The Japanese launch of the Playstation 3 has been delayed until at least November because of issues with Blu-Ray and copy protection, or some combination thereof.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. will delay the release of its PlayStation 3 next-generation video game console until early November because the copy protection technology for the Blu-ray Disc has not been finalized, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun learned Tuesday. The six-month delay could impact the Sony Corp. group's business rehabilitation plans because the PlayStation 3 is key to the group's business recovery.

Development of the copy protection technology has fallen behind schedule as consumer electronics makers and movie companies have been unable to work out the details. Other core parts, including the Cell high-performance chip, are believed to have been developed on schedule.

Featuring the Cell, which came about through joint efforts by the Sony group, Toshiba Corp. and IBM Corp., as well as a Blu-ray Disc drive, the PlayStation 3 is expected to enable users to not only play game and movie software but also download and view high-quality videos on the Internet.