The PS3 is out in North American and Japan, but the rest of the world has been forced to wait until March to sample Sony’s next-gen machine. This means that by the time the PS3 is available in Australia, the Wii will have a four-month head start and the 360 will have an 11-month head start. However, despite all this, Sony clearly isn’t concerned about the delay; they’re confident that Blu-Ray will bring victory in the next-gen console battle.
"The Wii-type functionality is more just a sub-element of what the PlayStation 3 offers," Nic Foster, general manager for Sony Australia & New Zealand, told the Sydney Morning Herald. "Wii is a core gaming device. It's a more fun, intuitive sort of product to pick up, where the PS3 is a broader entertainment solution; so you can have your fun, enjoyable gaming…but then you have a whole suite of other applications…such as Blu-ray media playback, the ability to access your music, access your photos and the interoperability with the PlayStation Portable."
And apparently, Sony Europe isn’t worried, either. One of the biggest reasons for the delay is the slow production of Blu-Ray laser diode manufacturing, but Vice President of Technology at SCE Europe, Paul Holman, says it would’ve been “messy” to offer the player later as an accessory. In the same breath, he was quick to point out Microsoft’s move of bringing HD-DVD to the 360 at a later date.
All in all, it appears Sony simply isn’t gnawing their fingertips with crippling anxiety.
