And you thought Microsoft's Xbox 360 was in trouble. Despite some shallow attempts at denying this rumor, it appears that Sony is getting ready to delay its PlayStation 3 game console, perhaps as late as 2007. There are various problems with the PlayStation 3, not the least of which is cost: Because the system will utilize such high-end components, Sony will lose more than $900 per unit if it begins selling the machine this year. According to Merrill Lynch analysts, that means Sony could delay the Japanese PlayStation 3 launch to late 2006 at the earliest, with the United States not seeing the machine until the first half of 2007, or about 15 months after Microsoft first shipped the Xbox 360. Sony says it's waiting on the final specifications for the PlayStation 3's bundled Blu-ray drive and graphics IO system before making any decisions. My advice is to stop holding your breath. If Sony does ship the PlayStation 3 in the first half of this year, it will have to cut features
