It's Official: PS3 launching worldwide November 2006

[Zeus]

The Playstation 3 will launch across all regions in November 2006, says it will support an Xbox Live-like online gaming service; console will require a 60GB Linux HDD--but will it be sold separately ask Gamespot.

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TOKYO--Today at the 2006 PlayStation Business Briefing in Tokyo, Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutagari made it official--the PlayStation 3 has been delayed. The news confirmed widely circulated Japanese newspaper reports, which said that the delay was due to copyright-protection problems with the next-generation console's Blu-ray drive. For his part, Kutaragi would only say the delay was due to "Blu-ray spec finalization."

Kutaragi told the crowd at the event that the PS3 would now launch in November 2006 worldwide. That dispelled fears that the console would make it to Japan in time by the fall, but would miss the all-important holiday shopping season in the US and Europe. In fact, Kutaragi explicitly told the crowd of game retailers and journalists present that the PS3 would arrive before Thanksgiving in all territories.

Besides the delay, Kutaragi also made official another widely reported aspect of the PS3. He said that Sony is indeed preparing an Xbox Live-like online gaming service for the console, which would be called the "PlayStation Network Platform." Though he was short on specifics, the executive did say that currently Sony planned the service to be "free."

While the simultaneous tri-territory PS3 scheme may sound much like Microsoft's international launch of the Xbox 360, Sony plans to avoid the shortages that befell its competitor. Kutaragi said that the company plans on producing at least one million units of the console each month in order to keep the supply channel full. He said the goal was to ship 6 million PS3s worldwide by March 2007.

[UPDATE] The SCE president also told the crowd that the PS3 would use a 60GB 2.5" hard disc drive (HDD). A slide show during the presentation said the HDD would will be loaded with the Linux operating system versus Microsoft's Windows OS. The show also said it could be used as a "home server" and be directly connected to the Internet, and be full "upgradeable."

Kutaragi also made it clear that the hard drive will be necessary to play games--Sony is telling developers to make games assuming every PS3 has a hard drive installed. "We view the Hard Drive to be mandatory for the PS3," he said. "Rather than have developers create games for the PS3 with or without the HDD, we will be asking them to develop games as though all PS3s have the HDD installed."

However, Kutaragi revealed that Sony had not decided whether or not the PlayStation 3 would come with the hard-drive pre-installed. "We might end up installing it in all PS3s, though that depends on the market," he said. This raises the possibility that the PS3 could be sold without a piece of hardware needed to play PS3 games--in effect forcing consumers to buy a peripheral for basic functionality.

Kutaragi also said that PS3 games would be released only on Blu-ray discs, as DVDs have become too easy for software pirates to duplicate. The high-capacity format is capable of storing around 50GB on a single disc. Sony reps confirmed the PS3 will still play DVDs and CDs, as well as PS2 and PSone discs, as previously announced.


News Source: <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/news/6145972.html" target="_blank">Gamespot.com</a>

[Souzar]

I think I will have to get one, but I dont have a HDTV.:(

[jpxdude]

I think Sony are making a lot of promises ready to be broken...The whole ROOTKIT fiasco still leaves me guessing :-/

It doesn't make sense to sell an incomplete unit that won't play games without the addition of a HDD...nobody wants an expensive dvd/audio player.

[SLAYERPSP]

how much? and the hdd better come with it lets sell a system that doesnt play games unless you buy are hdd that makes no sense thats like selling a car without a transmission so what are they selling a blu ray player or a game player sony get your act together

[SLAYERPSP]

I think I will have to get one, but I dont have a HDTV.:(
save your money for a tv first no hdtv no point just like the 360 no hdtv why bother

[RottenFox]

save your money for a tv first no hdtv no point just like the 360 no hdtv why bother

complete bollocks,the 360 does indeed look nice on hd or non hdtvs..
its all about the tv,no sense in your comment.
and by the time he has a ps3 and a hdtv,hdtvs will be old news,as new SED tv will be on the verge of being released,and put an end to the not nearly perfect plasma and lcd displays.

[whackawookie]

anybody else bothered by the fact that sony is telling developers to make every game hdd required yet in the same article state that the hdd may have to be purchased seperately?

[Jason Voorhees]

im having second thoughts on the PS3 now. at one point he says that the HDD is Required. then he says it may not come with the PS3. you pay about $400 for the PS3. then another $100 for the HDD. you might as well by a 360. i was just guessing on the prices. i think ill wait about a year or 2 before i decide if i want to get it.

[whackawookie]

im having second thoughts on the PS3 now. at one point he says that the HDD is Required. then he says it may not come with the PS3. you pay about $400 for the PS3. then another $100 for the HDD. you might as well by a 360. i was just guessing on the prices. i think ill wait about a year or 2 before i decide if i want to get it.

as long as im not alone on that. dont get me wrong i will definately end up with a ps3, hell i was about to go put a reserve on it today but what good is it if i reserve the system and cant find a hdd the day of launch because they choose to go with it not bundled

[Jason Voorhees]

personally, i think SONY should do what MS did with the 1st xbox.

[Entomber]

Seems like in his speech or mentioning of the features he is purposedly knocking Microsofts shortcomings. Sony has been known to promise. I'll wait. I know I'll get one but I'll hang tight until thereis a killer app or a way the defeat it's copy protection.

Blu Ray burners anyone?

[Jason Voorhees]

just imagine how much the Blu-Ray burners will cost for the pc. and on top of that. the Blu-Ray disc's themselves.

[AceMilo]

First of all, the word peripheral has a very specific meaning, so if it is indeed a peripheral, it will be seperate. I'm gonna guess that it will be usb based and they will have 2 skus, one with a hd for $500 and one without for $400 so you can use your own if you choose.

As far as bluray games, this is idiotic. Sony is gonna have a highly desired game system, and sony cant secure their way out of a paper bag, it will be hacked, period. With the ability to use large hdds natively, thats just begging for games to be stored on it, or just burn the games on dvdr9's since I highly doubt the games will be bigger than that. Having games on bluray discs doesn't prevent piracy (dreamcast anyone?) and will only increase the cost of the games (I predict $75 per game minimum since sony hates to eat costs).

On another note, why does sony insist on having their GAMING CONSOLES do 900 different things besides playing games??? Convergence devices are rarely good and ppl rarely use them. Look at the psp, it does everything under the sun, but does them all poorly. The games (primary function) are awful and just rehashes (psone emulator??? come on now, every psp game is a ps1 or 2 game just rehashed), the video player is useless without a large hdd like the ipod, umd movies are useless and over expensive, the web browser is basically useless I have a pc/laptop/cell phone that can do it better, etc. Do we really need a camera, gps, and voip on a gaming platform? I don't think so. Look back at history at old consoles. The nes did nothing but play games, same with snes, atari, genesis, etc. The ps3 will be the jack of all trades, master of none.

360 + revolution for me.

[cristofer50]

The xbox 360 will be worth buying only after it is hacked. I'm sorry to say, but the 360 release was a complete failure. Talk about a crappy line up. I still can't believe they decided not to add a hdd as the standard. That only knocked about half a generation off. That ruined any chance of me buying a 360. The system was not made for the gamer, and I do not agree with you that the PS3 is not purely for gaming, because if it wasn't no real gamer would buy it. I never bought the PS2 because the Xbox pwned that system in all categories. Graphics, sound, value (except the FF series). It's all about the games, and the xbox made a habit out of of producing GREAT games. And your damn straight the hard drive played an important role into that success.

If the PS3 includes a HDD with their gaming platform, it will be the smartest move ever made by Sony. The xbox 360 was made for the general audience... the PS3 is not. They have the gamer in mind and that's all that counts.

[AceMilo]

I don't understand how you can say the ps3 is only for gamers. They are pushing the fact that its a cheap bluray player WAYYYYYYYY more than the games. Look at the speach, all hardware news, no software. Sony is trying to take over the living room by creating an all in one machine that does everything under the sun but can't do anything particularly well. If the ps3 was solely for gamers, then why does it have a bluray player? Why does it have online shopping? Why does it stream movies/music? All of those things distract from the games. The 360 does more or less the same things but has gaming in mind. Sure the ps3 is gonna have a hard drive, but its gonna be SOLD SEPERATE and is going to be REQUIRED. What kind of bullshit is that? I guess you can buy a $400 - $500 blu ray player than add another $100 if you wanna buy games. That sounds pretty anti-gamer to me.

[whackawookie]

The xbox 360 was made for the general audience... the PS3 is not. They have the gamer in mind and that's all that counts.

"Last year, Kutaragi explained: "[PS3] is not a game machine. We've never once called it a game machine. I'm not going to reveal [the PS3's] price today. I'm going to only say that it'll be expensive. I'm aware that with all these technologies, the PS3 can't be offered at a price that's targeted towards households."

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/695/695787p1.html

wanna rethink that. lol

[cristofer50]

Sony knew Microsoft was going to try and invade the living room with the Xbox 360 and HD-DVD, so naturally Sony was going to defend their territory with the Bue Ray. Microsoft stated many times that it would include the HD-DVD with its console, but backed out at the last minute. Now they are not going to even offer it as an add-on. Well maybe not until they see the damage Sony will inflict on them with the Blue-Ray disc. Sony is at least sticking to the agenda, and Sony is the main benefactor of the blue ray media. So of course Sony is going to have to add it to their PS3 cash cow, even if it drives up the costs.

Microsoft's manufacturing costs were already staggering. If they were to have included the hd-dvd.. I guess the question to ask is, would it have been worth it, for the sake of the games? J Allard has said it himself that the Xbox 360 was targetted to the general audience. That's pretty lame in my books. This is 2006... certain people have come to expect a lot out of a gaming system.

I guess its going to come down to how much the PS3 will cost. Because with the amount of storage on a blue ray disc, plus a HDD, plus the muscle, plus the games coming out... well I mean how can it not be considered a console killing gaming device? They have everything they'll ever need for years to come. Who knows what kind of junk Xbox 360 will toss us just to stay in the game.

[cristofer50]

that statement is practically infamous in the gaming universe wackawookie :)

He knows the gamers will spend whatever it takes.

[whackawookie]

its cool everyone has there views i dont think exchange of words will help either of us prove our points until november but until then, ill be enjoying me some good ol' 360 gems. :D

[AceMilo]

MS already said they will be selling an hd-dvd addon officially, so I don't know where your coming from. I think its nice to have the OPTION of buying the next gen player instead of being FORCED into one or the other. So your new shiny ps3 has a bluray player? Whoopie, less than 25% of tv owners actually own an hdtv, and even less have hdmi and even less than that have 1080p sets. People are not going to want to buy their movies AGAIN after already buying them on dvd. In 5 years or so once everyone has hdtvs, then ya bring on the cheap next gen dvd players. As of now, I'm not willing to pay a premium for the privilage of owning untested and nonstatndard hardware.

The ps3 will not look any better than the 360, mark my words. They may throw in a ****-ton of cgi cutscenes to make the games look better, but the gameplay will be identical. In this day and age, exclusives are basically a nonissue, every game more or less comes out on all the systems. Only the revolution will have unique exclusive games. The 360 has more than enough power to counter anything the ps3 can do. Just remember in 1999 sony said that all ps2 games will have "toy story" graphics. Sony is infamous for lying and overhyping so take anything they say with a grain of salt.

Anyway, back to GRAW :)

[Jason Voorhees]

In this day and age, exclusives are basically a nonissue, every game more or less comes out on all the systems.

like we're gonna see Halo on PS3 or Gran Turismo on Xbox360.

[AceMilo]

Behold, your precious PS3!:

http://www.gamespot.com/pages/image_viewer/frame.php?pid=932329&img=1&sid=undefined

Enjoy the craptacular graphics!

[cristofer50]

Haha I saw that picture a few days ago. And you want to know what I said to myself? It's only March! And that game will suck hoo dilly anyways.

The system is coming out in November. Metal Gear already looks like a masterpiece in the making, and it will be PS3's defining game at launch. It looks like a true next-gen game even right now! The 360 needed that kind of early definement, and it just doesn't have it, still! It won't it unless it comes out with a Ninja Gaiden or Halo 3 type app killer.

Namco will bring Ninja Gaiden to PS3 undoubtedly, and Halo 3 will be off the chains for the 360... but Halo 3 just ain't enough these days to topple Sony.. at least not now. I never said anything about the graphics since I know they will in fact be indistinguishable from one another in the next few years, but the PS3 already looks wayyyy ahead of the 360 in terms of power. That's Microsoft's own fault by rushing the system. Now they have no chance in backing it up because they produced a line up of hurried, **** games that everyday gamers will see for what its worth compared to the PS3, and the PS3 will bury them...

Sadly, I really was looking forward to Microsoft taking over the gaming biz, but this really was a let down.

[whackawookie]

Namco will bring Ninja Gaiden to PS3 undoubtedly, and Halo 3 will be off the chains for the 360... but Halo 3 just ain't enough these days to topple Sony.. at least not now.


er i kind of dont think u should jump the gun with a definate response with team ninja and ps3 considering the head of team ninja has already had some not so nice words about the cell processor, why would he jump ship from the system that output his best masterpiece in such high quality to one he hasnt worked on? as for graphically, the only reason sony graphics look better then the 360's at launch is because look at the ample amount of time sony gave devs to work on launch games, ur telling me gears of war doesnt look amazing? in anycase it doesnt matter because nothing would bring me more laughter then to hear hideo delay mgs4 until 2007 and leave ps3 with a less appealing launch then 360 and make fanboys eat there words because right now thats the only supposed launch game for ps3 that even sounds interesting

[cristofer50]

im not jumping the gun, but undoubtedly, in a business sense, it would would be suicide for them not to bring the gaiden series to the PS3. And they know this.

To my knowledge team ninja are not being held by any binding agreement with Mircrosoft.. so why not bring it to the PS3? I just read up at gamespot that Ken Kutargi feels the same exact way I do, "We view the hard drive to be mandatory for the PS3,". This will just make the development of the games that much easier for programmers. So now I view it as a give-take situation concerning the cell.

I wasn't aware of those comments that were made about the cell processor, but I do remember reading that they were very interested in the PS3 anyways, because they know their investors would throw a **** fit if they didn't lol.

[AceMilo]

Hard drive? You mean the optional one that is sold seperate and is required for gaming? That hard drive? Give me a break. The 360 is here now and i'm enjoying every minute with it. GRAW is one of the best games I have ever played, plain and simple. Geometry wars is a blast. Listen, the fact is that the ps3 isnt coming until november so they have plenty of time to make lots of cgi cut scenes and such to make the games look so much better than the gameplay is (FF7 I'm looking at you, the whole marketing campaign was showing cut scenes and not one gameplay scene). If you really think the ps3 will look better than a top of the line pc, you are in a fantasy world. Find the old demos sony showed at e3 in 99 and see what they said the ps2 would look like. Sony is the king of hype. I've learned to believe things when I see them, not because someone says so, and this is especially true for sony.

[aic007]

As the proud owner of a 360 and almost a dozen games I can say that the system has met my expectations and surpasses them everytime a new game releases. Fight Night 3 looks insane and is a great game, which also outsold the PS2 version 2:1, considiering there aabout 2-3 million 360's worldwide and about 40 million PS2, people see the power of the system and dont want the inferior version. GRAW, cant say more than already has been said. This is a must own game for all military game fans.

Every dev and and hardware person in the business has stated there will be very little difference in the graphic quality between the next gen systems so stop with all the PS3 will blow the doors off the 360 graphics wise, it all will come down to the dev and the tools that they use. The 360 is infinately easier to program for, so they can spend more time tweaking games as opposed to trying to get them to run. The main advantage Sony has is the Blue Ray drive. More disc space which really only adds to the amt of CGI they will fill games with. I could care less about that, GRAW in game cut scenes look insane and it flows alot better. And if Oblivion can fit on one DVD I'm not too worried about disc size. Not to mention that the 360 controller melts in your hand its so comfortable.

I am sure I will own a PS3 one day but if I do go buy one on launch it will be for resale on EBAY, since the 360 will just start hitting its stride with games really taking advantage of the hardware. I own all three current systems and my xbox library outnumbers all the others by 3:1, better games with better graphics.

The price of the system on top of games is going to make it very difficult for most people to really buy into the PS3, people already complained that the 360 was expensive and games cost 10bucks more, BR movies on average are 10 bucks more than dvd's. I know I am not going to rebuy the 500 dvd's I currently have, especially at the price they will be. How many copies of The Fifth Element does one person need?

Can't wait for the official price to be released, and also the reports on how much Sony is eating, this one is gonna hurt them big time.

[bigdogbush]

First of all, If sony is just releasing their first gen of stand alone blu-ray players at 700$-800$, do you really think this PS3 system, that has a blu-ray player built-in, is gonna sell for less than $500? NO WAY...Sony is never gonna cut their own throat by selling a gaming system/Blu-Ray Player combo for 1/2 the price of their cheapest stand-alone. Not to mention the fact that the HD will be seperate. I believe selling the HD as an add-on is the only way this system will sell for less than $500! And if you say you wouldnt waste your money on a XBOX360 because it dont have a HD....BUY THE PREMIUM PACK! Im not saying I wont buy a PS3, Because I will, but I have no delusions of a 300$ system.