- CNet have tried their hand at pricing the components that will appear in the PS3.
- They compare this to an Xbox 360 and things do not look good for Sony.
- While the price of most things like memory will be the same, the Blu-Ray drive and Cell processor send the cost sky high. This will reduce over time, but the damage will be done early on.
- Microsoft are making the losses they are incurring on their consoles, (around $100,) by selling the peripherals at a high cost, (around 75% profit on a $50 wireless controller.) There are also the development license fees, (even for making third party peripherals.) Will Sony do the same?

- More guessing games on the launch date. Kyodo News spoke to an SCEJ spokesman who said the PS3 could see a delay until Autumn due to a:

"failure to set the specifications of the Blue-ray [sic] DVD technology."

- If they mean the AACS delays then things should be fine since they pretty much announced an interim plan so as not to delay anyone's launches.
- The AACS make the copy protection standard that both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD will use. They haven't finalized the standard, but have basically agreed to a beta version so that people like Sony can start making drives.
- Also in the piece Hirokazu Hamamura, president of Enterbrain Inc. Japan, said:

"Sony has not begun taking orders early this month, that means that it would be difficult for the company to begin sales in May."

- Troy Wolverton has written a piece on TheStreet.com, a financial website, covering the likely delay in the PS3 launch which will otherwise happen this Spring.

"As long as the console is launched this year, it would still be on the shelves for the holiday season, when the lion's share of game hardware and software purchases are made. This means a slight delay wouldn't result in significant lost sales, especially with Microsoft still struggling with supply issues of its own with the Xbox 360."

- Miss this holiday season however and Sony would be gifting Microsoft a huge chunk of market share. Many parents and kids would not make it through another Christmas without a new console, (assuming they did not get a 360 this previous Christmas.)
- Apparently, if the rumors of a delay are true, the system is now expected to see a September 2006 release.

- Tetsuhiko Yasuda of Sony Computer Entertainment Asia recently discussed a planned game download service for the PS3.
- Japanese gaming site GameWatch interviewed Yasuda-san during the Taipei Games Show, and he said the download service will "combat the widespread pirating of Playstation games in certain regions of Asia."
- Machine translated version of the GameWatch interview.

- OK, lets start at the beginning. Merrill Lynch, (a huge investment firm for those that do not know,) posted an article (PDF document) analyzing the cost of manufacturing the PS3 for launch this year.
- They came up with a figure of $800 which mostly comes down to the Blu-Ray drive and Cell processor. These are new components and there is a limited amount of manufacturing throughput.
- Because of this, Sony may choose to delay the PS3 to lower losses since they could not possibly sell the PS3 for $800, (rumors right now have reached upto $500 as the starting price.)

Merrill Lynch's Tokyo-based analyst Hitoshi Kuriyama on Feb. 17 downgraded Sony's stock to "sell" from "neutral."

- But now Sony have denied the findings in the Merrill Lynch report, as reported in a Bloomberg piece.

"There is no change in our original plan to release the console in spring 2006 in Japan," said Kei Sakaguchi, a Sony spokesman in Tokyo

- The BBC on the other hand has a report which seems to flip flop all over the place, but here are some important clippings:

Sony said if industry specifications on some of the PS3 were not decided soon "the launch could be pushed back".

"We're aiming for spring, but we haven't announced specific regions," a spokesman for Sony Computer Entertainment said.

They said Sony was waiting for final specifications - which are decided by industry consortiums - on some of the technology in the PS3, including that connected to the Blu-ray disc drive and to input and output video and sound.

"We're waiting for them until the last possible minute, but the launch could be pushed back if they're not decided soon," the spokesman said.

- Joystiq picked up a piece that gives another clue as to the release date. Nvidia, the graphics chip manufacturer for the PS3, are not claiming royalties from Sony this quarter, which means there are not being any GPUs produced, which means there is no way they could be out in time for this Spring or even Summer.
- This is getting complicated!

- Although Sony have clearly labeled the PS3 units and controllers as prototype, or concept devices when on display at trade shows and the like, someone out there is touting this image as a real PS3 joypad.
- Decide for yourselves and then go back to working out when we will see these for real.

- CVG have been talking to some interesting people and have come away with some interesting info on upcoming PS3 titles:

"CVG's very own deep throat went on to reveal further hot info on PlayStation 3 titles that will be actually be there and in the flesh at this year's E3, with an 'absolutely gorgeous looking' SOCOM 4 confirmed for the show and likely to be a PS3 launch title.

You want more PS3 loving? Well, you'll get it in the form of a newly confirmed PS3 God of War title [which] may not actually make it to E3, but is apparently well into development; and interestingly, both it and SOCOM 4 will also be appearing on PS2, underlining Sony's commitment to its favoured current-gen son for the next few years.

Finally, we've got one last nugget of PS3 goodness to share with you, as we can exclusively reveal that Ratchet and Clank developer Insomiac's amazing looking PS3 shooter I-8 - and one of Sony's biggest PS3 titles - has been renamed. Prepare to meet ....(sound of drum roll) Resistance."

- This Next-Gen article got the Internet buzzing this week announcing Sony's supposed plans to release an Xbox Live! beating multiplayer service.
- Not only will this subscription based service cater for the PS3 but the PSP too.
- From the article:

"We understand the service is being created by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, although this is unconfirmed.

Sony boss Howard Stringer is pushing for all media content to be available for distribution over PlayStation HUB, such as music and movies, thus opening up a powerful iTunes-like distribution network for Sony."

- Apparently HUB is just one of several possible names for the service which should launch with the PS3 in Japan and North America in September, according to credible industry types.

- This Official Sony PlayStation website has a product specification of the PS3, (drag the arrow slider to the right.)
- Everything looks pretty normal... Cell Processor, 256MB RAM, 256MB VRAM, 5.1 Surround Sound, Blu-Ray drive...
- But then we start hitting the interesting stuff:

* PSone and PS2 backwards compatibility
* HDTV output upto 1080p
* Ethernet, sure, but Wi-Fi and Bluetooth?
* Controller types listed as Bluetooth (up to 7), USB 2.0, Network (over IP) and Wi-Fi (using the PSP!)
* Memory card reader for Memory Sticks, but also SD and CompactFlash cards
* Oh, and then there is the removable 2.5" hard drive.

- Another DigiTimes story. The PS3 was on display at the Taipei Game Show this Thursday, but only behind a glass case.
- Only three mockups (white, silver and black,) of the console and controllers, along with video of some games, were on display but Tetsuhiko Yasuda, Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment Asia, still says the PS3 will definitely launch this year.
- Still no word on pricing or date.

- DigiTimes has a quote from SCEA's Tetsuhiko Yasuda.

"Sony does not regard Xbox as a competitor. Rather, the company may even consider working with Microsoft to develop games together."

- Not gonna happen any time in the foreseeable future, but hey, Sega make games for Nintendo now right?
- But since Nintendo have previously stated they are not fighting for market share with Microsoft or Sony, it looks like no one is fighting anyone. So does that mean there are three winners or three losers?

- Hello and welcome to PS3-Files.com.
- While we finish setting this site up, be sure to visit PSP-Files.com and Xbox360-Files.com.