Sony has delayed the launch of its next-generation PlayStation 3 games console until March 2007 in territories outside North America and Japan. 

European gamers will have to wait until March 2007 to get their hands on Sony's latest console, four months after their American and Japanese counterparts.

Sony claimed that the delay in the mass production schedule of the blue laser diode within the Sony Group was the result of problems with the Blu-ray high-definition DVD format.

The delay also affects consumers in Australasia, Russia, the Middle East and Africa.

The PlayStation 3 console was due to launch in Europe in November to mirror the 11 November and 17 November releases in Japan and North America.

Sony insisted that it still expects to ship six million PlayStation 3 units in 2007, despite the delays.