After unsuccessful unification talks, it appears that HD-DVD will now suffer a launch delay.

It had been thought that HD-DVD would go on sale at the end of the year, but now it would appear that the format will be delayed until some time in 2006.

"We originally aimed for the year-end launch in the United States, but we have not really decided on that," said a Toshiba spokesperson. "We are now in talks with Hollywood studios and large-scale retailers to see the most effective timing of the launch and the best way to launch."

Toshiba's HD-DVD format was thought to have the advantage over Sony's Blu-Ray format in respect to launch dates, so this news of a possible delay will put a smile on the faces of all those involved with the Blu-Ray format.

In related news it would seem that Blu-Ray drives for the PlayStation 3 will cost Sony $100 or more when they begin manufacturing the PlayStation 3 console next year. This is much more expensive than the DVD drive present in the Xbox 360, and could be one of the reasons the PlayStation 3 is expected to retail at a much higher price than the Xbox 360.