Cavin-SmithThough NDAs on Sony's business conference have yet to be lifted, Wall Street financial sources seem to confirm that the Playstation 3 will not be hitting shelves until at least November of this year:
14-Mar-06 12:28 ET In Play Sony to delay the release of its PlayStation 3 next-generation video game console – DJ (SNE) 47.48 +0.71: Dow Jones reporting that Sony Computer Entertainment will delay the release of its PlayStation 3 next-generation video game console until early November because the copy protection technology for the Blu-ray Disc has not been finalized, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported in its Wednesday morning edition.
Considering that the original report came from a Japanese newspaper, it is assumed that the Novemeber release date is intended for Japan. Unless there is a simultaneous release in the US, as well, domestic gamers may not see the PS3 until 2007. If the Blu-ray copy protection isn't finished, that may also delay the release of Sony's standalone players for the new format, giving HD-DVD a slight edge.
Once the NDAs are lifted and more details are confirmed, we'll have them for you.