Ebay for gamers?
Sony have signed a deal with the Royal Bank Of Scotland to work on a new system for gathering online payments via their Playstation 3 'live' service.
The trials for the new system begin in May,and will allow gamers to download full games as well as retro ones, additional content, and MMO subscriptions. In addition to game related downloads we can expect to see movie and music available from the outset. Sony’s boss Howard Stringer even described the service as being like a ” iTunes-like distribution network”.
The Playstation online service, dubbed the PlayStation Network Platform or Playstation 'HUB', will compete with Microsoft's successful Xbox live service. With an estimated 200 milliion Playstation 3 units expected to be sold, the HUB will be a huge business for Sony, and will help them to claw back some of the money they lose from the manufacturing of the console. Sony's Phil Harrison even talked about the inclusion of auctions (which could become the equivalent of Ebay for gamers)
It's unknown whether Sony will follow Microsoft's lead by providing a points system for downloadable content. It would certainly be a wise move, 400 points seems a lot cheaper than £4!
More details on the Playstation Network platform will be revealed at E3 next month.
