Sony Corp said today it would delay the release of its new PlayStation 3 video game console until early November because development of some of the technology was behind schedule.
The company, which currently dominates the game console market with a market share of about 70 per cent, said it planned to launch the much-anticipated PlayStation 3 (PS3) almost simultaneously in Japan, North America and Europe in time for the key holiday season.
"When we initially announced our plans to launch this spring, we had expected the standardization work on all of the technologies to be completed by last August, but there were improvements that were decided on since then," said Ken Kutaragi, president of Sony's game division.
"We wanted to be sure to include all future technologies that are available now," he said at a business briefing for software developers as he apologized for not updating the industry sooner.
The PS3 launch date has been the subject of heavy speculation in the industry as expectations are high for the machine, which will have cutting-edge technology and is expected to enable users to play games and movies, as well as download videos from the Internet.
A six-month delay in the launch date could mean handing further advantage to rival Microsoft Corp., which launched its competing Xbox 360 console last November.
Sony is now also likely to go head-to head with Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s next-generation Revolution console, which is expected to hit markets around the same time.
Sony shares fell 1.8 per cent today after media reports the PS3 launch would be pushed back.