Originally Posted by Kikizo, Playstation 3: A Timeline To Doom
May 2005: This is where it all began, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, where Ken Kutaragi formally unveiled the PlayStation 3. The world gasped at the promised power of the Cell processor, the expansive space gifted game designers by Blu-ray, and the horror that was the prototype PlayStation 3 controller. Sony wrote a massive cheque with pre-rendered footage from games such as Killzone 2 and MotorStorm. It remains to see whether that cheque will bounce or not. Meanwhile, Kutaragi reaffirmed that the PS3 is a computer and not a games console.
June 2005: Shortly after E3, the talk started to turn to price. Sony was coy, but it did warn repeatedly that the console would not come cheap, and at one point Kutaragi even went as far as to suggest that people work harder to afford it. Sony's European boss said that Microsoft's going first in the next-gen race would have little overall effect.
July 2005: While Kutaragi again warned that Sony's new console would be expensive, Microsoft scored something of a coup, signing major Japanese game developers to make exclusive games for the Xbox 360.
August 2005: Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima revealed that Metal Gear Solid 4 would make an appearance at the Tokyo Game Show, to the delight of series fans around the world. Meanwhile, talk pointed to the rest of the show being something of a bust for showgoers, with no playable games in the offing.
September 2005: With Microsoft announcing that the Xbox 360 would come in two bundles, Sony was quick to jump in and condemn the move. The company said that it would not be taking the same steps when it came time to launching the PlayStation 3.
October 2005: Sony said earlier in the year that the PlayStation 3 would play back the full catalogue of PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games, but a company representative confirmed that there could be a few stragglers. Backward compatibility seemed much less of an issue than for Microsoft. Ken Kutaragi also got message boards humming with his comments that the PlayStation 3 would support games at 120 frames-per-second - current games struggle to hit 60 fps consistently.
November 2005: Sony stood out of the spotlight for a bit as Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 in the US. Many hoped that Sony would learn from Microsoft's problems handling a global launch and take a cue on how not to do things. The console launched days later in Europe and Japan.
December 2005: With the Xbox 360 becoming harder to find, Sony reiterated that it was on track to release the console in spring in Japan. Sony's Phil Harrison also got tongues wagging by baiting Microsoft, saying that the true high-definition era began once the PlayStation 3 arrived - mostly because the Xbox 360 lacked a high-definition drive and was capable of 1080p resolution. Ken Kutaragi took another stab at Microsoft, saying that the first-mover advantage amounted to little.
January 2006: With the arrival of the new year came the analyst guesstimates about the PlayStation 3 launch. Pacific Crest Securities in the US predicted a spring 2007 release in Europe and a November launch in the US.
February 2006: Kikizo went hands-on with the PlayStation 3, and our developer sources gave the first signs that Sony's hopes of having games running in 1080p were perhaps unattainable.
March 2006: Sony had yet to announce any launch details for the PlayStation 3 - it was supposed to launch in Japan in the spring - but it said it was waiting for final Blu-ray specifications to make the announcement, giving the first suggestions that the next-generation DVD technology could cause headaches for the company. The first reports on Sony's online plans also came to the fore.
April 2006: PlayStation's French boss was rumoured to have commented that the PlayStation 3 would cost €500 to €600, but PR representatives said he had been misquoted.
May 2006: By the time E3 rolled around again this year, people were in a frenzy. The time had come for Sony to dazzle us with its games, but all we got was a fizzle. There's speculation that E3's demise is directly linked to Sony's dissatisfaction with the beating it took in the media when the console failed to live up to most people's expectations. MotorStorm was hidden in a corner of Sony's booth and Killzone 2 was nowhere to be found. Of course, the biggest shock was the price, which largely came down to the inclusion of Blu-ray and the costs involved in creating the Cell processor. Sony also went against its own statements and announced two bundles for the PS3.
June 2006: Perhaps realizing the strength of the Xbox 360, Sony said that it was unconcerned with market share in the next generation and rather wanted to expand the industry as a whole. At the same time, Sony officials said that Microsoft's predicted 10-million-unit lead by November was not a concern. Meanwhile, Sony boss Sir Howard Stringer admitted that the PlayStation 3, which forms a hub for the company's digital entertainment products, was a risky venture. Sony also made outlandish statements, accusing Microsoft of stealing its ideas.
July 2006: With chinks starting to show in Sony's armour, several analysts predicted that, should things go horribly awry, there was every chance that the PlayStation 3 could end up last in the next-generation race. At the same time, Americans picked Sony as their favourite brand. It was also in July that the PlayStation 3 was reported to have gone into production.
August 2006: Reports out of Taiwan suggested Sony was already taking delivery of assembled consoles, though PlayStation's US boss Kaz Hirai admitted later in the month that production had yet to start. Hirai let slip that Sony would only have 2 million consoles ready by the end of the year, but PR handlers quickly said he had been misunderstood.
September 2006: Amid rumours of Sony struggling to find blue laser diodes, the company came clean, admitting that it couldn't get enough of the Blu-ray component and that it was forced to cut back its schedule. Europe took the brunt of the blow, with the launch being delayed until March 2007, though the US and Japan would both get the nasty surprise of much smaller launches - 400,000 units and 100,000 units respectively.
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