Report: PS3/PSP Online = "Playstation HUB" + September PS3 launch in US/JPN?

LookingFor

Next-Gen reports:

According to well-placed industry sources, PlayStation HUB will offer PlayStation 3 owners much the same services as Xbox Live, including chat, downloadable demos, independent games and online play. The service is also designed to support PSP online play as well as PS3. It's a departure from PlayStation 2's online strategy, widely regarded as vastly inferior to Microsoft's.

PlayStation HUB is being described to developers as a 'subscriber service' suggesting a monthly charge. We understand the service is being created by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, although this is unconfirmed.

Developer sources are also suggesting that PlayStation 3 is currently scheduled to launch in September. A launch games release schedule seen by our sources states a September launch. Although the schedule does not explicitly state a hardware launch date, nor a launch territory, we understand Japan and U.S will both see the machine in September.

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2270&Itemid=2

A little more detail at the link. I guess September in the US, on the one hand, might indicate a launch in Europe before Christmas, but I guess that would be dependent on the supply situation. I also wouldn't mind a subscription online service as long as the quality is there, and I'd be quite happy if Sony modelled theirs on Live and added some of their own features to accomodate PSP etc. That'd be pretty sweet, but I won't get my hopes up until it's all confirmed.

Placebo

why do i live here.

projectmayhem

told you so.

Cabelo

Ain't it lovely? I think it's nice. I mean, I'll be a rev puppy but my peespy needs its infrastructure mode fixed... badly.

kellxor.1337

Since i've always been a PS fan, this brings a tear to my eye, I was dissapointed when the PS2's online programme, Basically was "CRAP" The xbox blew us all out of the water, But i have high hopes for the PS3,

If we dont have it by xmas i'm just gonna order one from the states, It has to be done, F*c*ed if i'm gonna wait around while Yanks and Such get PS3 pleasure and i'm stuck with my PSP.



Kellxor

projectmayhem

kellxor.1337 wrote:

If we dont have it by xmas i'm just gonna order one from the states, It has to be done, F*c*ed if i'm gonna wait around while Yanks and Such get PS3 pleasure and i'm stuck with my PSP.



Kellxor

sony really want to push this baby out in the same year for all territories. i said this before. the reason isn't "be nice to the customers in europe" though, sorry to say. it's "we'll look a right mess at the end of the financial year if we don't" type of situation

sony's investors have been waiting about 7 years to make some money off this project, so they're fairly keen for us to queue at midnight to hand our cash over for it.

also, can't remember where i read this, but sony/ibm are having good luck on the manufactoring of the cell chip. their yields are quite high (yield refers to the number of working chips that come off a manufactoring line) so by the time europe gets served they'll be belting out the chips. just to put it into context, microsoft's shipping problems with the xbox 360 were basically down to the yield on 360 chips being low. they're slowing figuring out better ways to make the things now

LookingFor

Cell is just one component though, of many. It only takes even the smallest of components to create a bottleneck. I think Blu-ray supply could be tight starting out.

Also, reportedly 360's supply problems were at least partially attributable to a shortage of correctly working memory chips.