Euro PlayStation 2 On-Line with Broadband Sooner than Expected
Sony in preparations for on-line play in Europe.
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has released details on its on-line plans for PlayStation 2 in Europe and in doing so has surprised the entire industry.
Vice president of development Phil Harrison has revealed that SCEE has concluded a deal with cable service provider Telewest to provide broadband support to the console.
“USB and i-LINK technology have been incorporated into the PlayStation 2 design along with an expansion bay for a hard disc drive/network interface,” said SCEE in a statement. “This anticipates a future of digital interconnectivity where networking will play a key role. PlayStation 2 will revolutionise home entertainment by evolving into a home network terminal for the electronic distribution (e-distribution) of digital content. As well as broadband receipt of entertainment content, the HDD will be able to store content downloaded from mobile phones.”
Trials in the UK are scheduled to take place between November and December of this year, a startling statistic considering the low level of broadband penetration we currently have.
There is also talk of Sony giving the hard drive and broadband adapter away as a loss leader, subject to the recipient subscribing to Telewest as a service provider for the console.
All good!
For too long now the PlayStation 2 has languished off-line. There was an apparent lack of enthusiasm for Internet gaming from Sony that frustrated the user base and hampered developers and publishers.
Games like Quake 3 Revolution, Unreal Tournament and Gran Turismo 3 could have been vastly improved with the addition of on-line capabilities.
It is a shame that this move seems to have been forced by market conditions rather than as a result of good planning from Sony. The PlayStation 2, though still in a strong position, has the GameCube and the Xbox breathing down its neck. Both consoles will be on-line soon after launch.
Vice president of development Phil Harrison has revealed that SCEE has concluded a deal with cable service provider Telewest to provide broadband support to the console.
“USB and i-LINK technology have been incorporated into the PlayStation 2 design along with an expansion bay for a hard disc drive/network interface,” said SCEE in a statement. “This anticipates a future of digital interconnectivity where networking will play a key role. PlayStation 2 will revolutionise home entertainment by evolving into a home network terminal for the electronic distribution (e-distribution) of digital content. As well as broadband receipt of entertainment content, the HDD will be able to store content downloaded from mobile phones.”
Trials in the UK are scheduled to take place between November and December of this year, a startling statistic considering the low level of broadband penetration we currently have.
There is also talk of Sony giving the hard drive and broadband adapter away as a loss leader, subject to the recipient subscribing to Telewest as a service provider for the console.
All good!
For too long now the PlayStation 2 has languished off-line. There was an apparent lack of enthusiasm for Internet gaming from Sony that frustrated the user base and hampered developers and publishers.
Games like Quake 3 Revolution, Unreal Tournament and Gran Turismo 3 could have been vastly improved with the addition of on-line capabilities.
It is a shame that this move seems to have been forced by market conditions rather than as a result of good planning from Sony. The PlayStation 2, though still in a strong position, has the GameCube and the Xbox breathing down its neck. Both consoles will be on-line soon after launch.
Companies:
Sony
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