“We are tentatively looking at February 2nd for a new launch date. I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience and short notice. We know so many of our customers were looking forward to playing the PS4 over the Holidays. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have no choice but to delay the launch. It is in the best interest of our company and loyal fans,” Hirai said at a press conference in Tokyo.
Lead Architect Mark Cerny sighted the reasons that led to the delayed launch. First, its online network, which many games hinge on, will not be ready until the first of the year. Second, there was a disruption in the production of its new ‘Jaguar’ processing chip. With 50% being defective, they had no choice but to make new ones. Lastly, several launch titles were not ready, most notably, Watch Dogs. To have a clean launch for the system, waiting until 2014 was the only solution.
It has been a tough year for Sony Corp. After multiple disappointing quarters resulting in mounting losses, it pulled a profit in its last quarter. The delayed launch of the PS4 will obviously have an impact on its bottom line and it is sure to affect Sony's already battered stock price.
SONY’S LOSS IS MICROSOFT’S GAIN
With Microsoft’s X-Box One still hitting store shelves on Nov 22nd, Sony would seem to be at a disadvantage. “If you recall, the X-Box 360 came to market a whole year before the PS3 did last cycle. We eventually won that battle. This time will be no different,” said Jack Tretton, CEO of Sony America.
To date, there have been 79.9 Million PS3s sold, and 79 Million X-Box 360s sold. Industry veterans are predicting for each new console to sell over 100 Million units over their lifetimes in what might be the last generation of consoles. “With mobile phones and smart TVs, this might be the last of the videogame wars as we know it,” according to Naughty Dog founder Jason Rubin.
But the initial launch numbers of units sold will be important for each system to gain momentum among gamers. GameStop rep Seth Rollins said,” There are going to be gamers who wanted a PS4 but don’t want to wait several more months to play Next-Gen games, so they’ll buy an X-Box One instead.”
At each console priced from $400-$500, it seems unlikely that most consumers will adopt both platforms in a short time frame.
GAMERS REACT
“I’m pissed,” said Roman Reigns. “I’ve had it pre-ordered since E3 and was expecting to play it over Thanksgiving, you know, rather not talk to my family.”
“There are a ton of AAA titles coming out this Christmas for my X-Box 360, so I’ll just buy those instead. Save my money for next year and buy a new gaming system. I figure the good games will start coming out by then. Without Metal Gear Solid, there isn’t really a point to drop 500 bucks,” Dean Ambrose said as he walked into a Best Buy to buy the new Grand Theft Auto game, retailing at $60 with a 97 on MetaCritic.com.
In regards to its avid fan base, CEO Jack Tretton said,” Hey, maybe this will free up some time for some of these guys to finally get laid.”
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