IGN takes stab at PS3 release date

[CARTIER90]

Out Then, No Sooner
Dear Misters Roper, Dunham, Castro, and Sulic,

I'll make this letter as short as possible, easy to read, and poignant. I'm a video games retailer and I've been anticipating Playstation 3 ever since E3, like most everyone else. I want to get my heart pumping for the mythical March '06 release, but is it really POSSIBLE? I'm not asking specifically if it WILL, (still far too soon to say), but could it, realistically?

Could a global launch actually happen late Q1 06, early Q2? Please don't go into hypothetical situations..is this something us gamers can truly base hope into?

Personally, I fear we won't see the PS3 in the 'States until well into Holday 2006, but again, there's many reasons why we WOULD get our mitts on it this Spring..

Pure competition, and to make up for the lack of PS2 consoles at retail last Christmas and therefore regain trust in customers. Can they afford a global launch? Can the parts needed be created in abundance? Is there any, ANY credible information comforting you sirs at IGN that it's just a matter now of 6 months of waiting, and not 12?

I've decided to ask once and for all because my Sony rep has said she was 'Absolutely told without any conjecture' Playstation 3 will not release in America until Holiday 2006. At the same time, our local Sony Style store rep I spoke with today has said a global launch is imminent this spring, and not in the winter. Who is more informed in this?

Thanks for your time!

-- Topher


PS3 may release in Japan this spring, but it will most certainly not hit North America and Europe until the fall or winter of 2006 (at the earliest). I got word from very distinguished industry veterans on that.

There's just no chance. It seems Sony is quietly telling the big devs and pubs to prepare for it, too.

-- Ivan




The above is from IGN.com, damn, damn , double damn.....im from uk and can see the PS3 being a christmas 06/07 release if the 'distinguished' industry guy is right.........oh well 360 will do for now.........

[FerrianX]

Honestly I dislike IGN, specially their mail bag section... I think the only half ass decent writer they have there is Matt Casamassina (Editor-in-Chief IGNCube). Don't take anything IGN has to say too literally as i doubt even they know heavy details... if the dev's are being kept in the dark, why the hell would an IGN rep be more privy to any special info???

[Sendok]

If Sony wants to do a spring launch for a world wide audiance they will do so If the cost of the blu-ray drive dosen't kill em.

[CARTIER90]

Dang - ???, what was i smokin lol, if any admin person would change the title thread to damn it would be much appreciated....

[Sontaku Igumi]

... I don't trust them at all myself. I'll wait until Sony themself says something.

[xbdestroya]

I'd wait for Sony's word as well - I could see a launch that late as being possible, but certanly not ideal for Sony. Anyway thread title changed as per your request Cartier.

[jako]

I remind you all where the announce "spring 06" was made : in Los Angeles.
Come on guys, Sony would never tell such a precise date in America and 6 month later tell it was BS and delay the PS3 until winter 06.
For me this IGN answer is just some sort of M$ propagand.

[FerrianX]

A projected launch date of Spring 2006 doesn't mean an exact launch date of Spring 2006. Not only that, but it doesn't ensure a release for JPN / USA / UK region's at the same time... Sony never lied about anything, and MS can't claim propaganda rights to anything since Sony just hasn't specified details yet. Just be patient for Sony to release an official statement and then we'll know what's really going down.

[Grandia]

I'm not gonna say they're wrong, but didn't Ivan also say that the PS3 was shaping up to be a crappy system and so on and so forth?

[Sendok]

A projected launch date of Spring 2006 doesn't mean an exact launch date of Spring 2006. Not only that, but it doesn't ensure a release for JPN / USA / UK region's at the same time... Sony never lied about anything, and MS can't claim propaganda rights to anything since Sony just hasn't specified details yet. Just be patient for Sony to release an official statement and then we'll know what's really going down.

you might wanna recant that wee little bit about Sony.

[F089/H]

Hmmm
To think,I almost registered on IGN when I was Banned....:D

I know I made the right desicion to abstain from them..:)

[FerrianX]

you might wanna recant that wee little bit about Sony.

I think you misunderstood me... by saying Sony never lied about anything, I meant that they never said in official stone words 'we are going to release the playstation 3 100% in spring of 2006' nor did they state 'we are going to do a multi-region (JPN / USA / UK) release'... it was just a projected date, and nothing concrete.

Btw before putting up any kind of sig including something of mine, you better make sure you fully understand what it is I'm saying.

[woundingchaney]

Really from many sources (not just ign) Sony is believed to be launching outside of Japan at holiday 2006. This is most likely the time frame (opinion).

[lip2lip]

I know sony loves to cash in on holiday binge spending, but if holiday 2006 for all markets expect japan, why not also delay japan release for 65nm process in spring quarter, and release ps3 with 5 gigahz cpu/ram, obviously 750 mhz rsx.

it is pointless to delay for after die shrink for 90% of markets, any other console (nintendo) would swoop in with a 65 nm console and destroy all, and in an earlier time frame.

[Voidler]

Is this the same Ivan who knew "without a doubt" that Xbox 2 would exceed PS3 in power, early this year / late last year?

[koldfuzion]

I really doubt holiday 2006 in North America is plausible. I just can't imagine Sony would let M$ have NA the market to itself for such a long time. Particularly if they may have to release at a higher price point. If they are having problems with RSX or some production issue maybe, but if that is the case, KKs head is going to roll. That would be extremely embarrassing. And yes, they said spring of 2006 without specifying regions, and sure it could be Japan, then US, then ROW, but with M$ coming out simultanoeusly, or nearly so, that's just ridiculous. Yes, they would not have "lied" I agree there, but the expectations in the market are clearly for a launch in the first half of 2006.

They absolutely have to get this thing out by late spring so they can get all the early adopters to pay full freight, get them out of the way, and then start cutting prices by holiday 2006 to build out the installed base as much as possible--since they will be pretty far behind M$ at that point who will have one holiday season plus 2-3 quarters of console sales under their belt worldwide by that point. Sony has about a 2-3 month window to get early adopters out of the way, so any delay is going to be very costly. The devs will go ballistic if there are not enough consoles out there to support games by the end of the year having dumped millions into development. Sony has to have a pretty good bead on its timing by now. You can bet your ass M$ is going to start cutting its prices by Holiday 2006, by then its system will have been out for nearly 12 months. So anyway, barring a major engineering hiccup (which is entirely possible) I would still put my money on spring 2006 in north america, or at the very worst mid-summer. Strategically, holiday 2006 in NA I think is a major PR and business disaster for Sony--and God knows their earnings are for s&*&, they don't need any more disasters.

[Ducey]

I've never trusted IGN.

I'm not saying they're always wrong, I just see a lot of slant towards a particular monopolising anti-trusting company

[tazz3]

I will waite for sonys word also.
but if they dont have many games ready for a launch spring
here in america they should waite to next fall.
i dont want sony launching a half baked PS3 with tons of bugs
and not a great launch line up.
but waiteing for fall 06 might hurt them a little bit.
MS has the people brain washed about the 360.
every where i go people are talking 360 lol.

[Black Dragon37]

My guess is that Sony are gonnawatch Microsoft's simultaneous launch very carefully, see how successful it is, make predictions, then have a couple launch dates ready.

Right now, we can't say shit about what Sony's launch dates are gonna be until we watch Microsoft's launch. :)