It’s possible that the devastating earthquake in Japan might have pushed the release of the NGP out of its original window, at least in some regions. In a recent interview with Bloomberg, SCEA big dog Jack Tretton said as much. "It may be the straw that says 'maybe we get to just one market by the end of the year," he said, though to be clear, NGP creator Sony hasn’t been promising a worldwide release of the device by the end of holiday 2011. The company line was always that the NGP would make it to at least one region during that timeframe, and that safe estimate is appearing more like a reality now considering the unfortunate circumstances.
Bloomberg reports that the earthquake has directly caused production issues, forcing closure for the repair of a few factories in Northern Japan. Also, delays in component parts are causing additional problems. Combine both of these issues, and you see why Tretton is saying what he is.
So, where might the NGP be released later this year? Your guess is as good as anybody’s, since Tretton refused to specify which one region might be receiving the handheld. But considering tradition and the market the NGP will be targeted at, I wouldn’t be surprised if Japan is the sole region to receive the device if there are postponements.
UPDATE: A new report from the Wall Street Journal refutes this. Sony Japan's Satoshi Fukuoaka said, according to Eurogamer, "so far we see no impact from the quake on our launch plan."