No PlayStation 3 before March 2007

Sony said it would delay the European launch of its PS3 video game console to March 2007 and cut its target for shipments this year by half for Japan and the US.

Sony had planned to launch the new version of its blockbuster PlayStation console in November, setting the stage for a three-way showdown with Microsoft and Nintendo during the key holiday shopping season.

Ken Kutaragi, the head of Sony's game unit, told reporters Sony would ship 2 million PS3 units this year, half a previously forecast 4 million, but would make up the lost ground to hit a target of 6 million consoles shipped by March.

Sony said it still planned to launch the PS3 on Nov. 11 in Japan and on Nov. 17 in the US.

The game console is the widely awaited successor to the PlayStation 2, of which 100 million units have been sold since its launch in 2000.