Sony PlayTV delayed?
Another PAL region quoting Q4.
Sony in Australia has told Gizmodo that PlayTV - the PS3's USB TV tuner and video-recording add-on - will launch there in Q4 2008.
The device's launch will probably be bit more complicated than a standard game launch, but you would still expect relative parity among PAL regions, and this has prompted speculation in some quarters that we'll be waiting a while for PlayTV too. Here, for example.
This wasn't helped recently by Sony's refusal to clarify reports of a 31st July date and the absence so far of a more detailed estimate than sometime in 2008.
When we spoke to SCEE this week, a spokesperson offered some hope: "We have not yet announced a release date or pricing for PlayTV in the UK, but will have more information shortly," we were told.
That could mean we will see an announcement during next week's PlayStation Day event in London, when SCE president Kaz Hirai and European boss David Reeves will deliver a press conference expected to detail plans for the rest of 2008.
PlayTV, announced last year, allows PS3 owners to record TV programmes on the PS3 hard disk and watch another TV channel at the same time.
Pricing has yet to be announced for the add-on - a USB block in the shape of a sunglasses case - but the most important detail for prospective buyers is whether or not you can record TV while you play games, and Sony is currently trying to achieve this without impacting gameplay.
Check out our PlayTV preview for more on that issue - including comments from Sony's Cambridge studio developers - as well as details on how it's implemented.