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Details on the PS3 Online Service

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the going-online-take-me-away-we'll-go-online dept.

Eurogamer has details of Sony's online strategy for the PlayStation 3. Finally. The long article goes into the process by which you log into the service, some of the things you can expect to find online, the different aspects of user accounts, and finally some details about the PlayStation Store. From the article: "As to the content that will be available, Sony is still playing its cards close to its chest to some extent - but one thing the giant firm is clear on is that the PlayStation Store will grow to encompass more than just new game content and demos. Alongside the free and paid-for game content, the store will also play host to a wide range of new titles developed specifically for download (the first of which, fl0w, was shown off at TGS - dozens more PlayStation Store exclusive titles are being worked on around the world thanks to an initiative which Sony launched at GDC last year) - and as Ken Kutaragi revealed at TGS last month, it'll also be possible to buy PSone and PS2 classics you missed out on, as well as a selection of PSP games, from the PlayStation Store, and download them directly to your PS3." After all this time, it's nice just to know there is an online strategy.

5 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. Valve has been doing this for over 2 years now. by Unworthy+Advocate · · Score: 0, Interesting

    This has already been done, its called STEAM. It changed the way I play and pay for games. No, it is not perfect but overall it rocks.
    Auto game updating makes me VERY happy and the range of available games is expanding all the time.

    Though this is not to say that Sony couldn't possibly do it better and more efficiently.

  2. If Only.... by SCDavis · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If only microsoft, Sony and Nintendo could get together and have a "global" network with all three systems and even PC maybe (gamespy? or one of those guys?) and let people that have say Ghost Recon for the 360 play against people with the PS3... or even a global store where you could buy the things once... When i get the Wii and IF i get the PS3, i really dont want to pay for all 3... with Live costing 40/year or whatever it would be good to get a deal on all 3...

    360+wii = 60
    360+wii+ps3 = 90

    where all seperate could cost people 120+ a year!

    but we'll see... Nintendo seems to have things going the right way with rumors of being able to download old nintendo games (whether it be for free or not we'll see).

    Also Microsoft seems to already be rolling with their network set up while the PS3 will have to work out all of their bugs that Microsoft worked out with the first XBOX... Nintendo also might have the same problems that Sony will have, but who knows...

    1. Re:If Only.... by Kagenin · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Wii Virtual Console downloads will cost about 5-10$/game. They're not rumors, they're confirmed facts. NES, SNES, and select Genesis and TG16 games will be available. AFAIK, the Wii online services will be free - no annual registration, just a points system for purchasing Virtual Console titles and other offerings (something like 1 yen or 10 cents per point).

      Its also worth noting that the Wii will not be sold for a loss - unlike M$ and $ony, the big N will be making profit from every console sold from day one. M$ and $ony can't make a profit until they can get their manufacturing costs way down (which is probably further off for $ony then I think even they realize). This will be the Achilles heel for $ony - their pricing scheme will put off a LOT more people than they're anticipating (just look at the current /. poll!). They plan on making their money back from games and peripherals, but if no one's buying systems, games and pads will sit on shelves, profiting no one. The other whammy here is they're not gonna have enough systems in stores before Christmas - every source out there is reporting that the numbers just aren't there yet.

      Nintendo has everything going for them going into this generation. The didn't sell as many units as their competitors last generation, but they made more money than either of their competitors on hardware sales, because they've never sold their hardware for a loss. They're PWNING $ony in the handheld market - Are there any good games for the PSP yet? Cuz I already have a dozen DS games, and I love them all.

      --
      "All warfare is based on deception."
      Sun Tzu, "The Art of War"
  3. Re:The Details For The Lazy by Tim+Browse · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Zonk: "After all this time, it's nice just to know there is an online strategy. "

    Pathetic. Just pathetic.

    Actually, it's a pretty reasonable comment - and a sentiment that many PS3 developers share, which you'll have seen evidence of, if you've been following the PS3 news in the past couple of months.

    Sony have shown time and time again that the one thing they are hopeless at is software, and an online service is all about the software, not forgetting of course the hardware/server farms, which I think Microsoft just might have more experience with.

    Knowing Sony's MO, the fact that this service is free basically telegraphs to me that Sony don't think this service will be as good as Xbox Live. In other words, they can't compete on quality or value with the online system, so they've decided to compete on price.

  4. Re:Wikipedia: comedy gold! by kubevubin · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've never used Xbox Live, so I have a question concerning it: Are less popular or older games ever removed from the service, rendering them unplayable online thereafter? EA likes to remove online support for the PlayStation versions of older (as in two years old) sports titles in order to force players to purchase a newer version. Does this occur with the titles that are playable on Xbox Live, by chance? If not, then it makes perfect sense that EA would be a bit hesitant to support Xbox Live in the beginning.