporate the flag on at least their new releases once they start putting them out day-and-date alongside the DVD. Also, you have to realize that this only applies to Sony Pictures releases. All of the other studios (Disney, Fox, etc) could still very well incorporate this flag on all of their Blu-ray discs.
On the other hand, the price that Microsoft is paying for its console will go down as well. And Microsoft can always come out with a "XBox360-Media" edition of the console that includes HD-DVD, DVR, and a big old hard drive for $50 cheaper then the PS3. At least, that's what I would do...
Spell cheek you've failed me four the last thyme!
Of course, seeing as you have an 'existing Xbox library,' I'm guessing you have an existing Xbox, meaning the benefit you'd get from the 360 would only be two fun games plus whatever you sell your Xbox for, plus the warm fuzzy feeling all /.ers get when they give MS large chunks of cash (and really, if it makes you feel good, then what else matters?).
Although the moon is smaller than the earth, it is farther away.
As a resident in Japan, I can tell you that reaction to this delay will be subdued and probably non-existent. In fact, I argue that sony picked the best time to announce this - one day before the relase of arguably the biggest game on the Japanese calendar - Final Fantasy XII. People here dont seem to care about the graphics or new specs as much - hence why the Xbox 360 has done so utterly poorly after its release here. Some slashdotters write about not being able to find an Xbox 360, I could walk into almost any electronics store in Tokyo and find one neglected on a back shelf. The Japanese will contently wait for the PS3, just like they have waited for Final Fantasy XII. Its not all about graphics to them, and they have enough games like FFX12 coming out on the PS2 to tide them over until November.
Sony simply cannot release a $400 PS3 that plays Blu-ray discs when stand-alone players debut in May @ $800.
There has been much speculation regarding how Sony would handle this problem. Either make Blu-ray movie playing an extra charge or delay the PS3 so that the stand-alone players have time to sell to early adopters. Looks like the latter has been chosen.
Evidence: Stand-alone players debut in May with the very same DRM that Sony says will delay the ps3 until November.
Motive: Sony needs support from partners to make Blu-ray a standard for home entertainment. Those partners would be undercut by a PS3 that plays Blu-ray movies at half the price of a stand-alone player.
-Karl
PS. Personally I would think there are several reasons for the delay in addition to the above.
They haven't shown a single playable game, ever.
They haven't shown working hardware.
They haven't even shown the non-terrible controller.
And now they say that copyprotection is the reason for the delay?
I'm not quite sure which emperical evidence to believe, but they were nowhere near hitting their ship for Spring. Without hardware, software, or even finalized images, what were they going to sell? The letters "3" "S" and "P" printed on little cards?
They weren't ready, plain and simple. They probably held out announcing it for a little while in order to choke off X360 sales, but it has been clear for some time now. They just weren't ready.
The ______ Agenda
Since xmas, xBox systems have been easily available on eBay.
"[...] the time when the corporations comprising the media cartels will be driven to paralysis by issues like DRM, and this is only the beginning."
I'd also point out that history is repeating itself.
One of the things that hurt Sony in developing a digital music player was the issue of DRM. "Oh, we can't sell a digital music player because people will have to rip their CDs and then they could share them with their friends over the Internet. The last thing we want to do is legitimize people ripping music from CDs. So until we can come up with a way to force the consumer to have to rebuy all their music to play it on a digital player, we'll just ignore the whole thing." Apple went and developed the iPod and shipped it about a year-and-a-half before developing a music store to sell DRMed music. Now Sony is left sucking wind releasing Walkman NW-2367s and Walkman Beans and trying to figure out why nobody cares about Sony's products.
By the time Sony gets their heads out of their hindquarters, gets everything all synched up between all their divisions so that they get "maximum synergy," and releases the PlayStation 3, consumers will have all moved on to Xbox Home Entertainment Systems or Revolutions or something else. Once again, Sony will be left holding the bag and saying, "Pay attention to me! I'm relevant!"
Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.
Sony is waiting for Toy Story to finish rendering on the box.
2003 Operating Income (Yen in billions)
2004 Operating Income (Yen in billions) 2005 Operating Income (Yen in billions): Of course, Electronics (which doesn't include Playstation) has the largest portion of sales (66.5% in 2005). But Games (includes consoles) brought in the most operating income in 2003 and 2004. In 2005, Games income dropped below Pictures (movies, tv) and Financial Services, but maybe that's because the PS2 is becoming a stale platform.TO START
PRESS ANY KEY
Where's the 'ANY' key? I see Esk, Kitarl, and Pig-Up...
Let's look on the bright side. If Sony was practically ready for a spring or summer launch, minus blu-ray, then doesn't this mean that a delayed launch will have double helpings of what the 360's more hurried launch was lacking? I'm sure Sony realizes what waiting this long means, but they know how they creamed the last two generations, and so I expect them to have a very, very strong lineup at launch time (which, from what I've heard so far, seems likely. At least as far as games I want to play go, I can't speak for everyone). Another possible bonus in delay is the fact that first-gen models of Playstations are notoriously glitchy. Maybe if the design people get an unexpected couple of extra months to troubleshoot, this won't be an issue.
Also, as much as I don't like this in-your-face copy protection, can someone please tell me which of the last generation of consoles (excluding Dreamcast) played burned games out of the box? It's something I've more or less grown accustomed to, and I find it very likely that despite their best efforts the thing will be cracked.
Sendou Wave Kick!!
Quote : "that creates a worrisome scenario for America and Europe.".
No. Worrisome is when you have an unexpected tissue growth under your skin. Worrisome is when your state/country begins to write law about censorship and reducing free speech like they print bank notes. Worrisome is when your neighbour country (or nearly) starts showing the finger to everybody and go on a cruisade to develop nuclear weapon. That is the definition of worrisome. The PS3 delaying for USA and EU by a few months is at best annoying or even disappointing, but if it make you build up worry you really need a better life.
C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
visit randi.org
Halo 3 release delayed until November.
Announcement on Playstation.jp - http://www.playstation.jp/news/2006/pr_060315_ps3. html
And some pics from the news conference on Famitsu - http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/2006/03/15/103,11 42401068,50042,0,0.html
They're going to do a worldwide simultaneous launch in November...
I suppose if a market "owner" like Nintendo could get reduced to a bit player by a format dispute with industry players (playstation was supposed to be an add on for SNES) the same could happen to sony.
Maybe nintendo could regain its market share crown at the end of this round? 360 has nothing even remotely approaching a killer app and if Halo3 is as underwhelming a development as halo2 was this isnt going to change soon.
Nintendo need to court the big 3rd parties (EA) with their licensed ticklist shovelware that everyone seems to buy and then i think they could steal back a lot of market share, and maybe even become market leaders again. But then again, they seem to carry on undaunted even when they are marginalised so it won't matter if they dont.
(1.21 gigawatts) / (88 miles per hour) = 30 757 874 newtons