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Earlier this morning,
gaming news site Next Generation announced
that Sony plans to launch an online service that bears resemblance to
Microsoft's Xbox Live. Currently referred to as PlayStation HUB, it
will allow PlayStation 3 owners to chat, download demos, and play games
online. There are also plans to enable support for PSP online play. It
appears a step in a different direction from Sony's relatively
laissez-faire approach to online gaming in regard to the PlayStation 2,
which left online play in the hands of publishers, and has been widely
considered inferior to Xbox Live.
Allegedly, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is developing
HUB, and has been describing it as a "subscriber service" to
developers, implying that there will be a fee to utilize its services.
Also, according to the article, Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer is pushing
to integrate downloadable media, such as music and movies, into the
service, a move that would rival Apple's iTunes store.
Also included in the article is the news that developers seem
to be leaning toward a September launch date for the PlayStation 3
based on the release schedule for launch titles, although there are no
specifics in regard to launch territory. The assumption seems to be
that Japan and the US will see the machine first, although there is
still no set launch date for the hardware. A few developers have also
speculated a September 16 Japanese launch and a September 21 American
launch. However, with fluid pace that release dates are revised, even
the Next Gen piece mentioned that those dates are far from concrete.
When contacted, a spokesperson for Sony declined to comment,
stating that any information in Next Gen's article is purely
speculation. GameSpy will continue to report on any news pertaining to
PlayStation 3's online services, as well as any launch information, as
it becomes available.