Playstation 3 out in May

[Vanhalen 0]

Gamers will get their first glimpse of the next-generation PlayStation in May next year, Sony has said.

The electronics giant is planning to show off the console at the annual E3 video games trade show in Los Angeles.

 

But the chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment, Ken Kutaragi, did not say when the machine would go on sale to the public.

 

Rivals Microsoft and Nintendo are also working on new consoles, which could be unveiled at the same LA event.

 

Market leader

 

The PlayStation is the world's best-selling games console.

 

The PlayStation 2 (PS2) had sold more than 70 million copies by March this year, far ahead of Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's GameCube.

 

 

The new console from Nintendo is codenamed "Revolution"

The PS2 was helped by the fact that it went on sale a year head of its rivals, giving Sony a lead the others have not been able to claw back.

 

Its competitors are aiming to prevent a repeat of the same scenario and are racing to be the first to release the next generation of console.

 

Sony has now given its clearest indication yet of when its new machine will see the light of day.

 

At a briefing with developers, suppliers and media in Tokyo, Mr Kutaragi said it was planning to showcase its new console at next year's E3.

 

"There has been some talk that development is not going well, but we expect to have a playable version at E3," he said.

 

"We are pushing ahead with that schedule in mind."

 

He did not say when the console would be released. But the PS2 went on sale in Japan almost a year after it was first unveiled.

 

Nintendo has already indicated that it hopes to showcase its new machine, codenamed Revolution, at next year's E3, too.

 

And Microsoft is expected to follow suit with its successor to the Xbox to avoid being left behind.

[David Blazenwing 0]

The title's a bit misleading, isn't it? PS3 isn't going to be OUT in May like you state, it's just going to be shown to the public for the first time at E3.

 

 

[AndrewTS 0]

Then it will be out much earlier in Japan than in the US, and then it will probably be 6 months later before it'll be in the US.

 

So we're looking at 2006 for the PS3, or at least maybe the 2005 Christmas season.

 

Meh.

[Lightning Flik 0]

I'd say 2005 Christmas just because they want the profits of everyone trying to get the system.

[AndrewTS 0]

Yeah. They'll release it with two or three crappy games but people will still rush out to get it like it was that toy in JINGLE ALL THE WAY.

 

Why did so many idiots HAVE to have a PS2 at launch anyway?

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

There is no way that all 3 could launch in time for the 2005 Holidays and I can't see them releasing them anytime before September or October of 2006 so that they don't lose much of the holiday sales.

[KingPK 0]

Console holiday launches never seem like a great idea to me. If I was releasing a console, September or October seems like a perfect time to do it; it'll sell tons immediately, since people LOVE to have the latest gadget first (to answer Andrew's question above), and I'll probably have a good base established when the A-list games come out in late October-November, where people who waited until after launch to get the system would have a pretty good idea wether or not it is a good investment.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

this article from the AP is a bit different..

 

TOKYO - Sony Corp said it plans to unveil its next-generation PlayStation video game console before the end of March 2005, according to a news report on Monday.

 

Sony has been secretive about its next-generation consoles because of stiff competition from rivals Microsoft Corp. and Nintendo Co.

 

Takeshi Kutaragi, president of Sony Computer, told a news conference that the newest PlayStation would be on store shelves this fiscal year, but didn't reveal the product's specifications, Kyodo News agency said.

 

Japan's current fiscal year runs from April 2004 to March 2005.

 

If confirmed, that timeline would mean Sony's new game console will be out before the E3 convention in Los Angeles, scheduled for May. Sony and other video game makers have used E3, which draws game developers, fans and industry officials, for major product launches.

 

Sony's PlayStation2  game machine is the industry's best-selling console, though Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's GameCube have been gaining some ground by winning converts.

 

Kutaragi also said Sony would start selling PlayStation Portable, dubbed PSP — a handheld device with a color display, stereo speakers and wireless Internet for multiplayer games, music and videos — in Japan by the end of December, Kyodo reported.

 

PSP will be available in the U.S. and European markets by March 2005, Kutaragi was quoted as saying.

 

Officials at Sony's headquarters in Tokyo couldn't be reached for comment.

 

Im going to assume the PS3 will be on store shelves in Japan by next March.

[Lightning Flik 0]

Well this is interesting. March 2005 in Japan is when Sony says it'll be released? Interesting info.

 

If it is released before E3, we should be able to hear the cries of either joy or outrage from Japan on how the system is.

[Anya 0]

Why did so many idiots HAVE to have a PS2 at launch anyway?

One of the best fighting games ever made came out at PS2 launch.

[Guest bigm350]

I'll probably get a PS 3 but I'm damn sure not getting it at the launch date. I wonder how much this fucker will cost.

[Superstring 0]

Why did so many idiots HAVE to have a PS2 at launch anyway?

I was young and foolish, I know better now. Though it was fun to show it off for the first month I had it.

[Lightning Flik 0]

I'm lucky to say that I had one of the original PS2s (going by make that is), but I didn't get mine till later when it actually had games.

[AndrewTS 0]

Why did so many idiots HAVE to have a PS2 at launch anyway?

One of the best fighting games ever made came out at PS2 launch.

Tekken Tag Tournament was the most freakin' easily available arcade machine around, and could be played 50 cents a pop.

 

So why were people paying 100 extra dollars + above retail price for the system alone just to play it?

 

people LOVE to have the latest gadget first (to answer Andrew's question above)

 

With virtually nothing to play on it?

 

We call these people "idiots."

 

I waited a full year, when, you know, there were great games out on it like Devil May Cry and it was 100 bucks cheaper.

 

I'm lucky to say that I had one of the original PS2s (going by make that is), but I didn't get mine till later when it actually had games.

 

You are very wise, grasshoppa. The rest of you who caved in should be ashamed, and make these rat bastards earn your money.

[Anya 0]

Owning a home version is different than playing a game at the arcade.

 

 

Have you ever considered maybe, just maybe, some people actually liked the PS2 launch games? Just a wacky thought I had.

 

 

I know personally I didn't "cave in" and Sony "earned" my money. I got PS2 the day it came out because TTT is really awesome.

[AndrewTS 0]

"Owning a home version is different than playing a game at the arcade."

 

Yeah, you have to buy a joystick extra to play it at home to get the same experience.

 

"Have you ever considered maybe, just maybe, some people actually liked the PS2 launch games? Just a wacky thought I had."

 

Yeah, I considered that. That's why I called them idiots. Ridge Racer V sucked, Driving Emotion S sucked, Dark Cloud sucked, Oni sucked, etc. Okay, that skiing game didn't look too bad...

 

"I know personally I didn't "cave in" and Sony "earned" my money. I got PS2 the day it came out because TTT is really awesome."

 

Well, the money wasn't much of a big deal to you...but there were people with a lot less money to throw around obsessed on obtaining the nigh-worthless thrown-together black box. I'm glad it croaked early on many of those fools.

[Guest Askewniverse]

I waited a full year, when, you know, there were great games out on it like Devil May Cry and it was 100 bucks cheaper.

Didn't the PS2 price drop happen well over a year after launch? I bought my PS2 in November 2001 and it still cost $300. I remember waiting for a price drop around that time, but I caved in and bought a PS2 anyway because I just had to have THPS 3 and GTA III.

 

Have you ever considered maybe, just maybe, some people actually liked the PS2 launch games? Just a wacky thought I had.

What were the launch games? The only one I can remember is Tekken Tag Tournament.

[Guest Staravenger]

I personally am not the type who needs to fucking thing the day it comes out. It took me 2 years to get a PS2, about 2 1/2 years to get a Gamecube, and a few months for Xbox (as a present).

 

Besides, the first games always suck, so it won't be something I'd want bad.

[Anya 0]

Yeah, you have to buy a joystick extra to play it at home to get the same experience.

 

 

Plus there's that whole "have to be at the arcade to play it" thing.

 

 

Well, the money wasn't much of a big deal to you...but there were people with a lot less money to throw around obsessed on obtaining the nigh-worthless thrown-together black box. I'm glad it croaked early on many of those fools.

 

 

Even if I didn't have a lot of money I would have bought it and it would have been worth it.

 

 

What were the launch games? The only one I can remember is Tekken Tag Tournament.

 

 

Silent Scope, SF EX 3, Dynasty Warriors 2, DOA2, Fantavision, SSX, some othjer stuff.

 

 

I'm glad it croaked early on many of those fools.

 

 

I've bought 5 PS2s!

[AndrewTS 0]

I waited a full year, when, you know, there were great games out on it like Devil May Cry and it was 100 bucks cheaper.

Didn't the PS2 price drop happen well over a year after launch? I bought my PS2 in November 2001 and it still cost $300. I remember waiting for a price drop around that time, but I caved in and bought a PS2 anyway because I just had to have THPS 3 and GTA III.

Not sure. I'm fairly certain I waited for the price drop to get it, but come to think of it it may have been a used one or something, because I think that was about the same time I got mine, since I had it to play MGS2.

 

Anyway, I'm a notorious cheap ass, and got my original Playstation something like 6 months after launch, since I was able to get it through a friend of my brother-in-law's for 200 bucks instead of 300. It may have been a hot one, but I didn't have any suspicions of that.

 

Plus there's that whole "have to be at the arcade to play it" thing.

 

I weigh costs vs. benefit--clearly the cost was too much.

 

Silent Scope, SF EX 3, Dynasty Warriors 2, DOA2, Fantavision, SSX, some othjer stuff.

 

Was on DC and in arcade; sucked; wouldn't have cared anyway; sucked; never heard of it; and that skiiing game.

 

I mentioned the other launch titles above. Yeah, they mostly sucked.

 

I've bought 5 PS2s!

 

Because Sony's early models were pieces of crap?

[Lightning Flik 0]

I've bought 5 PS2s!

...geez, me and Anya here bust our PS2s often, eh?

[Anya 0]

It's a mix of them breaking and me wanting multiple.

 

Original launch PS2 broke after a few years so I bought a new one.

Then I got an import PS2 to play Tekken 4 early.

Then I bought a used PS2 to take to work.

That PS2 broke so I got another used PS2 to take it's place.

 

I've had 4 PSXs.

[Guest Askewniverse]

I've bought 5 PS2s!

Damn. I've had my PS2 for nearly 3 years and I've never had to buy a second one. I bought the two-year extended warranty from EB as a precaution. I only used it once, which allowed me to get the new "+" model.

 

Buying an extended warranty may sound stupid, but it's a lot better than having to shell out a couple hundred bucks every time the system craps out.

[Anya 0]

I did get an extended warrenty on the used one.

[AndrewTS 0]

Askew: I also got the extended, since I knew how notoriously the early PSX's and PS2's were pieces of crap. I don't think I needed to use it, though.

[KingPK 0]

I got mine at Christmas 2001, and I haven't had a single problem. I was getting some DRE's for a bit, but I just popped the thing open and cleaned the lense with rubbing alcohol....problem solved.

[NoCalMike 0]

Is this actually the PS3 they are talking about, or just the PSX that is a PS2 with added features to make it the "central unti" in your home theater system. I mean is it confirmed that it is the PS3 they are talking about?

[razazteca 0]

If something broke on me multiple times I would stop buying said product. I don't like Samsung products for this reason. I don't understand how someone could buy 5 PS2s damn thats alot of money.

[Lightning Flik 0]

If something broke on me multiple times I would stop buying said product. I don't like Samsung products for this reason. I don't understand how someone could buy 5 PS2s damn thats alot of money.

When all my games are on the system and at the time was the only system I'd owned, therefore, buying a new one and losing my ol' games wasn't really an option.

 

If it broke now, I'd just sell off my PS2 games and stock up some more on my GBA and GC.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Is this actually the PS3 they are talking about, or just the PSX that is a PS2 with added features to make it the "central unti" in your home theater system. I mean is it confirmed that it is the PS3 they are talking about?

The PSX is out, it's Japan-only, it's prone to breaking down and making people angry. To make it worse, they named it with the initials most people used to refer to the original PlayStation.