Sony Computer Entertainment leader Ken Kutaragi revealed Thursday afternoon his company's plans to hold a "PlayStation Conference" in Japan in February of 2006. Kutaragi stated that this conference was to be held on the "eve" of the PlayStation 3 launch. Which suggests, of course, that the PS3 is closing in on a March launch in Japan, just like the PlayStation 2 before it. Continuing an announcement-filled PlayStation Meeting in Tokyo, Kutaragi shared an updated schedule of events that will happen as the PS3 nears release. The two entries at the top of the chart are of most interest to game players. The Tokyo Game Show, scheduled from 9/16 to 9/18 will see the PS3 show face in some form, likely with playable games. The PlayStation Conference will follow in February of next year, according to the chart, with the PS3 launch following after that.

In related news, SCEI has also revealed that
it has entered a strategic alliance with AGEIA Technologies. Through the agreement, Sony has obtained the sublicensing rights for the AGEIA PhysX SDK (aka NovadeX) for use in its own PlayStation 3 SDK (software development kit). Apparently, the reason Sony wanted to incorporate the PhysX SDK into its own toolset is because of the kit's multi-threading capabilities (which make it ideal for the multi-tasking beast that is the Cell processor). The licensing agreement gives Sony and AGEIA the opportunity to optimize PhysX for PS3 use, while frontline support will be provided by SCEI directly.