PS3 originally intended for 2005 launch, delayed for hardware rejig - rumour

According to development sources, Sony originally planned for the PlayStation 3 to launch in 2005, but had to put it back in the oven after developers and technicians rejected half-baked hardware plans.

IGN spokes with multiple anonymous sources who independently corroborated the rumour that the PS3 was due a full year ahead of its eventual release date.

The site stumbled across the story while researching the history of Naughty Dog; according to various veterans, racer Jak X was developed because the PS3's delay meant work on what would eventually become Uncharted: Drake's Fortune had to be pushed back.

That's interesting enough, but the sources also had something to say about Sony's hardware development process of the time.

“For a while, [PS3 had] no GPU, it was going to run everything with SPUs. The ICE team proved to Japan that it was just impossible. It would be ridiculous. Performance-wise, it would be a disaster. That’s why they finally added the GPU, closer to the end," one source said, and was backed up by another.

"I think that the hardware guys focused too much on getting the [Sony’s proprietary processor] CELL working that the GPU project [for PlayStation 3] ultimately fell behind," yet another said.

Sony didn't respond to IGN's requests for comment.