PS3 to have dedicated online component

[zombie]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,188812,00.html

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Sony Corp.'s (SNE) top video game studio executive said on Wednesday that a new online service debuting with its PlayStation 3 console in early November will open up a world of new content for gamers.

The service will let users buy game downloads and communicate and compete with other players via the Web.

Sony, one of the world's leading technology manufacturers and entertainment companies, aims to retain dominance over video game market with the PS3.

The basic level of new online service, known internally as PlayStation Network Platform, will be free, Phil Harrison, president of worldwide studios for Sony Computer Entertainment, said during the Game Developers Conference in San Jose.

Users will pay for subscriptions to game services and premium game content, he said.

Among other things, Harrison said the network creates an avenue for selling episodic content, such as game updates and add-ons, directly to consumers via the service's online marketplace.

"I believe that games can have the same social currency of a great television program," he said.

Microsoft Corp. introduced its competing Xbox 360 game console in November of last year. Its Xbox Live subscription service, which offers game downloads and online play, has been a hit on the new machine.

Microsoft said on Tuesday that Xbox Live has logged more than 10 million downloads, which it said was "faster than iTunes did when it launched."

More than 85 percent of Xbox 360 consoles that are connected to the Internet have downloaded games, trailers and videos from the subscription service, Microsoft said.