PlayStation 2 broadband online plans finally revealed!
At last, PlayStation BB is a reality.
At the PlayStation Meeting 2002 event held in Tokyo yesterday, SCE unveiled its plans for online gaming for the first time, ending the massive amount of speculation that has been escalating for the last two years.
The meeting began with SCE President Ken Kutaragi explaining how Sony plans to implement broadband gaming in Japan.
Sony will partner with four of Japan’s leading ISP’s, namely Nifty, Plala, OCN and the amusingly-named Biglobe. These alliances should reach 70% of all broadband users in Japan, making access to high-speed online gaming easier than was initially predicted.
Online gaming proper is scheduled to begin in Japan this May, with SCE confident that it has the gaming servers in place to cope with the demand. Kutaragi-san stated that pricing for the service would vary depending on the ISP.
One of the most exciting revelations to come from the meeting was the confirmation of GT-Online, the online battle version of Gran Turismo that we have followed since its earliest rumblings at the beginning of last year. Series producer Kazunori Yamauchi said that the game was in an advanced stage of development and would be released on DVD-ROM at some point this year. SCE also said that it will be releasing online versions of the excellent Everybody’s Golf and Arc the Lad. Sony made it clear that as well as pure competitive gaming, it intended to build an online community and would put a heavy slant on chat and forum features.
Also promised was a plethora of downloadable goodies. It was made clear that the PlayStation 2 can easily function as a multimedia machine, able to download, store and play music, movies and applications using the PlayStation Juke Box.
Sony then went on to outline the fact that PlayStation 2 will feature instant messaging, and email capabilities.
Expect the announcement of a broadband network for Europe and the US in the coming months.
The meeting began with SCE President Ken Kutaragi explaining how Sony plans to implement broadband gaming in Japan.
Sony will partner with four of Japan’s leading ISP’s, namely Nifty, Plala, OCN and the amusingly-named Biglobe. These alliances should reach 70% of all broadband users in Japan, making access to high-speed online gaming easier than was initially predicted.
Online gaming proper is scheduled to begin in Japan this May, with SCE confident that it has the gaming servers in place to cope with the demand. Kutaragi-san stated that pricing for the service would vary depending on the ISP.
One of the most exciting revelations to come from the meeting was the confirmation of GT-Online, the online battle version of Gran Turismo that we have followed since its earliest rumblings at the beginning of last year. Series producer Kazunori Yamauchi said that the game was in an advanced stage of development and would be released on DVD-ROM at some point this year. SCE also said that it will be releasing online versions of the excellent Everybody’s Golf and Arc the Lad. Sony made it clear that as well as pure competitive gaming, it intended to build an online community and would put a heavy slant on chat and forum features.
Also promised was a plethora of downloadable goodies. It was made clear that the PlayStation 2 can easily function as a multimedia machine, able to download, store and play music, movies and applications using the PlayStation Juke Box.
Sony then went on to outline the fact that PlayStation 2 will feature instant messaging, and email capabilities.
Expect the announcement of a broadband network for Europe and the US in the coming months.
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