Sony Corp. expects to show off its latest PlayStation at the E3 trade show next May, it said on Monday, increasing pressure on Microsoft Corp. to take the wraps off its Xbox successor at that time. Sony"s game-business head Ken Kutaragi said it planned to unveil a playable version of the new console at next year"s E3, the annual video-game trade show scheduled to take place from May 18 to 20 in Los Angeles.
"There has been some talk that development is not going well, but we expect to have a playable version at E3. We are pushing ahead with that schedule in mind," Kutaragi told a meeting of developers, suppliers and media. Kutaragi did not mention a launch date for the new console, dubbed "PS3" by some Web Sites, but company officials said it may follow a similar timetable to market as its predecessor, the PlayStation 2 (PS2), which went on sale in Japan almost a year after it was first displayed.