Sony Postpones Early PlayStation 3 Unveiling

Officials from Sony Computer Entertainment have confirmed that there will be no official premiere event for the PlayStation 3 in Japan this month, as had previously been widely rumored. Although no formal announcement had ever been made, a date in March had been hinted at, with some Japanese press even hoping for some sort of announcement on the last day of the month. However, according to Reuters' Japanese news service, SCE has officially announced that there will be no event in March, but has not ruled out the possibility of one before E3. This follows Sony’s stated plan to reveal details of the new format before E3, and then further details on the unit itself at the Expo. The company is keen to emphasize that the cancelled event does not indicate any problems with the new format, and that the postponement has occurred only because it "would pressure game publishers" if held as early as March. It is still unclear, though, exactly what will be shown of Sony's PlayStation 3, and indeed Nintendo's Revolution, in and before E3. It is widely assumed, however, that Sony’s console will be shown in some limited form, perhaps in a manner similar to the PSP’s appearance at the 2004 show. Comments from Nintendo officials on the company's plans for the show have been somewhat contradictory, but some form of announcement and perhaps video footage is expected by analysts. The next generation Xbox, meanwhile, is expected to be at the show in fully playable form, with many publishers also likely to be showing next-generation Xbox software at their own booths, since the hardware is due to launch this holiday season in North America.