PlayStation 3 debut seen for 2005


Sony has sold 33 million PlayStation 2s, eight times the sales of competitors Nintendo and Microsoft

TOKYO, Japan -- Sony Corp. plans to launch the PlayStation 3 as early as 2005, according to a report. That is earlier than expected.

The move would create waves in the highly competitive game-console world, likely generating a response from Microsoft and Nintendo.

Sony will put it on the market at under $400, according to the Financial Times, and will work with Toshiba Corp. and IBM to develop the console. Sony built the PlayStation 2 alone.

It already plans for the PlayStation 3 to have 1000 times the processing power of the second generation, with improved video and audio and broadband Internet capability.

That builds on Sony's move in August to bring out an adapter to allow gamers to use its PlayStation 2 online. (Full story) The PlayStation 3 will likely play PlayStation 2 games.

Eight times the numbers sold

Microsoft's Xbox had a disappointing debut, particularly in Japan. (Full story) Stepping up the launch of the PlayStation 3 would probably prompt Microsoft to move up the launch of its Xbox 2 to about the same time.

Sony has so far sold around 33 million PlayStation 2s. That's eight times the sales of the Xbox and Nintendo's GameCube, according to the FT.

Nintendo said it had sold 3.8 million GameCubes by the end of March.

That gives Sony the lion's share of the $27 billion gaming industry. But moving the launch of the PlayStation 3 up could pose problems for game makers already battling to deal with the flood of new machines.

The PlayStation 2's popularity and Sony's practice of zoning games has led to an underground trade in "chipping" into PlayStation 2s. (Full story)

Sony stock is down 2.23 percent at 4,830 yen on Friday morning, matching the Nikkei's 2.2 percent drop.