Despite widespread industry speculation to the contrary, Sony is sticking to its plans for a spring 2006 launch for the PlayStation 3, newswire service Reuters reported today. An unnamed Sony spokesman is cited in the article as saying that the company is still targeting the release window it officially announced in May at the Electronics Entertainment Expo.

　　However, others aren't convinced. Reuters reports that as recently as last week, Electronic Arts CEO Larry Probst said he didn't believe the console would be ready before fall 2006.

　　Spring 2006 is also the projected rollout for two competing high-definition disc formats, Sony's Blu-ray (which the PlayStation 3 will use in its disc drive) and Toshiba's HD-DVD. A spokeswoman for the backers of Blu-ray said the group was on track to launch its technology on time, while an HD-DVD rep hinted that both formats might be a little late to shelves.

　　"It's not going to be much of a battle until both sides are actually on the field," HD-DVD spokesman Mark Knox told Reuters, "and we have a sneaking suspicion that that won't be for quite a while."