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Exclusive: Sony Talks PS3 E-Distribution Initiative

As part of Sony's plans for the launch of its next-gen PlayStation 3 console later this year, the company has started planning the PS3 E-Distribution Initiative, to help both first and third-party developers digitally distribute its games via download, directly to the PS3.

The service, which will clearly compete with Microsoft's successfully launched Xbox Live Arcade service for the Xbox 360, is currently in the pre-production stages, and Gamasutra got a chance to talk to the project's John Hight, Director of External Production at SCEA Santa Monica, about his role heading up the project.

Firstly, Hight discussed some of the advantages of PlayStation 3 E-Distribution from Sony's point of view, noting: "Certainly being able to sell globally on-line makes it easier to reach international and remote markets. On the business side, it also lowers our cost of sales and eliminates inventory risk. It should help curtail used
game sales and piracy."

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gamasutra.com
mikeeno76182d ago

Again, Sony talks about something that in theory won't be put into practice for another couple of years. Show the current PS3 games. The majority of gamers just care about the games Sony.

omansteveo6182d ago

I really wanna see sony follow through on this stuff i have a feeling they will, some of the stuff they've done ith the psp gives me hope but i was also supposed to be able to dowload music online to my PS2 as well as web-browsing

Silver3606182d ago

I really think they are underestimating the difficulty of making this distributon network. Or maybe like everything else they do they have to put on a front. I hope this works the way the say it will I just have no faith in sony executives making truthful statements. Good luck sony!!!!

TheMART6182d ago

So if one can download the games, movies and so on

WHERE IS THE FREAKING EXPENSIVE NONSTANDARD BETABLURAYPLAYER FOR THEN?

I already typed many times. This is coming in a few years. Not now. Bandwith is allright but not for 8 GB games to wait too long. But in a few years a game of 8 GB will be downloaded in notime. Then we will see it happen.

And then BetaBluRay is totally useless. Video you just stream from your online moviecentre, games you pay with Microsoft Marketplace points.

andy capps6182d ago

This is for smaller, arcade like games like Xbox Live. Did you read the article or did you read the subject and in your haste to write your standard anti-PS3 diatribe, you missed that part? E-distribution of DVD-9 sized games would take forever at this time, much less E-distribution of 25-50 gigabyte games. I doubt we'll be seeing that in this generation.

AuburnTiger6182d ago (Edited 6182d ago )

What exactly is your problem with Sony anyway? You just seem really pissed off about them. Every one of your comments has "PsZero", "BetaBluray" or some other downing comment about Sony. It's like you don't want them to succeed simply because it might give your precious xbox a tiny bit of competition.

Also as a side question, exactly how old are, because your age would explain the majority of your comments.

TheMART6182d ago

So why not? In no time the maximum download average user connection went from 1 Mbit to 4,8 or even 20 Mbit.

A 20 Mbit connection in the Netherlands only cost about 25 EUro's in a month at a certain provider.

That's that's 2 MB every second. That's 120 MB in a minute. That's 1.2 GB every 10 minutes. That's 7.8 GB in one hour.

I can remember I was only downloading on a phone modem with 56k6 modem connection. That was in 1997 or maybe even up till 1998 or so. That's 8 years ago. Speed went up. And lately it speeds up like hell.

Imagine it. At this moment 8 GB in one hour on the fastest, but affordable connection overhere.

Average is 4 Mbit is having almost everyone nowadays around here. Imagine that when everybody uses 20 MBit, how close complete DL DVD games are to download on marketplace.

So I think we're going to see that this generation. In about 2 years it will be there. It cuts distribution, marketing and productioncosts. Let alone that there are no discs that can scratch anymore. It's harder to copy the games when they're on ones protected HDD.

There you go. It's very interesting for as wel console producers, as gameproducers, as customers. They'll sell more, they sell more quickly, people can save money

BR just will not be nescessary in this situation

andy capps6182d ago

I could see it happening more for episodic content, such as the way that Valve is handling the new episodes for Half Life. Love it or hate it, they've said that these episodes are what is Half Life 3. I think that Valve is ahead of the game here and that MS and Sony will go in this direction.

Broadband speeds have increased dramatically, but I know that my download speeds haven't increased any over the last year or so. Mine still caps out at around 300-400k/sec (most servers don't even support that). Which isn't bad, but downloading a 2GB file would take quite a while. American broadband is still way behind the rest of the world. It is possible to get broadband packages that have higher download speeds, but they cost quite a bit more.

I think the time for downloading games and discs being eliminated will come, I just think it's going to be longer than you do. I think it will either be near the end of this console cycle or in the next before we're downloading full games. If I'm wrong, then I'll be pleasantly surprised.

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Sevir046182d ago

it's already been set in stone... quite a few games for the psp is using an R&D version of the EDI. Capcom's megeman powered up to be on and Locoroco... already in the latest psp update they have it that game demos and vedio can be downloaded and distributed via the psp's site... thus taking this into light it's a safes bet to say that this will launch... keep in mind that at the begining the Full distribition of 8 gig games may come about in a year or 2. but small games like ps1 or ps2 or maybe even psp games will come about in the start...... i believe the article here was speakin in light of them having an xbox live arcade like. thing hence the reason why both first and third party and indepented developers who want to get there little projects published on the ps3 can have that done by registering there project on the site that they listed... so for right now i feel that sonys prime object is starting the system with small games that could very well be placed up into something big... and the psp will also hel ease that process

ACE6182d ago

sony said ms copy sony lol!!!

what do they take us for .... they lye and keep getting away with it ...

sony are the copycats for sure

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