While Nintendo fans across Europe and Oceania will be out looking for a Wii this week, Sony fans will have to wait patiently for PlayStation 3’s release in March. The Sydney Morning Herald speaks with Nic Foster, general manager for Sony Australia and New Zealand, about the waiting game the company’s loyalists must play.
Despite the delay, Foster doesn't believe this delay will have a significant impact on the PS3's position in the Australian market thanks to Sony’s console having far more uses than just as a gaming machine. “The Wii-type functionality is more just a sub-element of what the PlayStation 3 offers,” he said in an interview.
Foster then goes on to describe Nintendo’s product. “Wii is a core gaming device. It's a more fun, intuitive sort of product to pick up, where the PS3 is a broader entertainment solution; so you can have your fun, enjoyable gaming ... but then you have a whole suite of other applications ... such as Blu-ray media playback, the ability to access your music, access your photos and the interoperability with the PlayStation Portable.”
He then concludes that gamers who are looking for the complete experience will eventually own both devices. Given the tone of Sony leaders in Japan and America, the rather benevolent attitude expressed from Down Under comes as a bit of a surprise.
Make no mistake though; Sony in Australia still firmly believes its machine has a huge leg up on the Xbox 360 thanks to its inclusion of the Blu-ray drive – the very device that is causing the system’s short supply. Paul Holman of Sony Europe shared the same sentiment, saying that adding high-definition storage as a peripheral instead of out-of-the-box is a messy proposition.
The Nintendo Wii launches in Australia and New Zealand on December 7th and in most parts of Europe on December 8. The PlayStation 3 is expected in those territories in March 2007.
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Blue Ray is useless to me, I can't afford the TV to go with it. By the time I can, a player will be like 100 bucks like DVDs are now or Blue Ray will have failed. I have a full surround sound system for my computer for MP3s, who needs the PS3 to do that?