Sony Computer Entertainment has finally made a commitment to on-line gaming outside of Japan, announcing its plans to make the PlayStation 2 an on-line machine in the US.
As of August 27th this year, SCE will begin shipping its PlayStation 2 broadband adapters to US retail. The units, that can also support dial-up connectivity, will cost $39.99, a price likely to be reflected in Sterling when a European launch finally emerges.
This gifts Sony a healthy head start on Microsoft’s online offering, Xbox Live, which is not due to launch until November 15th. Sony will also be offering its core package for free, though players will have to pay subscription charges for some games, the details of which haven’t yet been released.
The firm is planning to release an initial batch of 250,000 adapters later this month and says it expects to attract 400,000 online players before the end of the year.
The first round of games to go online by the end of the year include:
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
SOCOM: US Navy Seals
Twisted Metal: Black Online
NFL 2K3
Madden NFL 2003
NFL GameDay 2003
ATV Offroad Fury 2
Auto Modellista
Tribes: Aerial Assault
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
As of this point in time, no concrete plans for the PlayStation 2’s European online roll-out have been released. Indeed, none of the major hardware manufacturers have made any commitment to our much overlooked region.
We’ll keep you updated on these issues and hopefully some news of when European users can begin to play online with the rest of the world.
Microsoft is likely to announce plans at this year’s European X02 conference which, according to rumour, is going to be held in Seville at the end of September.
As of August 27th this year, SCE will begin shipping its PlayStation 2 broadband adapters to US retail. The units, that can also support dial-up connectivity, will cost $39.99, a price likely to be reflected in Sterling when a European launch finally emerges.
This gifts Sony a healthy head start on Microsoft’s online offering, Xbox Live, which is not due to launch until November 15th. Sony will also be offering its core package for free, though players will have to pay subscription charges for some games, the details of which haven’t yet been released.
The firm is planning to release an initial batch of 250,000 adapters later this month and says it expects to attract 400,000 online players before the end of the year.
The first round of games to go online by the end of the year include:
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
SOCOM: US Navy Seals
Twisted Metal: Black Online
NFL 2K3
Madden NFL 2003
NFL GameDay 2003
ATV Offroad Fury 2
Auto Modellista
Tribes: Aerial Assault
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
As of this point in time, no concrete plans for the PlayStation 2’s European online roll-out have been released. Indeed, none of the major hardware manufacturers have made any commitment to our much overlooked region.
We’ll keep you updated on these issues and hopefully some news of when European users can begin to play online with the rest of the world.
Microsoft is likely to announce plans at this year’s European X02 conference which, according to rumour, is going to be held in Seville at the end of September.
Companies:
Sony
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