PS3 not yet in production, reveals Hirai

PS3 News | Contrary to recent reports.

In an interview with US site GameSpot, Sony Computer Entertainment of America president Kaz Hirai has said that Sony has yet to begin manufacturing its next-gen PlayStation 3 platform. The news flies directly in the face of reports last month that production had already kicked off, though Hirai also revealed that the manufacturing process would begin in the near future.

"Some of our ops guys were actually just in China, and also in Japan just reviewing the [production] lines and everything else," Hirai told GameSpot. "But they are preparing as we speak to get the manufacturing going. We've not announced and we haven't set really a specific date to say, 'As of this day we're going to start manufacturing.'"

Mercenary eBayers may also want to get their names down for one of the new consoles, as Hirai also admitted hardware shortages would be a problem for the machine. "We're going with three territories, so we haven't really come up with an allocation just yet," he said. "But even if you do the simple math you're talking about less than 700,000 units per territory, per major territory between launch and the end of the year. So even if there was some fluctuation - you give Japan more, you give the US more, what have you - you're going to end up with some shortages."

"So I think that if we've done our jobs right and if we've been able to really have the consumers become interested in this product, then, unfortunately, I think it's going to be very much of a challenge to be able to meet every single unit demand that's out there in the market. That's just a logistical impossibility."

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51 Comments

sonicwired

5 years ago

Chris-Leigh wrote

10% on hardware, 30% on software.

I'll start preparing my list.

Chris-Leigh

5 years ago

Dave_L wrote

Do you think you'll post in here when you find out what the date is that you'll be starting to take pre-orders?

Will you be getting one at launch Chris?

Yep, I'll post it here.

Currently all we've got at the store is customers 'registering their interest'. The store I work at (the Manchester Debenhams if anyone's interested in stalking me) is VERY small, but we have a list of 45 names on the 'register your interest in the PS3' list. And, um, 6 for the Wii.

As for me getting one at launch, probably not. Just ain't got the games to interest me, sadly, though I reckon Resistance: Fall of Man could surprise a few people. But I probably just think that because Manchester is in the game.

sonicwired wrote

I'll start preparing my list.

Did I mention the premium I also charge?

sonicwired

5 years ago

Chris-Leigh wrote

sonicwired wrote

I'll start preparing my list.

Did I mention the premium I also charge?

I'm not buying you booze.

Mr Blimson

5 years ago

I really just cant see the ps3 not launching here in november, it would make no sense. Granted Australia is no were near as important as U.S or Japan, but Sonys big punch line has always been ''by global launch, we mean global launch" taking the piss out of microsofts definition of 'Global Launch'. Sony would know how many systems they can build in the time, and already have the systems divided amongst territorys. So say if Japan sells out to massive shortages on the 11th, the ps3 systems would have already been shipped to Australia in preparation for the 17th. They wouldnt manufacture the systems and count them at the end and " ****! theres is only 1.8 million! who cares we'll just screw over the Aussies". I think there is no doubt that Aus will only get a small number of ps3's, and these will most likely get snapped up by pre-orders, but we will get the system at launch, ohh yes, we will get the system.

Either that or im just in denial that i will have to wait as long as i did for 360!

wobbler

5 years ago

should be no problem for them to achive 2M units before the launch. By my rough calculations, if they have about 80 days left, all they will need to do is produce a PS3 every three and a half seconds.

Jellyfish

5 years ago

^ Without no defectives too. They should be able to do it if they've got a few factories with serveral assembly lines going. I believe they'll manage to reach their target if start soon (they may even get past it), but the chances of defectives will be pretty high considering this will be the first time they've gone into mass production. Good luck Sony.

Rob_Jedi

5 years ago

So will Oz only get a few 1000 machines at this rate? Can see this being a busy xmas on ebay with these things, especially in the states. Considering they are region free I can see a few Oz units showing up on there for the yanks.

magrat

5 years ago

Rob_Jedi wrote

they are region free

For gaming at least - Blu-Ray movies are still region encoded, and presumably we are in Region 2 while the US are in Region 1.

Jellyfish

5 years ago

We're (Australia) Region 3 with Blu-Ray, Europe is 2. I'm still not 100% sure that the games will be region free, I mean it was Sony Australia who said it, and Australia isn't exactly high in the grape vine with this stuff.

wobbler

5 years ago

If they were region free, it would be a big risk importing one (waranty etc) just to get it a few weeks earlier.

admeister

5 years ago

Echo_Possum wrote

Well this has certainly stirred up some people... Lol

I doubt we will get it in November, and it will be interesting to see what escuse they make, but i dont really care. I want a Wii instead

Amen to that!

It's not looking good for the PS3, I'll say that much, it's the 360 all over again. So many production issues with these super powered cosoles, Nintendo have to be onto something! (at least as far as manufacturing goes)

Sin Ogaris

5 years ago

Or, alternatively, Nintendo are in the same boat. We can't really be sure.

Spanca

5 years ago

Nintendo are fine. They're producing old technology which is proven to have better chip yields than the latest stuff. Of course producing old technology is a brilliant strategy according to Admeister.

Sin Ogaris

5 years ago

If it sells well then it will be a brilliant strategy. Nintendo have proven this time and time again in their handheld market. Hell, the electronics business in general is built off of adding one new feature every few months in an effort to draw people into paying $1000 for their new TV/Camcorder/DVD player/Etc instead of $500.

Jellyfish

5 years ago

Spanca wrote

Eh, the PS3 is old technology too, it's only the Cell and Blu-Ray that are "new" technologies. Better to say less complicated technology.

Frozencry

5 years ago

nikack wrote

Spanca wrote

Eh, the PS3 is old technology too, it's only the Cell and Blu-Ray that are "new" technologies. Better to say less complicated technology.

Not really. The GPU used in PS3 is utilizing new shader systems and using a customized chipset, although if you're talking in the context of the type of shaders being used within the system, then yes it's getting somewhat dated. No freaking complete Direct X10 support really pisses me off (although I've heard it's still capable of some DX10 features, same with the 360).

ugh the boot

5 years ago

I'd be seriously worried if they hadn't started making Ps3's for retail.

Ok i'm worried..

troublemaker

5 years ago

As long as they have plenty in supply at a good price in 2008 I'll be happy ... and provided the PS3 has taken off

arbok

5 years ago

who else thinks the PS3 is really tacky looking?

its supposedly new technology but the chassis looks like a redone PS2 with the graphics power of an xbox360 coming out a year later.

admeister

5 years ago

Spanca wrote

It can be, at least we know that we'll get our Wiis. You don't have to have super new technology to make a great console, Nintendo have shown that in the past, look at the DS. Technology is old almost as soon as it is invented, so who's to say what's new or old, it's a silly concept, really. e.g. As soon as you buy something, it's second hand, even though its still in perfect condition. It instantly loses value, and becomes 'old'. It's what you do with the technology that counts, not how new or old it is.

You can have the best technology in the world and still make a bad console.

Infested Jibbs

5 years ago

Now that's a good post.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

'It's what you do with the technology that counts, not how new or old it is.'

Wise words.

Spanca

5 years ago

And there'll be plenty of things that can't be done on the Wii due to it's lack of power compared to the PS3 and 360. I know you're going to retort that the Wii can do things they can't, but that's due to to the controller, not power. Give the 360 or PS3 a similar controller and they could do it too.

At the end of the day, when speaking purely of console hardware (ie ignore the games), I'd rather have a more powerful one that has initial supply problems than one that's underpowered and clogging up store shelves.

And for the love of christ, stop citing the DS as proof that the Wii concept will work. It's one platform, has only been around for a short time, faced little competition (Sony are complete and utter n00bs at handhelds but the same can't be said for the home console), and following on from that, the home console market has historically been radically different to the handheld market.

Jim Dash

5 years ago

Not to mention the simplicity of the DS compared to the consoles. Where are the moving parts in a DS?

I find myself typing this every day lately, and Nintendo is bought into every topic, but the Wii is old technology, standing alone or right next to 360 and PS3.

It's jump from the 'cube is only a small step up technologically, and the controller innovation is obviously its saving grace, plus the online elements, which it isn't the first to do.

I'm also willing to sacrifice the unreliability and low strike rate of these next gen consoles. I had problems with my 360 from the start, but quickly got my replacement and am stoked.

ugh the boot

5 years ago

admeister wrote

You can have the best technology in the world and still make a bad console.

Quite honestly the best post i've seen you make admeister....but I agree with Spanca's last post. I'd much rather have the power and not need it than not have the power and need it.

I also agree that you need to stop using the DS as an example because it's their new strategy that's working....not the fact that the machine is underpowered/underpriced (although the latter would contribute to it's popularity no doubt). Also previously Nintendo have always had the most powerful console.

Infested Jibbs

5 years ago

I don't see the wii as a competitor to the ps3 or xbox, i see it as a companion.I'll be the first to admit that the wii could never provide all the next gen gaming experiences that we're after, but at the same time, the 360 and ps3 won't provide what the wii could potentially bring to the table as well.

With the wii's(hopefully) low price point, it makes a perfect mate to a 360(imo) for roughly the same price as a ps3.With the 360 and wii, you get the best of both worlds-'old skool' gaming with the 360 and 'new' gaming with the wii.Simple.

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