PS3 to launch in 2003

[MVS]

http://quote.bloomberg.com/fgcgi.cgi...vUaBVqU29ueSB0

Sony to Introduce PlayStation 3 in 2003, Commercial Times Says
By Alan Patterson

Tokyo, March 10 (Bloomberg) -- Sony Corp., the world's second- largest consumer-electronics maker, will introduce the PlayStation 3 video-game console this year, two years ahead of schedule, to widen its lead over rivals, the Commercial Times said, citing unidentified people at Taiwanese parts suppliers.

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. of Taiwan, which assembles the PlayStation 2 for Sony, and other parts suppliers on the island will start trial production next month, the report said.

Sony may start selling the PlayStation 3 in Japan as early as midyear and overseas by the end of the year, the report said. The PlayStation 3 will use an unidentified processor different from the PlayStation 2 chip, which is made by Toshiba Corp., the report said. Calls to the public relations department of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., Sony's game unit, were not answered.

Tokyo-based Sony, in collaboration with International Business Machines Corp. and Toshiba, is developing a new processor capable of handling sophisticated graphics and sound over the Internet. The chip, called ``Cell,'' is still in development, Molly Smith, a spokeswoman with Sony Computer Entertainment America, said on March 4.

Sounds like BS to me.

[Diff-chan]

2 years is a big span of time. Like... development of a launch library time span. Does anybody really believe this system was far along in 2001 or even 2002 so that developers could start working on games for 2003.

And what of marketing? I think companies like a year at least to hype up their system before its released. Even if the PS3 hype machine was started today and the system came out on December 31st you still have less than 9 months for hype.

Plus the PS2 is still selling at $199.99, and its still beating the shit out of every other console.

I know, I know, this is all common sense, but Im mentioning it before everyone else does haha!

[MVS]

I dunno if they would market it early, that could only kill sales of the PS2.

I do know of comapanies that have made games based on the specs of Dev Kits, and not Dev Kits themselves.

[Jeremy]

Sony would kill the PlayStation brand name by doing this. Because of that, I'm all for it.

[MVS]

How?

[Rumpy]

That would be like pulling a sega. Throw out another add-on (system in this case) and you splinter your market and no one buys it. With so many people still buying PS2's what would be the point? Then in 2 years MS and and Nintendo have much more powerful consoles? Bologana I tell you, bologana.

[MVS]

Nintendo and MS are making their next consoles. If Sony puts out the PS3 a year before those, the PS2 still has a longer life than both the GC and XB.

Wouldn't that splinter them for MS and Nintendo just as well?

[Josh]

I'd buy it... I love new technology.

[negitoro]

This sounds like absolute BS. For starters, their source isn't anyone official but a parts supplier.... in Taiwan even.

In any case, if they DO launch at midyear... oh boy... it's going to be the WORST LAUNCH EVER.

No developers I hear have recieved dev kits. I know people working on PS3 titles in the industry and they're working on 'projected specs' and the games are just starting to break out of the planning phases.

[child810]

If anything it's probably a smaller PS2, and that's why they need these parts