Conflicting reports have surfaced over when exactly Sony’s Playstation 3 will be released. In response to an estimate by Merrill Lynch that the PS3 would not be released until 2007 and would cost around $900 to make, Sony has issued a number of statements through spokespeople that seem to contradict each other.

According to Bloomberg, a spokesman for the electronic giants, Kei Sakaguchi, denied there was any change in the launch schedule and said that Sony has every intention of releasing the Playstation 3 in Spring (in Japan).

“There is no change in our original plan,” he said.

At a similar time, however, BBC News came out with a report that suggests while they are aiming for a Spring launch, Sony will delay the release of their next-generation console if the problems with the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) and other technological issues persist.

“We’re aiming for spring, but we haven’t announced specific regions… We’re waiting for them [final specifications] until the last possible minute, but the launch could be pushed back if they’re not decided soon,” an unnamed spokesman for Sony said.

In relation to the AACS, news has recently surfaced that the problem has been partially resolved, even though the copy protection is still incomplete.

An interim licence will be issued to manufacturers so they can begin producing Blu-ray and HD DVD drives and update them when the AACS keys specifications are finalised.

If Sony has to delay its inclusion of Blu-ray drives in the PS3, it could result in further delays for the Playstation 3.

An analyst with KBC Securities, Hiroshi Kamide, said there was little chance of a PS3 launch in spring.

“No one is seriously thinking a spring release [of the Playstation 3 console] is realistic any more,” he said.

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