Spring Launch for PS3.

[Gadfly2317]

A conspiracy theorist might propose that Sony is saying this to make consumers even more likely to pass up the 360 and wait just a little longer for the Ps3 launch. Come april if they aren't ready, they can just delay the launch; there is no big downside to announcing a bogus launch date during the holiday season to steal more thunder from the 360 launch.

Why be skeptical? The 360 had playable games at E3, which was further away from November launch than we are now from this hypothetical April 2006 Ps3 launch.

[slade]

From gameindustry.biz : http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=11692

Sony CEO confirms spring launch plans for PS3
Paul Loughrey 12:51 22/09/2005
Gap narrows for next generation consoles

Microsoft may not be getting the market lead it had hoped for with the launch of its new console, as reports come in of a spring launch strategy for Sony's PlayStation 3.

According to German website Gamefront, chairman and CEO of Sony, Sir Howard Stringer confirmed that the company plans to launch its next generation console in the spring of 2006; much earlier than most industry observers had predicted.

Although no territory was mentioned in the statement, indications are that a Japanese launch would be first - around April or May, with European and US launches following later in the year, or early in 2007.

Microsoft had hoped to lead the next generation hardware market for a significant period of time, as it prepares to launch its Xbox 360 console at the end of the year. The system will be shipped on November 22nd in America, with Europe and Japan receiving shipments on December 2nd and December 10th respectively. The company has made much of its tri-continent 'simultaneous' hardware launch strategy, which is a first for the industry.

Anticipation for the PS3 is exceptionally high amongst consumers, particularly in Sony's native Japan. A recent survey which questioned 500 male and 500 female console owners in Japan found that an overwhelming 72.3 percent said they would be buying the PS3.

Microsoft, who has struggled to secure a foothold in the Japanese market with the Xbox, is keen to do things differently in Japan with the Xbox 360. According to the survey however, only 5.8 percent said they were interested in the new Xbox console, compared to 29.1 percent who showed interest in buying the new Nintendo Revolution.

Sony has yet to officially confirm any specific dates or launch strategies for the PS3.

And a little something extra. Don't know where this one is from:

PS3 LAUNCH PLAN OUTLINED IN MEETING YESTERDAY

Sony's knight in shining armour (or suit), Sir Howard Stringer talks strategy details...

12:09 Yesterday, Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman and CEO of Sony Corporation outlined details of Sony's proposed PS3 launch strategy.

Again confirming its release for Spring 2006 - with simultaneous worldwide release currently expected but unconfirmed, his presentation detailed impressive sales figures for other Sony Entertainment products, such as:


1. PSOne and PS2 have shipped nearly 200 million systems and more than 1.8 billion software units
2. PSP has shipped (not sold through) over 6 million hardware units
3. PSP just had the most successful product launch ever in Europe - 185,000 sales in 4 days




Click here for more information

He then talked of a proposed group-wide effort to ensure the PS3's success, calling upon the combined efforts of the Entertainment Group - content and applications, the Home Electronics Group - software engineering, Blu Ray disc, optical pickup and drive and finally, The Semiconductor Group - Cell chip and others.

What makes this interesting is the chain events:


1. Phil Harrison is made Global Exec VP overseeing all of SCE's worldwide output
2. Sony's development studios are rebranded as a worldwide studio
3. 20,000 jobs are axed across the company as part of a three year streamlining plan

We can only assume that Stringer's aim here is the same as it was when he commanded a similar streamlining strategy during his time at MGM, where 9,000 jobs and $700 million in annual costs were cut, in aim to improve communication across the group's businesses.

On a personal note, this writer remembers his own time under the employ of SCEE and how it was utterly impossible to share assets with any of the other SCE teams.

Ever wonder why the Gran Turismo engine was never used in The Getaway, or The Getaway's London was never an unlockable bonus in Gran Turismo - technical and non-fantastical reasons permitting?

Hopefully, this will go beyond PRs knowing what each territory are going to announce and dev teams knowing what each one is working on for the sake of willy waving. We all know anyone working on a PS3 budget will need all the help they can get. Sony dev studios working together would be one hell of a team.

Sadly, no comment was offered by SCEE at time of going to press. More when we have it.

[Fivespot]

MS launching first will hurt Sony and make it harder for them to win the next-gen battle. I'm not saying MS will win, but this will certainly make it much more difficult for Sony compared to this last gen where they launched first and had a huge jump start (which may or may not have contributed to there overall success).

I personally believe it helped them immensely to launch the PS2 first. Plus, MS didn't have any rep to build on with the XBOX so most gamers were all over the PS2 immediately.

Us hardcore gamers that read lots of media, visit gamesites, post on boards about games, etc. are savy enough to make the best decision for our gaming needs. Most everyone else don't think this way.

The buzz I've heard at gamestores & talking to friends who aren't as hardcore is that they will be buying the 360. Its already sold out most places and MS will have a larger edge this gen as a result.

Sony is worried about this IMO so it would make sense to me for them to rush an earlier launch rather than appease us hardcore folk by waiting as long as possible in order to ensure the best machine & games right out of the gate. Launching earliest is more important that any of us believe (at least in the US)!!!!!!

Japan strikes me as being more savy as proven with the DS beating the PSP in Japan. So its probably just a concern for Sony in the US.

[slade]

IMO, the only way 360 will sell out this holiday season is if MS ships limited quantities. And yet, from what they've said, they don't anticipate any shortages. So, if the console is well stocked, I don't forsee it selling out. However, I don't forsee it selling well either. Looking ahead, I see a weak holiday season in general because of rising gas and petrol prices, which may make Sony's launch in spring, a well timed move.

However, they haven't announced where they will launch in spring and I'm thinking that it'll be Japan first and then fall/winter for N. America and Europe. This would follow the same schedule they took with the PS2 at its launch. As for what titles will be available, remember that the PS3 is backwards compatible and that PS2 titles extend into next year. And again, Sony is doing just what it did with the PS2 launch. If I remember correctly, FFXI came out near the start of PS2's launch and the same may prove true for FFXII and Kingdom Hearts 2, both of which were delayed into next year. So, you'll get a few PS3 launch games, some 360 ports and the backwards compatibility will mean that you'll also get to play PS2 titles you might have missed out on otherwise. This is the way to transition from one gen to the other in my opinion.

Pertaining to the first mover advantage, I don't see that playing out in any big way over the long term. PS2 had sold around six million units in N. America when X-box and GC came out. That gap has only widened in the four years since. Granted, X-box was not exactly a brandname and GC ended up being a lemon but little has changed since then and much of that is MS's fault. They were poised during the last holiday season to really make a dent in the PS brandname. I think they had outsold the PS2 for a couple of months and even managed to beat it during the holiday season. And then, the mistakes started. The biggest one was that they decided to launch the 360 this year. How simple would it have been to support the X-box and let it gain enough momentum that no amount of bad PR for the 360 would have mattered. Basic rule of conquest, you start on your surrounding areas and then you expand. Nobody has ever won a war by waging it on multiple fronts. Yet, that is exactly what they are doing with the 360. They gave up the one territory they could have made significant headway in, in the hopes that their next effort would bear more fruit. And yet, they've made one other mistake in that. They are going to be launching worldwide with a month or two between launches. Now, their launch lineup at the moment isn't looking its best so why show that off to the whole world? This is again a place where I think Sony has them beat. They will launch early in the one territory that they pretty much own and then they will expand to the others. In the time between, their launch lineup will become more robust. So, in the territory that is their main battleground, they come out with guns blazing. In all, it's a better strategy then what MS is employing.

Sorry for rambling on. These were just some thoughts that were going through my head that I wanted to get out. And I criticized you guys for your long posts. :P

[Mochan]

Basic rule of conquest, you start on your surrounding areas and then you expand. Nobody has ever won a war by waging it on multiple fronts. Yet, that is exactly what they are doing with the 360.

Well in a way, Sony is also waging a war on multiple fronts -- PSP front and PS3 front. But I see what you mean about the 360: it's more of giving up territory already conquered to strike in a totally new zone.

Personally I think the early launch for MS is not very favorable, and that the timing could not be worse. Oil prices are rising and Katrina just struck, with Rita on the horizon. Most buyers for the 360 this year will probably be older demographic gamers rather than teens due to these conditions and the price; on the Oblivion boards we have some teenagers complaining about how they can't afford the 360 to play Oblivion and they're whining their hearts out (they mostly try odd jobs like mowing the lawn, etc. but they say it'll take them forever to save up $400).

Of course, maybe by next year the economy becomes even more worse off than right now so maybe next year will be too late? Well I don't know.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

As for what titles will be available, remember that the PS3 is backwards compatible and that PS2 titles extend into next year. And again, Sony is doing just what it did with the PS2 launch. If I remember correctly, FFXI came out near the start of PS2's launch and the same may prove true for FFXII and Kingdom Hearts 2, both of which were delayed into next year.

There's also a rumor in the latest EGM about a possible God of War sequel coming for PS2, hopefully before the PS3 launches. Considering the legs this game has on the charts, another one for PS2 definitely wouldn't hurt. I wouldn't mind seeing one more on PS2. Since they already have the game engine, graphics engine, and certainly a few extra characters on the cutting room floor available, it shouldn't take as long to develop as the first one.

[ThaMaskedGamer]

I think people focus on installed units is misplaced. Last generation, the only thing to stop XBOX from being successful was uncontrollable costs. They didn't have complete control over their chipsets and were at the whim of outside external forces in their cost structure. This time, they do. Full control. MS announcement that they will have the ability to control cost over the life of the console, their decision to not bundle everything in(despite its unpopularity), their previous investment in LIVE(which won't be a significant new cost), and really popular franchises now, outside of Halo, should mean profitability sooner for MS.

Sony on the other hand, is going to be much less flexible when it comes to pricing and cost. I don't think MS can over take Sony in the console units installed, I think they know this, mainly because of Asia, but also because of continued bias against MS. MS should be able to eat a significant part of that market share lead though. But, I think 360 could be more profitable than PS3.

The only other concern, from a consumers stand-point, is the quality of games and the type of additional services a console can give a gamer. I suppose in that regard, each console will be strong. 360 has a certain set of exclusive games some known some obviously not known, then there will be a set of common multiplatform games, in terms of service, you have online gaming and a shared community as the core strength. For Sony they will have their set of exclusive games and common multiplatform games, in terms of service, you can watch HD Movies, do some home media stuff, if you buy the HDD intall an OS, and do some basic online gaming. So I think depending on the types of games you want and the types of services you want, both consoles will be strong yet different enough.

My only concern for Sony is I don't think they can have the tons of titles PS2 has, unless those titles are going to be very bad to average quality. PS2 has scores and scores of games of dubious quality, games not even worth mentioning. And developers can do that cause of low development costs. But next gen I don't see how that can continue cause that break-even point is going to be much larger on PS3. And Sony is going to have to sell more software, not less, to maintain the same profit margins. That is obvious.

[Mochan]

I think people focus on installed units is misplaced. Last generation, the only thing to stop XBOX from being successful was uncontrollable costs. They didn't have complete control over their chipsets and were at the whim of outside external forces in their cost structure. This time, they do. Full control.

Personally I think what stopped the Xbox from being successful was itsgame selection, and anti-MS bias.

But, I think 360 could be more profitable than PS3.

I think that neither console is going to be profitable for a while. I honestly don't know which will be more profitable (or a bigger money sink), though.

I do think you are correct in saying that the PS3 will not have as many titles as the PS2, unless the titles have low production values (the kind you'd see on the PS2). That said, I think the PS3 will still have more software titles than the XBox 360.

[slade]

The next bit of PS3 news is going to come out during CES in January. Howard Stringer is going to deliver a keynote address there. With final kits shipping in December, we may finally get in-depth details on the RSX as well as seeing some more realtime stuff.

http://www.cesweb.org/press/news/rd_release_detail.asp?id=10821

[Xboxster]

Spring?!!!! hat eot tel you bud, spring has already past. look slike all is not good in SON_E land.