Sony's answer to the Game Boy and VMS faces uncertain future

Sony Computer Entertainment of America stood in an awkward position today when asked about their shiny new handheld memory card/minigame/personal assistant. There was an admirable display of fantastic games, ranging from Gran Turismo 2 to Um Jammer Lammy to Spyro 2, yet nothing - not on paper, nor in the giant booth - addressed the mystery of the PocketStation.

The official Sony line is that Sony Japan are having a terribly difficult time meeting demand for the handheld in their own country. They're having such a difficult time that PocketStations in Japan are scarce and only a handful of them are supported by games.

Initially the PocketStation was to launch sometime this summer at the latest, according to insiders at Sony. There was, however, never an official launch date.

Furthermore, because the situation looks so dire, Sony cannot determine when the PocketStation will come out - if ever. So, the score is PocketStation 1 - gamers - 0. Sony, standing on shaky ground, have no solid plans for its future release that they can discuss at this time.

A sad commentary on a great company that's more capable than any other in the videogame industry of bringing out something that's not even as powerful as a Game Boy.

Courtesy of IGN