EUROPEAN PS2 DELAYED
August 4, 2000

In a move that should come as no surprise to anyone, Sony announced that it will delay the launch of its Playstation2 in Europe.

Originally, the company had planned a simultaneous launch in North America and Europe on October 26. Given problems with shortages and the fact that multiple territory launches are difficult even with enough systems, the company has decided to delay the launch of the system to November 24.

The company plans to ship more systems than its PSX European launch, which was 600,000 units within the first three months. Of course, back then, Sony didn't have a strong gaming brand, so whatever they do wind up shipping - they denied to comment exactly how many - won't be nearly enough to prevent severe (if intentional) shortages. Plans are still said to be on target for 3 million shipments in Europe by the end of March, a further indication of shortages.

European purchasers can expect to pay more than $400US when the system hits. If you want one of these systems and live in Europe, get your hands on it as soon as you can, or you could be stuck waiting until well after the new year. Pre-orders begin next month and are likely to go quickly.