Sony Announces PS3, PSP Enhancements

LEIPZIG, August 23: Sony
Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has announced further details on its Go!
video download service, in association with BSkyB, to deliver content to the
PlayStation Portable, and is adding DVR capabilities to PlayStation 3.

The deal with Sky gives
PSP owners in the U.K. and Ireland the opportunity to download content directly
onto their portable consoles. The Go! video download service will launch in
early 2008. It will launch with a mix of Sky content, spanning sports,
entertainment, movies, music and animation, all on a pay-per-view basis. Sky
also plans to work with third-party channel brands and content owners for
additional offerings on the service. Furthermore, the platform will develop a
user interface specifically tailored for the PSP's broad audience.

James Murdoch, the CEO of
BSkyB, noted: “Sky and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe have complementary
strengths in content, marketing and technology. Together, we’re ideally placed
to make portable, on-demand TV a reality. Alongside our existing services for
PCs and mobile phones, this is another example of how we’re working to give
more choice, flexibility and control to customers. The quality of the PSP's
screen and its substantial reach among 2 million users in the U.K. and Ireland
makes it a natural extension to our multiplatform strategy.”

At the Games Convention in
Leipzig, Germany, SCEE also unveiled PlayTV, a combined TV tuner and PVR for
the PS3. The device will launch in the U.K., France, Italy, Germany and Spain
early in 2008, with other PAL territories (the standard is used in Europe,
Australasia and parts of South America) to follow.

PlayTV allows users to
watch, pause and record live TV and features a 7-day EPG and the ability to
record individual titles or entire series. Content can be viewed on the TV set
or transferred to the PSP.

“The introduction of
PlayTV really will extend the already broad entertainment credentials of PS3,
and makes it an exceptionally attractive proposition for the whole family,”
said David Reeves, the president of SCEE. “PS3 already provides high definition
gaming, Blu-ray disc movies, music, video, photo album, web browsing and
PlayStation Network support. With the introduction of PlayTV’s state of the art
TV tuner and PVR functionality, PS3 is now the best choice of home
entertainment hub for the whole family.”