The long and winding road to PlayStation 3 launch

Philip Wong | Feb 20, 2006

If you are banking on importing a Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) during the slated 2006 launch in Japan and the US, be prepared to hang onto your trusty PlayStation 2 as the Japanese electronics monarch struggles with its mounting PS3 woes.

Analysts from Merrill Lynch cited a potential six to 12 months of delay pushing back D-day (launch date) to an autumn launch in Japan and a late 2006 or even an early 2007 launch in the US.

High production cost estimated at US$900 per unit is another teething problem plaguing Sony executives with either a bleeding subsidized pricing or lethal lackluster sales, no thanks to an exorbitant price tag.