Another delay for Sony's PSP?
Activision CEO predicts Game Boy competitor won't hit U.S. until as late as June 2005.
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – Sony, which has already delayed the U.S. launch of its PSP (PlayStation Portable) from the 2004 holiday season to the first quarter of 2005, might be forced to push back the handheld gaming system even further, according to the CEO of a major video game publisher.
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick told investors yesterday that his company does not expect the PSP to launch in North America until the second quarter, according to an analyst note from P.J. McNealy of American Technology Research. That could conceivably push the system's launch back to June 2005.
Sony's disputed Kotick's statement
We have not discussed or given any indication that an adjustment to the PSP launch window is on the horizon," said Molly Smith, director of public relations for Sony Computer Entertainment America.
Wall Street, though, is skeptical of Sony's timetable.
"We have maintained that it has been at best a 50-50 proposition that Sony will make its scheduled holiday 2004 Japan launch, and any delay in the Japan launch would likely push the North American launch out of the March quarter," wrote McNealy. "We believe the next significant update from Sony (including any possible schedule changes) will come in late September at the Tokyo Games Show."
The PSP was originally scheduled to go on sale worldwide this holiday season. In February, Sony pushed back the U.S. launch of the system to the first quarter of 2005, but said it still planned to launch on schedule in Japan.
those putting games together for the system say Sony has urged them to avoid streaming game levels from the Universal Media Disk, to lengthen the system's battery life. (Peripherals such as CD drives, which are similar to the UMD, drain batteries faster.)
Software publisher earnings aren't likely to be greatly affected if the system does get further delayed. Electronic Arts (ERTS: Research, Estimates) and Activision (ATVI: Research, Estimates) have modest sales expectations for initial games, said McNealy. And THQ's (THQI: Research, Estimates) guidance included no revenue from PSP software through March of next year.
Any delay could only work in Nintendo's favor, however. Its Game Boy Advance is the machine to beat in the portable gaming market – and many industry insiders question whether Sony will be able to assume a market leader position in the field. Meanwhile, Nintendo remains on track to release a second handheld gaming system this holiday.
The Nintendo DS will feature two screens and a touch..bla bla fucking bla
Activision CEO predicts Game Boy competitor won't hit U.S. until as late as June 2005.
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – Sony, which has already delayed the U.S. launch of its PSP (PlayStation Portable) from the 2004 holiday season to the first quarter of 2005, might be forced to push back the handheld gaming system even further, according to the CEO of a major video game publisher.
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick told investors yesterday that his company does not expect the PSP to launch in North America until the second quarter, according to an analyst note from P.J. McNealy of American Technology Research. That could conceivably push the system's launch back to June 2005.
Sony's disputed Kotick's statement
We have not discussed or given any indication that an adjustment to the PSP launch window is on the horizon," said Molly Smith, director of public relations for Sony Computer Entertainment America.
Wall Street, though, is skeptical of Sony's timetable.
"We have maintained that it has been at best a 50-50 proposition that Sony will make its scheduled holiday 2004 Japan launch, and any delay in the Japan launch would likely push the North American launch out of the March quarter," wrote McNealy. "We believe the next significant update from Sony (including any possible schedule changes) will come in late September at the Tokyo Games Show."
The PSP was originally scheduled to go on sale worldwide this holiday season. In February, Sony pushed back the U.S. launch of the system to the first quarter of 2005, but said it still planned to launch on schedule in Japan.
those putting games together for the system say Sony has urged them to avoid streaming game levels from the Universal Media Disk, to lengthen the system's battery life. (Peripherals such as CD drives, which are similar to the UMD, drain batteries faster.)
Software publisher earnings aren't likely to be greatly affected if the system does get further delayed. Electronic Arts (ERTS: Research, Estimates) and Activision (ATVI: Research, Estimates) have modest sales expectations for initial games, said McNealy. And THQ's (THQI: Research, Estimates) guidance included no revenue from PSP software through March of next year.
Any delay could only work in Nintendo's favor, however. Its Game Boy Advance is the machine to beat in the portable gaming market – and many industry insiders question whether Sony will be able to assume a market leader position in the field. Meanwhile, Nintendo remains on track to release a second handheld gaming system this holiday.
The Nintendo DS will feature two screens and a touch..bla bla fucking bla
