Playstation 3 launch will prompt GaN laser ramp
After delaying its spring release, Sony's computer entertainment division has now confirmed the November 2006 launch dates of its new games console, the Playstation 3.
All Playstation 3s will use a Blu-ray Disc drive to provide high-definition imagery, and each will therefore feature a GaN-based laser diode.
Sony and Nichia have collaborated closely over the development of the lasers and optical pick-ups for the new drives (see related story).
While the emergence of Blu-ray Disc and rival high-definition DVD players and recorders is likely only to penetrate the high-end consumer electronics market in the near term, the new Playstation will be priced at just under $500 in the US and should prompt a more substantial ramp-up in GaN laser production.
According to Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper, Sony is expecting to ship 2 million units initially, and another 4 million by the end of March 2007.
The console will launch in Japan first, on November 11, with the US and European release following just a week later.
If its delayed launch proves successful, uptake of the Playstation 3 could also boost the deployment of fiber-optic components based on III-V materials.
That's because the console supports Gigabit Ethernet as standard, enabling owners to download games and services over a local network. Service providers are upgrading their networks at the moment to meet the anticipated bandwidth demand for applications such as this and TV-over-Internet, and sales of optoelectronic components for datacoms applications are rising fast as a result.
