"AFX News Ltd. reported today that several analysts expect the US launch of the PlayStation 3 to be pushed back to the second half of 2006.

Evan Wilson of Pacific Crest Securities said 'the most likely scenario' is that PS3 will be released in Japan this summer with about 1 million units and in the US in November with 1 million units, followed by a European launch in March 2007. At E3 2005, Sony announced a Spring 2006 release date but didn’t mention a specific territory.

Analysts believe that Sony will face the same problems Microsoft experienced with chip yields for the launch of the Xbox 360. William Drewry of Credit Suisse First Boston wrote that "the decision as to whether to delay the PS3 launch has yet to be made and is dependent on (improving its chip yield)."

Wilson, the analyst from Pacific Crest Securities, expect Sony's launch line-up in the U.S. to be similar to that of the Xbox 360, but 'clearly weaker then the Xbox 360 holiday 2006 line-up.'

"You don't need to come out with 20 games for a Japan launch, whereas in the US you need about 15 to 20 games, plus a few that really stand out," said analyst Schelley Olhava of IDC." [link]