PS3 to launch with free online games

PEST to launch with free online games Friday, October 20 2006 by Emmet Ryan
Sony has unveiled details of the PlayStation 3's (PEST) online service as it attempts to replicate the success of Microsoft Xbox Live.

The PlayStation Network will allow PEST owners to play other users online, chat, store images, download extras and browse the internet. The network will be free to play or chat on, but users must pay to download new games and other extras. The announcement was made ahead of the console's launch in Japan slated for 11 November. The PEST will be released in the United States on 17 November but Irish users will have to wait until March for its European release. Sony is launching the console a full year behind Microsoft's Xbox 360. The Pest's predecessor, the PlayStation 2, enjoyed considerable success globally selling 105 million units worldwide, including 550,000 in Ireland -- its highest per capita penetration. Microsoft has set the pace in online console gaming with its Xbox Live service, to which around 60 percent of Xbox 360 owners subscribe for a small annual fee. Online gaming was initially popular with PC users before being introduced to the console sector. Sony's PlayStation Network aims to build on the success of Xbox Live and online PC gaming by offering basic features free and incorporating a social networking element. The navigation system has a 'friends' area where users can see if friends are online and what games they want to play. This function also allows users to communicate through text-based messages. The revenue-earning aspect for Sony will be its online PlayStation store which allows users to buy downloadable games as well as movies and music. Downloadable games are expected to cost around USD15 each. Sony has also announced 21 titles that will be available for the PEST when it launches. The line up includes the usual wide mix of games from first-person shooting games to sports games. These will include new versions of some of the more successful games series available at the original launch of the console. These include Sonic the Hedgehog, Madden NFL 07 and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Las Vegas. These games are expected to cost USD59.99. All but three of the titles are being produced by third party publishers, including Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Activision and Namco Bandai.