New Details on Playstation Online-Live-esque HUB for PS3, PSP

Source

ource: An article on Next Generation, citing "well-placed industry sources."

The official story: "At this point we have not released any further details on PlayStation 3, any information you may have heard is purely speculation." -- A Sony representative.

What we heard: Next Generation's article says that Sony is preparing a service modeled after Microsoft's Xbox Live, currently referred to as PlayStation HUB. Apparently the HUB will be a subscriber service that has "chat, downloadable demos, independent games, and online play," and it will support online play for both the PSP and PS3. The article also says that developer sources are "suggesting" a September launch, and pegs a couple possible release dates couched with the non-attribution that "some in the industry" are speculating September 16 and September 21 as Japanese and US launch dates, respectively.

A third-party developer of games for Sony platforms confirmed the planned service for GameSpot, saying that it was previously planned to roll out on the PlayStation 2 initially, followed by the PS3 and then the PSP. "It's probably now just PS3 then PSP because I think the service was supposed to roll out this spring," the developer said.

But while Sony is on the online bandwagon, GameSpot's source suggests it has plenty of catching up to do.

"They [Sony management] don't understand it. They don't understand why it's important. They don't get what developers need to make it good," the source said. "They're trying to adapt due to tons of inside pressure (there are, of course, many incredibly brilliant people in Sony who have been screaming about this stuff for about a decade), but essentially Microsoft is on the cutting edge of this stuff and Sony is like your grandmother who just got her first AOL account."

Although news of Sony's plans for a unified online service is interesting, it's also old for the most part. Back when Sony unveiled the PS3 in May of 2005 at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, it emphasized that the machine would have online capabilities similar to that of Xbox Live on the Xbox 360. Sony Computer Entertainment chief technical officer Masa Chatani said the PS3 would be constantly in touch with a "PlayStation World" network fundamentally based on "community, communication, commerce, and content." He also said that subscribers could "exchange unique characters and items through the network."

So considering what Sony already said about its PS3 online plans, the real news out of the Next Generation piece is that the service has a tentative name of PlayStation HUB, that it will be a subscriber service (naturally), and that it will support online play for PSP. The September release dates, while certainly possible and newsworthy if true, are pure speculation; even Next Generation admits that. As for launching in the US and Japan five days apart, we'd like to think Sony learned something from the supply shortages that plagued Microsoft's worldwide launch of the Xbox 360.

Bogus or not bogus?: On the existence of an Xbox Live-like service from Sony, not bogus, but quite old. On the rest of the news, it seems each bit is still up in the air to some extent, and Next Generation is careful to phrase it as such.

Sounds interesting. A Xbox Live like service on the PSP would be very much appreciated. Though I doubt I would play many games online as much as most people would.

Nice find.

Finnaly. A way for a portable system to truley be "online". I'm so excited. I wish a price would be released. I'm glad that the PS3 might come out in Sep...I know what I want for my b-day!