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Blu-Ray forces Sony PlayStation 3 delay

Sony will put off the release of its much anticipated PlayStation 3 console until November from its planned spring debut because of delays in finalizing the next-generation Blu-ray optical disc technology to be used in the gaming system, the company said on Wednesday.

PlayStation 3 delays

According to the Associated Press, Ken Kutaragi, the head Sony\'s video games division, made the announcement at a hastily called news conference after reports of the delay surfaced in the business daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun and other papers.

The new timeline means that the PlayStation 3 will still hit store shelves simultaneously in Japan, North America and Europe, just in time for Christmas, the report said.

During the news conference, Kutaragi said Sony is still trying to finalize the copyright protection technology and other standards for the Blu-ray DVD disc, the format for PlayStation 3, and next-generation video for the company\'s electronics gadgets in the works.

\"I\'d like to apologize for the delay,\" Kutaragi said. \"I have been cautious because many people in various areas are banking on the potential of the next-generation DVD.\"

Blu-ray preparations were initially to have been completed by last September, but now won\'t be finalized until next month, he said.

Blu-ray in Macs

The news is relevant to Mac users as Apple has also endorsed the Blu-ray as its next-generation optical disc format for Macintosh computers.

It was about year ago this time that the company announced it had joined the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), which pits itself against the rival HD DVD format, whose supporters include industry heavyweights such as Microsoft and Intel.

According to AppleInsider\'s proprietary checks, which took place in February, one of Apple\'s two primary optical drive suppliers were estimating delivery of half height Blu-ray drives — designed for desktop systems — for the second calendar quarter of the year. However, delivery of slim slot-loading Blu-ray drives — designed for notebooks — was estimated anywhere between the beginning of the third quarter to the end of the year.

News of ongoing Blu-ray delays may mean that Mac users will also have to wait for the next-generation drives to show up in Apple\'s computer systems. Prior to this news, it was expected that the company\'s first-generation Intel-based PowerMac systems would be the first Macs to support Blu-ray in the form of the half height drives.