In a keynote address at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose, California, Andrew House, executive vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, said the success of the original PlayStation, nearing its 10th anniversary, had convinced the company that two-thirds of its potential PS2 sales were yet to come.

The PlayStation 2 was released in 2000 in the United States and game industry observers have expected Sony and rival Microsoft Corp to shift their marketing efforts to next-generation game machines in 2005 or 2006. "There are some huge potential gains for us later in the life cycle," House told a packed auditorium.

But with the lengthening of the sales window for PS2, he said, Sony and the industry will also have to consider the advancing age of the people who own and buy the hardware. "We have to think very carefully about the type of audience we're reaching with our games," he said. House also sought to quash speculation that Sony might accelerate development on its next console, the PS3, to keep up with Microsoft Corp., which many in the industry have speculated is preparing the successor to its Xbox console for 2005. "Competitive movement will not be a factor in determining our launch release plans," he said.