Sony officially confirmed Tuesday what had been rumored since early February - the launch of the highly anticipated PlayStation Portable console in Europe will be delayed by at least a few months. Sony had originally denied any delay, only saying that the PSP will ship "in the spring."

However, BetaNews has learned that the announcement may have not been handed down to retailers in Europe. One report indicated that in Spain, several retailers had displays for the PSP ready to go in anticipation of its arrival.

Reuters reports that Sony's factories have not been able to keep up with the rapid success of the PSP, making simultaneous releases of the unit worldwide nearly impossible. In Japan, the company has already sold some 1.2 million PSPs, and supplies of the device remain limited.

According to Sony, the reason for the delay in Europe is "allocation," meaning the company wants to make sure it has enough units for its United States debut. 1 million PSPs will be available for U.S. gamers, and Sony wants to eliminate the supply problems that plagued the Japanese release.

The PSP will hit U.S. shelves on March 24 at a retail price of $249.99 USD.