PS3 Delay = Apocalypse - Editorials

Omni reacts to the deluge of over-reaction to the recent news of Sony's revised launch plans for the Playstation 3.

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PS3 Delay + Shortages = Apocalypse

Depending on what it is, delays can be traced to cows on the tracks, a flat tire, no toner in the photocopier, no firewood, a lack of motivation, or simple random chance (i.e. meteor shower, earthquake, hurricane, tsunami, and so on).

During our every day lives, we face delays on a continual basis. We’re always waiting for something or someone to get out of the way – both figuratively and metaphorically – before we can continue on. Shit happens. We deal with it.

Gamers it turns out are entirely different. Or at least, some gamers out there think differently.

playstation 3 ps3

I started to think about this with the recent announcement from Sony that 400,000 Playstation 3 units would be available in North America for its official launch, November 17, 2006. At the same time, Sony also noted that 100,000 units would be ready for Japan at launch and that the date for the European launch had been pushed back to March 2007.

Judge solely on the gaming forums out there, you couldn’t be blamed for thinking that the collective Gaming Consciousness just imploded.

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A delay? How was it possible? Why can’t Sony follow through on their promises? They originally claimed a Spring 2007 launch? Why? Why? Why?

Some forum threads rambled on for several dozens of pages, peppered with many F-bombs, told-you-so’s, and incomprehensible rambling.

People, this is not the end of the world.

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Suddenly having to wait a few months for your insulin shot? That’s probably bad news – that would be the end of the world. Many have blown the whole matter out of proportion. (Some of the posts were written as if Sony will only produce 400,000 units then close the factories.)

What really blows my mind though is that some of these same people were also reduced to gibbering imbeciles when Sony announced the price of the Playstation 3 at E3 2006.

The three facts we know about the Playstation 3 is that it’s delayed, it’ll be in short supply, and when it does ship it’ll be expensive. Doesn’t that sound a little like the situation when the Playstation 2 launched back in 2000? This is nothing new.

And it’s not life changing either. If you really must have a Playstation 3 at launch to play… hmmm… what was the launch line-up again? There’s always ebay if you must have it and are willing to pay for it with your kidneys. But if the opponents of the sticker price stick to their guns and don’t buy a unit at launch because they view it as Sony extorting – or worse, some posters have used the term “sodomize” – consumers for an over-priced game machine because the company thinks they have that license because they sold 100 million units of their last console, it means there may be units available at launch. That is, if the reselling hawks don’t get them first.

At worst, it means a delayed purchase for most of us.

Lets all – and by “all” I mean rabid gamers – take a deep breath. Sony will make more. Like the Xbox 360 that went through a period of shortages (and hardware failures), the Playstation 3 will do the same. Another deep breath. (Take another deep breath if you're from Europe.)

Doesn’t that feel better?

- Omni

(September 8, 2006)