From gamesindustry.biz:
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Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, a spokesperson for Sony Computer Entertainment has clarified comments made by CEO Howard Stringer recently regarding a spring launch for PS3.

"Ken Kutaragi, president of SCE, announced a spring target date for the launch of PlayStation 3 at this year's E3, and it appears that Sir Howard confirmed it at yesterday's strategy meeting," the spokesperson said.
"We have not yet announced detailed launch dates for each region," he continued, adding: "If you look at how close Microsoft announced release dates to the launch of the Xbox 360, it's rather unrealistic to expect PS3 dates now."
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Read More: gamesindustry.biz

From linuxdevices.com:
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IBM will release a Cell simulator before 2006, and "open" the highly parallel multi-core architecture to embedded Linux developers much as it has opened the Power architecture, according to an interview in IT Manager's Journal with Peter Hofstee, architect of the chip's synergistic processing unit (SPU).

IBM has published considerable technical data about the Cell, and has even contributed an "SPU filesystem" to the open source Linux community. The community, in turn, has responded with considerable interest, Hofstee says, with further attention likely once developers can actually play with the chip's architecture using a software simulator expected to ship by year's end.
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Read More: linuxdevices.com

From gamesindustry.biz:
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Microsoft may not be getting the market lead it had hoped for with the launch of its new console, as reports come in of a spring launch strategy for Sony's PlayStation 3.
According to German website Gamefront, chairman and CEO of Sony, Sir Howard Stringer confirmed that the company plans to launch its next generation console in the spring of 2006; much earlier than most industry observers had predicted.
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Read More: gamesindustry.biz

From gamesindustry.biz:
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As part of a huge restructuring programme designed to reduce group net losses, Sony Corporation is to cut 10,000 jobs and lose 11 of its 65 manufacturing plants.
Around 4000 of the company's employees in Japan will lose their jobs, with the other 6000 cuts made overseas - in total, 7 per cent of Sony's current 151,000 strong workforce. The cuts will be made by March 2008.

Sony declined to comment on which divisions will be most affected by the cuts, so it is not yet known whether any Sony Computer Entertainment employees will face redundancy.
Company president Ryoji Chubachi did say that the Aibo robot research division would have its funding reduced, and that there will be no further product development for the high end Qualia brand.
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Read More: gamesindustry.biz

From reuters.com:
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Sony Corp.'s new management team looks set to announce on Thursday another round of job cuts and new investment in fast-growing digital electronics as part of its strategy to turn the company around.
The world's second-largest consumer electronics maker will strive to strike a delicate balance between painful restructuring and forward-looking investments to drive growth and win back consumers and investors.

Sony is likely to accelerate the shift of resources to more promising digital ones such as next-generation DVD recorders, high-definition camcorders and flat panel TVs from analog products.

Sony has already slashed about 20,000 jobs under its current three-year restructuring plan that runs through next March, but to no visible effect. Revenues have been shrinking and this year Sony is flirting with an operating loss.
The plan will be unveiled in Tokyo on Thursday at 0600 GMT.
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Read More: reuters.com and forbes.com

The Tokyo Game Show 2005 closed on sunday, but the guys at joystiq.com posted a interesting comparison today between Microsoft's Xbox360 and Sony's PS3 booth:
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Sony's booth was a big, black box, monolithic, imposing, and solid. The booth lacked texture and was in fact nearly featureless except for the silvery PlayStation 3 letters affixed to the side of it and a few PS3 display cases.
The theater was dark and uncomfortable. It was packed full like a Japanese commuter train and lacked seating or air conditioning.
The booth was unwelcoming. Booth attendants were quick (but not quick enough!) to shut down any attempts to film or photograph clips. Interactivity was not the point of this experience. Simply watching those gorgeous trailers was the point.

Microsoft's booth stood in opposition to Sony's booth in every possible way. Microsoft's booth was white with green accents, it was infused with ample light from every direction and it was encircled by rings of wind chimes and comprised of organic curves.
Microsoft showed a handful of games that were playable on dozens of Xbox 360 units. Players could queue and could pick up Xbox 360 controllers.
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Read More: joystiq.com

From gamesindustry.biz:
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Regarded as the man responsible for successfully establishing the PlayStation brand across Europe, founding president of SCEE Chris Deering is due to retire at the end of 2005.
Deering is expected to relocate to the United States where his family now lives, to pursue personal interests. His role will be taken up by Fujio Nishida, who is currently employed at Sony Corporation in Tokyo in the position of EVP, Corporate Executive in charge of Electronics Marketing.
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Read More: gamesindustry.biz

From gamesindustry.biz:
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Taking place at the Chiba Prefecture's Makuhari Messe convention centre on 16th-18th September 2005, CESA reports that a total of 176,056 visitors attended, smashing the event's previous record of 163,866 visitors in the spring of 1999; just prior to Sony's Japanese launch of the PS2.
The imminent launch of Microsoft's Xbox 360 console, Sony's planned launch of the PS3 and Nintendo's next generation plans for the Nintendo Revolution are said to be key in the massive attendance record, especially given the number of high profile next generation software titles on show for the first time.
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Read More:: gamesindustry.biz

From the pressrelease:
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Toshiba Corporation today took major steps toward creating a comprehensive development environment for applications based on the Cell microprocessor with the announcement of a Cell Chip Set consisting of the new microprocessor and key peripheral chips, and a Cell Reference Set development platform. The chip set and the reference set will support development of digital consumer products and communication equipment that draw on the powerful broadband capabilities of the Cell microprocessor.

"Software developers and other customers will be eager to make full use of Cell's unsurpassed multitasking and real-time processing functions," said Tomotaka Saito, General Manager of Broadband System LSI Division, Toshiba Corporation Semiconductor Company. "The Cell Chip Set and Reference Set will support them in developing products and applications that reach new levels of performance and excitement."

The Cell Chip Set is composed of the Cell processor, a Super Companion Chip--the interface between Cell and external audio/visual input/output equipment--and a power supply system chip optimized to drive the Cell microprocessor.

The Cell Reference Set development platform consists of a Cell microprocessor, peripheral chips mounted on a printed circuit board with a general-use interface, peripheral equipment, such as DVD and HDD drives, and cooling equipment required for stable operation, all housed in case. The available software includes operating systems and middleware and software development tools. This combination of hardware and software reduces development costs, cuts turnaround time and simplifies testing.

Toshiba expects to start marketing the chips set and reference set in April 2006 or later, once it has assured supply of the component chips and all related documentation.

Toshiba Corporation will showcase the Cell Chip Set and Cell Reference Set, and demonstrate digital media applications on the Cell Reference Set at the Toshiba booth of CEATEC JAPAN 2005, from October 4 to October 8 at Makuhari Messe.
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Read More: toshiba.co.jp

From gamesindustry.biz:
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Event organiser The Game Initiative has announced the list of keynote speakers for next month's Austin Game Conference, to be held in Austin, Texas from October 27-28.

Topping the bill is Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley, who will deliver the opening address.

"Austin Game Conference has established itself as the must-attend event for professionals focused on online games, massively multiplayer online games and mobile game development," said Christopher V. Sherman, executive director of The Game Initiative.
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Read More: gamesindustry.biz

Sick of those shacky videos of TGS2005's Metal Gear Solid 4 Trailer? Konami now officially uploaded the trailer on their website. Sadly it's pretty compressed, but atleast it's a direct feed. Maybe they'll put a nice HR/HD version up later.

Check it out on konami.jp.