By Mike Smith
7 Sep 2006



Poor Ken Kutaragi. The Sony CEO's promises that the PS3 would launch simultaneously all around the world in November were yesterday revealed to be a little premature. Only North America and Japan will receive the console this year, and with just half the number of consoles that Sony previously planned.

Shortages of a component used to make the machine's high-tech Blu-Ray optical drive are being blamed for the rethink. For Europeans and Australians, of course, it's just the latest in a series of snubs that dates back decades -- when console launches turn sour, it's always Europe where the hammer lands.

And yes, as always the Internet is the place where fan reaction can best be gauged. Take a look at www.thisiswaiting.com, a play on Sony's "This Is Living" European ad campaign -- a day-old site already crammed with pithy Photoshopped witticisms on Sony's misfortune. [Warning: Discretion is advised.]

Joking aside, this situation doesn't leave Sony in a happy place. The proposed total of 400,000 units for launch in the U.S. is nothing, and the situation has the potential to make the ludicrous Xbox 360 launch look like a positively smooth experience in comparison. In short, Sony's current status as unassailable market leader is starting to look a little shaky.

Meantime, the Xbox 360 continues to shore up its already strong position -- with almost a year under its belt, it's the only platform in the next-gen game so far. Nintendo, too, is sure to be delighted at its rival's difficulties, and continues to enthuse traditional gamers and novices alike with the Wii's innovative hardware design and bang-on marketing strategy (the initial uproar over the controversial moniker aside).

The PS3 has faced difficulty after difficulty this year: the furore over its steep price tag, agitation at its disappointing E3 showing, the loss of the Grand Theft Auto exclusivity cash cow, and now the dual setback of a European delay and the familiar specter of launch shortages for the rest of us. When are things going to start going right for Sony?

Have you changed your PS3 purchasing plans as a result of this news? Do you live in one of the affected territories?


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