NEW YORK: Sony Corp. revealed it may not reach this year's shipment target for PlayStation 3 game console mainly on account of shortage of parts for the Blu-ray high-definition disc drive. The company plans to ship two million consoles in 2006 in the U.S. and Japan and reach six million by March 2007.
As a prelude to the 17 November launch of the device, the company announced a list of video game titles and unveiled an online gaming strategy. It said it will have some 20 games available for the console when it reaches customers, while nearly 50 titles are under development by dominant game publishers, Electronic Arts Inc. and Activision Inc. Electronic Arts is expected to offer Madden NFL 07, Need for Speed Carbon and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 07 when the device is launched.
Sony also came out with its plans for online gaming, which will allow players to interact and play using the internet and buy games and entertainment. The Xross Media Bar navigation system employed by the network has a complete suite of entertainment content for gaming, network and web connectivity, along with movies and music.
The company will allow gamers to try some of the games online free to start with. The interface allows multiplayer experience for the players across the network and enables them to communicate with other players using a chat facility, or a voice or video interface. They will also be able to download content, buy games and listen to music.
While the console is priced comparatively higher, Sony maintained that almost everything else associated with the game will be free. These include besides the free online playing and free sharing of downloaded games, a free Blu-ray edition of the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, the Sony Pictures Entertainment comedy starring Will Ferrell...
Jack Tretton, executive vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, said 22 games will be available when the system launches and 19 of them will feature online game play.
Microsoft charges a fee of $50 a year to play games over its online service, called Xbox Live.
Sony said players who download games from PlayStation's online shop can share them on up to five other PS3 machines.
As far as additional facilities are concerned, there will be one wireless game controller, which Sony has called the "Sixaxis" after its six degrees of motion sensitivity. Additional controllers will cost $50.
Meanwhile, industry analysts say the possible shortage in PlayStation 3 consoles will give Microsoft and Nintendo a better head start in the console market when they sell their players during the holiday shopping season.
