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Despite promising a NGP launch in 2011 at its Tokyo press event yesterday, Sony has warned that its unlikely that consumers in the three major markets – the US, Japan and Europe – that a launch this year in all three territories is unlikely.
"I know [our launch date] is rather ambiguous, and that’s for a reason," SCEA president and CEO Jack Trettong told Engadget.
"I think our goal is always to launch holidays when the majority of sales are done. You want to have a worldwide simultaneous launch.
"Having said that, this’ll be our sixth platform launch, and it’s very difficult to have the quantities to be able to launch on a worldwide basis on the same date. So while that’s the goal, the reality might be something different. I think our goal is, we would get at least one territory out by the end of holiday 2011."
Tretton also touched upon the machine’s possible price – which remains another detail the company is keeping quiet about.
"I’m not an expert on the 3DS. I’ve seen the screen. I haven’t played it. I think that if you could create content that consumers sees compelling, they’ll find money that they didn’t think they had," he added.
"I think the more recent example of that was Kinect. I didn’t think people would go out and spend $150 for that device and they did – and that’s a peripheral at the end of the day. So I think if the quality’s there, then the people will find a way to buy it, within reason.
"The goal is that people will appreciate the quality and the technology, and it’s aspirational. First you create the market where people want it, and then you try to achieve a price that’s within reach.
"So I think we certainly got people’s attention with the technology. They can see the quality, they can see the value there. It’s a question of whether we can bring it in at a price that compels them to want and go out and buy it. That’s the goal."
