Sony's PlayStation 3 delayed until Nov

TOKYO: Sony Corp. will delay the release of its new PlayStation 3 video game console until early November because development of some of the technology is behind schedule, Japanese newspapers said on Wednesday.

The Nihon Keizai said consumer electronics makers and movie companies have been unable to reach an agreement on the development of the copy protection technology for the console's Blu-ray Disc drive.

Sony said it would hold a briefing on its PlayStation video game business at 3 p.m. (0600 GMT) on Wednesday, but declined to give details.

Sony shares fell 1.3 percent in early trade to 5,500 yen after the reports.

The PS3 launch has been the subject of heavy speculation in the industry as expectations are high for the powerful machine, which will feature cutting-edge technology in its DVD player, processors and graphics.

The console is expected to enable users to play games and movies as well as to download and view high-quality videos from the Internet.

Rival Microsoft Corp. released its next-generation Xbox 360 console in late 2005 and Nintendo Co. Ltd. plans to start selling its Revolution console this year.

Andy Parsons, a U.S. spokesman for the Blu-Ray Disc Association, said, "Any assertion that there is a delay in the copy protection technology is something we are not aware of. As far as we are concerned, everything's on track."

The papers said the PS3 will be launched almost simultaneously in Japan, the United States and Europe. Sony has never said officially in which geographical region the players would launch.

Sony, maker of the market-leading PlayStation 2 console, announced the PS3 last May. A spokesman for Sony in the United States said the console was still slated for a spring 2006 launch.

The Mainichi report said that should Sony launch PS3 this spring, only half a million units would be ready, falling short of the projected necessary shipment of 2.5 million units.

More than 100 million Sony PlayStation 2 consoles have been shipped worldwide to date.