Sony Exec: Australia to have Sony Christmas despite PS3 delay

While the delay of the PLAYSTATION 3's launch in PAL regions have left many gamers disappointed, Sony's Michael Ephraim remains optimistic. During an interview with GameSpot, the Sony Computer Entertainment Australia and New Zealand managing director pointed out that although the console's launch has been pushed back, no retailers have canceled pre-orders.

Ephraim believes that Sony will still win in the long-run and that the delay was just a minor bump in the road. "No retailers have canceled pre-orders. [...] The war for a generation of a console takes place over five or six years. And we think this delay over Christmas is unfortunate and not ideal, but in the long run we don't think it will play a significant role at all," he said.

During the interview, Ephraim also voiced his faith in Sony: although the Xbox 360 has already been launched in the country he remains confident that the PlayStation brand will win. "We think PS2 numbers are going to be huge. Between now and Christmas we're going to put in between 150,000 and 200,000 consoles," Ephraim said. "We think the PS2 is going to be the number one seller full stop by units."

A set release date for PAL regions has not be announced, although Sony has promised a March 2007 release window. Stay tuned to PS3Land.com for updates.