Why is Sony waiting?

Why can't Sony release the PlayStation now?

Why are they waiting? Are they stupid? Sega is killing Sony! What a bunch of geeks, release it now! This pretty much summarises what people have been emailing me and saying on the newsgroups. The guys at Sony are stupid not to release it now!
Well, guess what? Sony does not have a warehouse on Manhattan full of Playstations all packed up, ready to go. And Sony is not waiting for September 9th to arrive before they will release it.

In fact, all of the people at SCEA are working their butts off in getting the machine ready for release. When they are ready to release it, they will, whether it be September 9th or before.

A couple of points to consider:

  • They've set the date to September 9th. Sony VERY seldom changes their official release date for any product.
  • They're NOT releasing the PlayStation early just because Sega did. Sega says they did it due to customer demand. Really? Well, in doing so they also did the following:
    • Only three major chains are carrying it, making the rest of the retail industry really mad, thus hurting the releationship between them.
    • Only 5 software titles are available for it, all from Sega.
    • In the excitement of the release of a new system, a lot of software is sold. All the 3rd party developers are missing out, since they were targeting September 2nd. Which, of course, is making them mad!
    • It is available in limited quantity. At the local TRU, for example, one can't walk in and buy a game and a controller. Only one purchase per customer per visit... Hello?
  • A lot of material must be translated, including the ROM's and all the japanese in-house and third party software to be released.
  • The marketing plan and support network must be complete at launch.
  • Sony will release the PlayStation to over 10,000 stores across the nation, all of them must have it in volume.
  • The redesigned controller (longer cord etc.) must be produced.
  • Many US/UK 3rd party titles must be ready at launch. (And they will be!)
  • A host of new titles must be ready for launch soon after September 9th to prevent a software drought, as now seen on the Saturn.
  • The summer is a really slow period in video game sales. (Most people can figure out why!)
Rest assured, the people behind the PlayStation know what they are doing. They want to give us a top quality product with the best support available in the form of lots of software and reliable customer support. When all the pieces are in place (only a few is mentioned above) they will release it and we can all experience the TRUE next generation game platform! And no, it will not happen in June or July! In fact, we should be grateful! It gives us more time to save up our cash reserve! ;-) You and I know that you want more than Ridge Racer when you buy the PlayStation this fall! (Dare I say Tekken, Battle Arena Tohshinden, Destruction Derby, WipeOut....)
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