Analyst Suggests Low Yield Concern For PS3

The latest in a series of new analyst forecasts has again painted a pessimistic start for the PlayStation 3, with American Technology Research analyst P.J. McNealy suggesting that production of the new consoles could be severely hampered by its complexity. Speaking at a special MI6 luncheon last week, as reported by website Ars Technica and other online sources, McNealy suggested that Sony would be limited in the initial yields of the PlayStation 3, with the over 1,700 components used in the console making manufacture and construction far more complex and prone to error than even the Xbox 360. Although Sony has issued a manufacturing goal of one million units each month, for a total of six million by March 2007, McNealy suggests that availability of the console will not become truly widespread until sometime in 2007, and is likely to be even more problematic than the Xbox 360 launch. Although other analysts have questioned the price of the PlayStation 3 as the major concern over the console, the problem of stock availability has also been an ongoing analyst topic, despite Sony’s assurance that two million units will be available for the worldwide launch in November. According to McNealy, manufacturing of the console will begin within the next four to six weeks.