PS3 in September? Playstation HUB?

[DarkwingChuck]

According to well-placed industry sources, PlayStation HUB will offer PlayStation 3 owners much the same services as Xbox Live, including chat, downloadable demos, independent games and online play. The service is also designed to support PSP online play as well as PS3.

Developer sources are also suggesting that PlayStation 3 is currently scheduled to launch in September. A launch games release schedule seen by our sources states a September launch. Although the schedule does not explicitly state a hardware launch date, nor a launch territory, we understand Japan and U.S will both see the machine in September.

Some in the industry have taken this as a lead to speculate that September 16 would be a launch date in Japan (a Saturday before a national holiday) followed by September 21 in the U.S. These dates are not confirmed and, as always, launch dates are subject to constant revision.

Link to article

[Naruto]

Re: PS3 in September? Playstation HUB?

Sony has never launched PS hardware in Japan at the same time as in NA so, I have my doubts.

[DarkwingChuck]

Re: PS3 in September? Playstation HUB?

They've been suggesting they would with the PS3 since it was first announced though. I think they're doing it because of the 360 and Rev all launching worldwide in a short time frame.

[Manji]

Re: PS3 in September? Playstation HUB?

i'm used to everything being released in japan first... there was a time when i cared and felt jealous, but i think i'm over that now.

i honestly don't care when ps3 gets released here in the u.s., as long as it's sometime this year. plus, it's going to be an expensive item, so i'll need all the time i can get to save up enough money without dipping too far into my savings.

not only that, i normally don't buy a system when it first comes out(only system i did that with was the N64) because the first batch of hardware units will usually have some kind of manufacturing flaw or whatever else. i mean, i hope not, but that's just how it seems to work. so, i'll wait for at least a month or two.

but a september release is a genius move anyway. so close to the holidays and everyone knows playstation is the system own. the xbox 360 launched with little excitement because, 1: i still believe it was released too early and 2: xbox and microsoft just aren't the face of videogames like playstation and sony are.

[DarkwingChuck]

Re: PS3 in September? Playstation HUB?

I'm kinda disappointed in the online network name. Playstation HUB sounds lame. I thought it was going to be Playstation World which is what they referred to it as at E3 which made perfect sense with they're "Live in Your World, Play in Ours" ad campaign but I guess they decided to go with something different. I also read somewhere that even though Sony is purposely leaking suggetions of September they actually are still trying for Spring. Hope springs eternal I guess.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: PS3 in September? Playstation HUB?

Xbox 360 was a storm when it released. I still haven't seen any consoles in stores since it came out, and the eBayers took full advantage of this, easily making two to three times the system's retail price, and I even saw a few go for $1500+ right before Christmas. PS2 did the same thing. I'm hoping PS3 is like this, because I intend to cash in. If it releases in September, though, the sales won't be superb because the possibility that they'll have more systems in stores before Christmas is a lot better. I was hoping for a late October release at best.

[DarkwingChuck]

Re: PS3 in September? Playstation HUB?

Wall Street stock-brokerage firm Merrill Lynch published a report skeptical of the company's next-generation console plans. It predicted the launch of the PlayStation 3 console could be delayed by 6 to 12 months from its current spring 2006 window, resulting in an autumn launch in Japan and a late 2006 or early 2007 launch in the US.

"We wrote last November that Sony’s design choices for the PS3 had resulted in an expensive and difficult-to-manufacture product," read the report, "and we think that we’re seeing the consequences of those choices play out now. In particular, we think the problem points are the Sony Cell processor and the Blu-ray drive." Merrill Lynch also cited heat-generation issues with PS3 hardware and the far-from-finished state of most games for the platform as factors.

"Our updated analysis indicates that the initial bill of [production] materials for PS3 could approach $900," read the report. The report said that the production cost of a single Cell processor will be $230 at launch, with the Blu-ray drive setting Sony back $350 per unit. However, the $900 price tag presumably includes a $100 optional hard drive, as a breakdown of component costs in the report totals just $795.

If the $900 estimate is correct, that means the PS3 would have to sell for around $775-$800 to maintain a $125-$100 per-unit-loss similar to that of Microsoft's Xbox 360. If the $795 estimate is correct, the console could sell for around $699--within the range recently forecast by a group of analysts and developers polled by CNN/Money.

In the wake of the report, Sony issued a series of contradictory statements. In Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment spokesman Kei Sakaguchi flatly denied that there would be any delay to Bloomberg News and other press outlets, saying, "there isn't any change in our plan to release the console in spring 2006."

However, a Sony Computer Entertainment America spokeswoman was more cautious when she spoke with USA Today. "We're aiming for spring, but we haven't announced specific regions," she told the daily broadsheet. "We're waiting for [final PS3 specifications] until the last possible minute, but the launch could be pushed back if they're not decided soon."

GameSpot Article

I'm about ready to just give up on the PS3. Sony really needs to put out some official info soon. I'm willing to go up to $499 maybe. Any more than that and Sony can kiss my shiny, metal ***.

[Caciss]

Re: PS3 in September? Playstation HUB?

**** that.

[RPGD]

Re: PS3 in September? Playstation HUB?

If the prices turn out to be in that area, many studios and companies will face great danger.