Monday, November 20, 2006

Sony launches PlayStation 3

Gamers lined up by the thousands early on Friday, aiming to be one of the first in the United States to buy <A HREF="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2060801,00.asp?kc=EWEWEMNL111306EP19C">Sony's PlayStation 3,</A> the multimedia and video game machine that is key to the future of the beleaguered electronics and media conglomerate. Sony is sure to rake in millions of dollars in revenue on Friday alone, with some 400,000 units expected to be available one week after an initial launch in Japan. Depending on the size of its hard drive, each PlayStation will sell for $500 or $600. But Sony is expected to lose money initially on each sale of the PS3, which in addition to playing games, can surf the Web, download video and music and play movies with its Blu-ray high-definition disc drive. The Blu-ray player and other components have run up production costs, dragging Sony's game unit into a deep loss for the year to March. Experts suggest each PS3 could last 10 years and could go a long way toward helping Sony meet its goal of keeping atop the $30 billion gaming market, as well as make Blu-ray the standard for next-generation DVD.

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