PlayStation 3 set to make its debut ahead of E3

By Games Industry.biz Published 9 February, 2005

Confirmation of pre-E3 showing adds fuel to March rumours - but could mean mid-May.

Sony's next-generation home console will be revealed to the world before the E3 show in Los Angeles this May, representatives of the company have confirmed, with rumours strongly hinting at a late March unveiling.

In the wake of the official public debut of the Cell microprocessor which will power the console earlier this week, speculation has been rife about Sony's plans for revealing more precise details of the platform itself.

Now representatives of SCEA have confirmed to US website GameSpot that the company "will have an event to premiere [its] next-generation system" ahead of the E3 show in three months time.

While Sony has revealed previously that the console will definitely be at E3 in some form, it's been widely rumoured that the unveiling would come before then - with a Sony roadmap from last year suggesting that it would come near the end of the firm's financial year in late March.

That timescale still seems very possible - the company has revealed that the unveiling will not be at GDC next month, but a special Tokyo event to show off the console's specifications in late March would be in keeping with the firm's past approach on such announcements.

However, it's important to note that a pre-E3 event to premiere the system could mean just that - since Sony, along with rival platform holders Nintendo and Microsoft, traditionally holds an event in Los Angeles in the days before E3, and used this event to premiere the PlayStation Portable.

Both Microsoft and Nintendo are expected to make announcements concerning their next-generation plans at E3.

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Comments (40) Latest comment 7 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Tiger_Walts #1 7 years ago

    So will it be powerful enough to control all the functions on the ISS including waking the Teasmaid and a Talkie Toaster for the Astronauts' breakfast?

  • Blerk #2 7 years ago

    Expect a mid-March unveiling for the Xbox2, then. And a late December 2008 unveiling for the Revolution.

  • Royal Fool #3 7 years ago

    Emotion Engine... ugh.

    02/03/99 - We will never forget.

  • Peekaboo #4 7 years ago

    02/03/99 -Idiots taken in by hype -We will never forget ;-)

  • drumbaby #5 7 years ago

    Is PS3 using Emotion engine? Hmmm, interesting.

  • IronGiant #6 7 years ago

    "02/03/99 - We will never forget."

    Agreed, hilarious all you twats buying goods purely based on hype.

  • Blerk #7 7 years ago

    Come on, ladies - can't we get through the first ten posts of a Sony-related thread without getting the handbags out?

  • space_ace #8 7 years ago

    imho this is good news - gamers need toys

  • Senor_Sanchez #9 7 years ago

    wonder if china and north korea have managed to smuggle in some ps2's to advance their nuclear weapons program

    (anyone remember the trade embargo on the ps2 'supercomputer' - classic bullshit)

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #10 7 years ago

    I'm sure they've got loads of ps2's by now ;)

  • drumbaby #11 7 years ago

    Best send in the Console Inspectors.

  • Blerk #12 7 years ago

    You know, the fact that you guys all remember these obvious publicity stunts only goes to show that they worked.

  • p3rks #13 7 years ago

    totally agree w/blerk. proves the marketing babble works.

    I'm looking forward to hearing something official from sony myself.

  • Tweakmonkey #14 7 years ago

    Actually I think this time the Cell thing is the real deal. It's a tiny looking chip and it will probably end up in a whole lot of appliances and gadgets if they can sort the cooling thing out.

    Games will not change radically though - just better graphics again. Leave the revolution to Nintendo. Anyway should be an exciting year.

  • Tiger_Walts #15 7 years ago

    Better graphics are all well and good, but come on, can it do coffee and waffles?

  • old_skool #16 7 years ago

    Dont blame Sony if the developers write shit games...

  • Blerk #17 7 years ago

    Better graphics are all well and good, but come on, can it do coffee and waffles?

    A coffee dispenser? Actually on the machine?

    A true 'killer feature' if I ever saw one. I'd buy one in a shot!

  • moggsy #18 7 years ago

    I for one enjoy reading all of the hype - it's all part of the fun of this part of the games console cycle. What's wrong with imagining playing photo realistic games - I'm not bothered about the technical dificulties etc, I just like to dream.

    It's like entering the lottery, you've no chance of winning but imagine if you did...

  • old_skool #19 7 years ago

    ManicMinerUK > U can blame Sony for giving shyte tools to work on the ps2 , dont call it bad design , call it bad support . And even that isn't enough to blame them(Sony) for shyte games designed by some devs cause there are clearly others that can do something with the machine.
    Anyway , I think Sony learned their lesson , thats why they drafted Nvidia for the GPU so you can expect good tools.

  • old_skool #20 7 years ago

    ManicMinerUK > I know its a bitch to program for but you'll always have some hardware limitations . David Crane didnt say , "oh shyte , what a piece of crap is this f#@^ atari 2600 console ." He knew the limitations of the machine and worked around it to make a game like pitfall . in the end he crammed in a moving character with sound and graphics in 4K of ROM . Thats bloody amazing feat .
    Miyamoto designed Mario around the NES .
    Jason Rubin designed crash bandicoot around the ps1 .

    Yes xplatform ur gonna have a problem

    I think I've said enough...
    Edited by 1 at 09/02/05 @ 15:35

  • skuzzbag #21 7 years ago

    Sony should be ashamed of themselves, expecting that programmers on 40K + salaries should be expected to THINK.

    Don't they realise that the poor little bunnies are OWED A LIVING!

    I used to program games in 6502 & Z80, and you didn't hear me whinging about it! (didn't have time)

  • #22 7 years ago

    IronGiant Said"Agreed, hilarious all you twats buying goods purely based on hype. "

    Halo 2 - Another example :D

  • BartonFink #23 7 years ago

    Can't possibly look worse than Darths Toaster....

    So I wonder will this one be capable of controlling 50 space shuttles?

  • RobTheBuilder #24 7 years ago

    Apparently it will be able to circumnavigate the globe in 70 days...

    I hope they dont have the same designer as for PS2...

  • SingerenBsAs #25 7 years ago

    So I dont understand. When is the PS3 coming out???

  • RobTheBuilder #26 7 years ago

    Im biased am I?

    Cos I (1) dont like the PS2 design, and (2) Sony always fail to live up to their hype?

    No. Thats called (1)opinion and (2)fact.

    You dont know anything about me or my gaming habits, so dont tell me what I like and exclude. And calling me childish? Have fun proving that one.

  • 3william56 #27 7 years ago

    ManicMinerUK: Criterion, Melbourne House, Insomniac and Polyphony (to name a few) have adequately demonstrated that Darth's Toaster is capable of great things if programmed properly. Blaming Sony that lazy PC ports and coding aren't flash doesn't really cut it.

    RTB: No-one lives up to hype. Not Sony, Ninty, MS or anyone else. Get over it and quit whingeing. And personally, I like the PS2 design - certainly compared with the Fisher Price Handbag of the Cube, and the teenage Nerd brick of the Xbox, or the beige boredom of the average PC, the PS2 was the only one that looked remotely like an adult piece of kit.

  • RobTheBuilder #28 7 years ago

    Twas hardly whinging! I said one line in jest. Jeez.

    Actually, in terms of performance Nintendo are usually spot on. Sony always exaggerate like mad, and Microsoft were fairly accurate on Xbox.

    The PS2 tried too hard to look fashionable, but its better than the Xbox!
    If only they had sold theoriginal silver Xbox prototype. Id have bought 3!

  • Ravenlore #29 7 years ago

    AGAIN people try to play down the news don't want the responce for XboX like the DC. Which XboX will become. ( a good console ignored by many people) 70 of the 80 million PS2 owners will again buy a PS3 like they Bought a PS2 after PS1.

    As for the "hype" this time Sony has IBM and Nvidia to back up their claims and SONY has LEARNED that even great chips EEand GS are not great all by themselves.

    PS2 suffers from 2 main problims Ram and programing.

  • RobTheBuilder #30 7 years ago

    Dont forget diabolical load times!

  • RobTheBuilder #31 7 years ago

    Doesnt really affect how the machine works though!

  • inpHilltr8r #32 7 years ago

    Know-nothing haters in the hizzouse!

  • inpHilltr8r #33 7 years ago

    > Dont forget diabolical load times!

    Yeah, that Jak and Daxter takes ages to load. Not like Halo 2, which is so fast, it actually starts playing before it's finished loading.
    Edited by 1 at 10/02/05 @ 04:36

  • 3william56 #34 7 years ago

    Quite surprised at the timing - will steal a lot of thunder from the PSP's big E3 showing. But it will stir up MS no end (and casts a little doubt on their launch date claims - they're supposed to launch the neXtbox before the PS3, so where's the demo?), and maybe Ninty too.

    MS will have to respond. Next gen handbags at dawn! Get the popcorn in - it's going to be a heck of a show.

  • BartonFink #35 7 years ago

    Forget all the hype, forget what it will look like, forget how many controller ports it will have, forget that it will probably stick to the same tired old terrible controller design. Thing not to forget though is it will like all previous launches from Sony not be to the spec promised and you will be guaranteed that the launch line up will be appaling like all previous launches. All that forgotten and remembered the massive unwashed will still buy the PS3 in their droves. Who knows it may actually live up to the hype although based on past experience with Sony it's more likely it won't.

  • Blerk #36 7 years ago

    Hype schmype, Finkster. I've got far, far more games for my PS2 than for my Cube, and I've never felt it necessary to even buy an Xbox. It doesn't matter one jot that it doesn't control Iraq's WMDs or reconfigure dark matter because I never wanted it to do those things anyway. What I wanted it to do was play fabulous games - and it did. Job done.


    I hope they dont have the same designer as for PS2...

    Amen to that! Just make it look like a high-end DVD player, you idiots!

  • Zomoniac #37 7 years ago

    Has there been any word on whether this thing will be backwards compatible? And if so, PS2 and PS1 games, or do a DS and just play PS2 games?

  • drumbaby #38 7 years ago

    Nice to see that the Xbox and Game Cube 'lived up to the hype', where PS2 patently failed to do so.

    :rollseyes:

  • Genji #39 7 years ago

    Nothing ever lives up to hype. Hype just inflates people's expectations to the point where the actual console can't compete with them anymore. If we weren't all suckered in by it, maybe we wouldn't all be so disappointed with our purchases. Perhaps, if I were a different, smarter person, I wouldn't go out to buy the latest console just because the Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft PR people told me to.

  • BartonFink #40 7 years ago

    Hey Blerko, I have had a ball with my PS2 its a bloody good console. Notice I never mentioned the other too but since you brought it up ;)

    I have far more PS2 games than Cube games too ... but they are both eclipsed by the number of Xbox games I have. I guess that just means it has the games I like. Simple as that!