PlayStation Network

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PlayStation Network
Developer	SCE
Type	Online Service
Latest update	April 15, 2008[1]
Latest version	2.35[1]
Available	November 2006
Console	PlayStation 3
Website	Official Website

PlayStation Network, often abbreviated to PSN in the gaming community, is Sony's free online service provided for use with their PlayStation 3 (PS3)^[2] and PlayStation Portable (PSP) video game consoles. As of May 16, 2008, there are over 8 million registered PlayStation Network accounts worldwide.^[3]

[edit] User registration

Icons of the various features of the PlayStation Network. From left to right: Sign Up, Game Category of XMB, PlayStation Store, Friends and the Internet Browser

Registration is performed via the PlayStation 3 console or a personal computer. Two types of accounts can be created: Master accounts and Sub accounts. The Master account, as the name suggests, allows full access to all settings including parental control but the master has to be over the age of 18 to create an account. Sub accounts can subsequently be created with desired restrictions set and monitored by the master account holder.^[4]

Since master/sub accounts are not linked with the PS3 serial number, which allows users to buy and sell used consoles, they can be used with different physical consoles as a guest user. Therefore a single PS3 console can have multiple master accounts. A PSN registration is required for the PlayStation Store access and a guest user's account can be used to download PSN Store purchased items to a friend's console, but an account is not required to access the PS3's own web browser. The ability to use PlayStation Store content licenses for re-download is limited to five different PlayStation 3 consoles.

The PS3 console has been launched in most areas as of March 23, 2007. Some sites speculated that potential PS3 customers from outside of Japan and the US would be able to pre-register their favorite usernames online at the PlayStation Store.^[5] This proved to be true, as European gamers were able to register prior to the March 23 release using their PC, giving the added benefit of being able to quickly pre-register their details and more importantly, secure their chosen and world unique username.^[6]

[edit] Services

On May 15, 2006, at the PlayStation Business Conference, Sony confirmed that they were preparing for an online service tentatively named "PlayStation Network Platform" with free online play. Sony also announced some new features at their TGS 2006 conference.

The full list of planned services for the PlayStation Network Platform is as follows.^[2]

Communication/Community

• Account created through user registration
• Lobbies/Matchmaking
• Scores/Ranking
• Game data upload/download
• TV and movie downloads^[7]
• Presence/Friend List/Avatar
• Voice/Video Chat
• Instant messaging
• Internet Browser
• PlayStation Home

Account

• User Registration
• Single Login ID/Handlename issue

Commerce

• PlayStation Store
• Qore

[edit] PlayStation Store

Main article: PlayStation Store

PlayStation Store is an online shopping based service for the PlayStation Network. The store uses both actual currency and PlayStation Network Cards. The PlayStation Store receives an update every Thursday that either includes new demos, game trailers, movie trailers, full games and wallpapers & themes.

[edit] Upcoming video download service

Peter Dille, SCE Senior Vice President of Marketing & PLAYSTATION Network, announced on the official PlayStation.Blog that a video download service consisting of full-length TV shows and movies would be launching on the PSN in 2008.^[8] The blog specifically mentions North America as the launch region and does not mention any kind of global service.

[edit] Qore

Main article: PlayStation Store — Qore

On 3 June 2008 SCEA announced a new service, Qore, which would launch on the PlayStation Store in North America on 5 June 2008. In a press release published on the Official PlayStation Blog, Qore: Presented by the PlayStation Network is described as "a highly interactive, monthly lifestyle gaming program covering the world inside PlayStation is on its way to PS3."^[9]

[edit] PlayStation Home

Main article: PlayStation Home

PlayStation Home is a community based service for the PlayStation Network which is currently in the closed beta stage. An open beta is scheduled to launch in Fall 2008, however an estimated release date for the full product has not yet been announced. Home allows users to create an avatar character for their PlayStation 3 console. This avatar will get their own house, which can be decorated with items players can receive in several achievements. Also included in the online virtual world is the ability to meet other PS3 users, interact, play games, show friends different types of media saved on the PS3 hard drive, and much more. In the future home will also expand, allowing players to have more items such as clothing, luxury housing and household items which can be purchased from the PlayStation Store.

[edit] Features

• All of the online services, from sign-up right through to voice and video chat, are free, as is multiplayer gaming. The only things that are not free are paid-for downloadable content and subscriptions to premium services, such as certain massively multiplayer online games.

• The PlayStation 3 has an integrated web browser, developed internally by Sony. Much like the PSP browser, the PS3 browser also supports bookmarks and most other standard features found in modern web browsers. In addition to the PS3's controller, wired and Bluetooth wireless keyboards and mice can be used to operate the browser. Currently, Flash is only supported up to version 7.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] See also

• List of PlayStation Network games

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• PlayStation Store