President of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) Kazuo Hirai has stated that he feels the launch date of PlayStation Home “doesn’t matter” if it means the company is able to provide the best service possible for consumers.
"I’d much rather make sure we take the time to have a great service rather than rush something into the market – only for consumers to say: "This is not enough for me." I want to avoid that," Hirai told MCV.
"If we have the right service, it doesn’t matter when we launch – so long as it’s in a reasonable timeframe."
The online social networking platform has already been delayed twice in the past; something which Hirai himself has apologised for, though ultimately believes the delay was necessary to deliver a quality product.
"Whether our competitors decide to follow what we’ve done with Home or not follow us, that’s up to them. Given the fact that I’ve delayed the launch of Home twice – for which I’ve apologised – I think I’ve done it for a very good reason, and that’s because I want to bring the very best service possible to consumers around the world,” he added.
"We’re very confident in when we do launch the open Beta service, it’s something that will really resonate with the consumers."
PlayStation Home’s open beta is currently scheduled to begin in late 2008.