October 26, 1999

Sony Launches Special Edition "AIBO" Entertainment Robot Requests for 10,000 total units to be accepted from customers in Europe, Japan, and the USA from November 1-8, 1999

(Tokyo, Paris and New York) - Sony Corporation today announced plans to offer a special edition "AIBO" entertainment robot, model [ERS-111], to customers in Japan, the United States, and Europe^*1. Sales will be limited to 10,000 total units with no specific quantity allocated to each region or market^*2.

The "AIBO" entertainment robot is an autonomous robot that acts in response to external stimulation and its own judgement. Sony developed it as a robot capable of interacting and co-existing with people as a new form of robotic entertainment. This June, Sony sold a total of 5,000 units of a limited edition "AIBO" entertainment robot, model [ERS-110], on a first-come, first-served basis to customers in Japan and the US. Order taking for products allocated to the Japanese market was completed within 20 minutes, and products allocated for the US market were sold within four days, a response that greatly exceeded expectations.

Sony intended to market a limited quantity of "AIBO" entertainment robots, maintain close contact with the users, and use their feedback to plan the establishment of an entirely new market for robot entertainment. Ever since the completion of order taking, however, Sony has been flooded with requests to purchase "AIBO" robots not only from customers in Japan and the US but also from Europe, where the limited edition model was not available. In considering how to respond to this excess demand, Sony has decided to launch a special edition "AIBO" entertainment robot, model [ERS-111].

The [ERS-111] "AIBO" entertainment robot maintains the same basic features and specifications as the [ERS-110] model while incorporating some changes in design, motion, and sound. Customers can choose from two exciting new colors, Grey Silver and Metallic Black, when submitting their requests. The special edition also features changes in the shape of the ears and length of the tail as well as the inclusion of new motion and sound software.

Requests for the [ERS-111] "AIBO" entertainment robot will be accepted from November 1-8, 1999 over the Internet and by telephone^*3, and quantities are limited to one per customer. In the event that more than 10,000 requests are received, orders will be processed at random until all products are sold. Sony plans to complete shipping products by late December.

A new version of the "AIBO Performer Kit" motion editor software, model [ERF-511], will go on sale at the same time. This PC-based software, which enables users create new motions for [ERS-111] "AIBO" entertainment robot, has been specially designed for the special edition product.

(Please refer to the attached pages for specific information about events, product displays, and procedures for placing requests in for your region.)

Sony will continue to advance its market research and technological development by analyzing the demographics of its "AIBO" customers and communicating closely with users while working to expand the market for robot entertainment.

*1 Sony currently plans to offer the product for sale in Austria, Greece, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, and the US.

*2 In the event that more than 10,000 requests are received, orders will be filled at random until all products are sold. No specific number of units has been allocated for each region or market.

*3 Other methods may be available in some countries. For detailed information, please refer to attached page(s).