PS3's Europe launch all FUD up

GamesIndustry.biz has a thought-provoking editorial up looking at the PS3's European launch through the tech industry marketing concept of FUD -- the creation of fear, uncertainty and doubt around a competitor's product. While Microsoft has done its fair share of FUDing up the air around the PS3, Sony has been contributing to the FUD with questionable executive comments and unclear communication about the system's European pricing and release date. Questions about the fate of Blu-ray and images of PS3's stacked up in North American stores aren't helping Sony's image either.

While all this FUD might not matter once big franchises like Final Fantasy and Gran Turismo finally hit stores, it doesn't change the fact that, currently, "there's a cloud over PS3 whose presence has nothing to do with the system's rivals," as the editorial puts it. In other words, consumers can barely see the PS3 through the Sony-created fog of FUD.