
GamesIndustry.biz reports that Sony is considering a digital distribution service that would bring popular PSone and PS2 titles to the PS3, rivaling Nintendo's downloadable back-catalogue plans for the Revolution. Unnamed sources claim that Sony has been discussing the technical requirements needed to provide this service, and in turn, investigating the possibility of remastering select PS2 games so that latter parts of a game can be streamed over a network while earlier segments are being played. It comes as little surprise that Sony is interested in jumping on the digital distribution bandwagon, but the company will have to overcome some hurdles if the effort is to come to fruition.
It should also be noted that plans to introduce a digital distribution service that supports downloadable PSone titles on the PS2 have also been tossed around.
[Thanks, steve]













(Page 1) Reader Comments
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But I am curious how are they going to do this without any sort of storage device in it?
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I'm all for packing in the features but don't add to the delay for this. How about getting dev kits to developers so they can make "new" games.
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slash: Sorry to burst your bubble, but if this thing actually comes about, be prepared to shell out some more dough for the download of GTA sitting in your attic. Sony is probably going to bank on the fact that some gamers are too lazy to look thru their old games to find the good ones, hookup their PS2 again and play them.
I don't plan on being one of those lazy gamers with my collection but I can see myself getting some of those titles I wish I had that I can't get an original copy.
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Yes I realise this is blatant idea theft from Nintendo, but you can't run Sympony of the Night on a virtual Nintendo console
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and #2, why would I want to pay again for a PS2 game from Sony rather than buying a used game for cheaper and not having to constantly download 3GB files?
It makes no sense...especially since the HDD isn't standard on the PS3.
And slightly offtopic, until America gets REAL broadband (like what Verizon is doing with Fios), none of the crap that we're talking about where we download everything is ever going to happen. How Billy Gates is talking about eliminating DVDs in favor of downloading everything.
Yeah, cause I want to spend a week downloading HD content only to figure out that my hard drive is just going to die in 3-6 years, so I have to back up all the content and keep switching drives.
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Nintendo's back catalogue > Sony's back catalogue.
I might get drunk one night, order a pizza, and download Wizards and Warriors, but I sure as hell wont be picking up Battle Arena Toshinden 2.
Most of sony's most popular games are sequels, and those sequels are often innovated purely on graphic quality. Why would we want to replay ugly old versions of games we currently own?
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I don't expect much more info regarding the Revolution's capabilities until the console is much closer to release.
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Best Graphics......................Check
Best Processor.................... Check
Best 3rd Parties...................Check
Biggest Selection of 3rd Parites...Check
Online Network.....................Check
Downloadable Content...............Check
High Definition Player.............Check
High Defintion Games...............Check
Downloadable Games.................Check
Washes the Dishes, Well...not quite...maybe PS4 will
It's absolutely amazing that Sony has the Best feature for feature set in the next console race. If they pull all of this off by next Christmas, it will be the most feature rich, enjoyable, customer satisfied and game driven console ever. PERIOD.
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LOLZ, Sony are n00bs =D
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However, it would be great to download old games I do not already own.
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Sony pretty much assumes that if you're downloading content, you don't own the content, so you're going to pay again.
Also, I don't know about downloading whole gigs of info. I think this is just more hype on the table to steal thunder from competitors.
All they can do considering they're expecting some heavy delays with their product.
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Half of those are not given. Sony may lose a lot of 3rd party support for all you know, assuming they won't is quite foolish at this point.
Also you can't have the best without also being the most expensive (for both consumers and developers). Do you really expect to get the best of both worlds?
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Seeing how big the used game market is most gamers are like me once they finished a game to completion most like me will have no ambition to replay the same titles they have already completed.
I want new games not games I played 5-10 years ago. I want gaming to move forward not backwards. Also how much are they going to charge to play Twisted Metal 2? Is it going to be more then "average joe" could buy it for @ the local pawn shop or flea market, most likely.
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http://www.us.playstation.com/ConsumerAlerts.aspx?id=softwareTitles_75001.html
Sony might be having trouble with BC on the PS3, so I suspect they're thinking about porting old titles over and making them available for d/l vs. allowing you to load off old, existing media.
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Now, if you were talking about the xbox 360, you'd be correct, with the exception of the HD player since it really doesn't exist yet at this moment.
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hahahahaha ......lol
im from MO the "Show me State" PS3 hasnt shown anything to anyone. Have you played the PS3 with these great graphics? or seen the finished versions from these 3rd party developers? The last time I tried to go online with the PS2 was also the first time I tried XBL. I am praying and hoping SONY delivers on just half of its promises. this would ensure future game developement from both M$ and SONY resulting in better gaming for us all. so for SONY has NOT delivered half of what MS has... 2 consoles better than the PS2 and an incredicle LIVE service.
Yes I know the PS2 outsells everything but so does the ford escort.... ill take my Corvette anyday.
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How quick you are to hand out awards to a system that not even developers know the final spec of yet. How quick you are to say the graphics are superior when no one has seen an actual realtime PS3 game running on PS3 hardware.
As for the downloadable content, even if it happens, I don't expect it to do too well for Sony. Nintendo can repackage and resell the same old stuff because of the nostalgia factor of those old games, and Sony seems to have overlooked the fact that very few, if any of their games have it. I can only think of 1 PS1 game I'd actually pay to play again, and that's Medieval. As for PS2 games, what's the point if I can buy it at any of a 100 retailers, probably for less, and don't have to worry about a corrupt hard drive in the future. It's all made even more ridiculous when you factor that you have to buy the hard drive seperate before you even are able to buy the games. At least with the Revolution, most of the games are so old and so small byte-wise, they could easily be streamed over a high speed connection. I'd love to see a 3-5GB game do that...
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But until Sony and Nintendo show us what they got...as far as I'm concerned they don't have anything!
It's rediculous to compare Sony's online to Nintendo's cause as of right now...they practically don't even exist.
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Several senior developers
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Well at least they'd have a leg up on the 360s download system, you'd actually be able to use the console while something downloaded!
Of course, there's no way Sony can put together the online community the XBOX has with Live in one generation. I do give credit to MS for that.
But let's see... you are going to charge me hundreds of dollars for a new super-duper BluRay drive, then ask that I download all the old games (for more money), just because you can't figure out how to get the laser to read the old discs? Screw that.
Another thing:
Best Graphics......................Uncheck, maybe marginal Check
Best Processor.................... Check
Best 3rd Parties...................Uncheck, who knows
Biggest Selection of 3rd Parites...Uncheck, who knows
Online Network.....................Half-Check, behind the competition
Downloadable Content...............Half-Check, possibly a good implementation
High Definition Player.............Check
High Defintion Games...............Half-Check, has it been confirmed that a HighDef standard is going to be required?
Downloadable Games.................Uncheck, we'll check this once we hear a confirmation
So basically you are going to market this as a HighDef player (for a format that may likely die within 12 months of its release) that happens to play videogames, for upwards of $499, with the same old gameplay? No thanks. I'll be with the Rev at launch and the 360 once it's through two or three revisions, no overheating or scratching discs, and down to $200.
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Tim I think #4(antique) has a good point. Since they are only talking about it and have not published anything we do not know how they will store this content. Will it be a USB flash drive that you plug into the PS3? If so what would stop me from plugging that flash drive into my friends PS3 when I am at his house and playing the game. Which I honestly feel that it is my right since I purchased the game. But that also begs the question if it were a USB Flash drive would stop me from plugging it into my computer copying the file to my computer hard drive and then emailing it to my friend who can now put it on a USB flash drive and play it on his PS3 which by the way I do not think would be right, and if there was some way to stop that I would be in OK with that.
For all these people who post saying that Xbox 360 will fail or Playstation will fall by the way side, or Nintendo is crap. They should stop and think for a second. And be thankful that there are three top tier consoles out there competing for your money. If Nintendo had ruled the market and no one else ever made a console I doubt that the gaming industry would be anywhere close to where it is. Atari, Intelivision, Commodore, Collec Vision, Nintendo, Sega, Sony, and Microsoft have all added items to the industry have made it better. I hope that someone else can jump into the mix and make all these companies work even harder to come up with new and better ideas for the next generation of consoles.
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@ Jim N: Even if the PS3 doesn't come with a hard drive, Sony plans on providing support for one. I *think* it supports CF cards as well, and those can be 6+GB. PSX games I like: FF7, FF8, Einhander, Xenogears, Intelligent Qube, and Gran Turismo 2.
@ Brock: The Cell processor hasn't really be "proven" yet, so saying it is the best processor is a bit premature (think AMD vs Intel...most people can't tell the difference). Also, we haven't officially seen a real PS3 in action, so saying it has the best graphics is also premature (developers are saying the 360 could handle those demos). As far as 3rd party games go, most of the best ones are available for other platforms. And the PS Hub and downloadable content might as well be rumors at the moment.
Sony still has to step up to the plate. They didn't with the PS2, so maybe they will make amends with the PS3?
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however some issues I'd like addressing before I go for one.
1) machine price. better be good. I'm never going to spend more than £200 on a machine to play games. not even on my salary.
2) Rootkit. I do not want any form of big brother tactics, to reduce piracy or whatever, stuck on my system.
3) online better be free. I've bought the console and I pay broadband fee's. Why do I want to pay more?
4) Please, please make MGS4 as good as the first game in terms of story and replayability.
5) That controller better be comfortable. I've yet to hold a comfy and ergonomic 1st party Sony controller. and for the love of god add some form of analogue triggers DC/Xbox/GC style.
but my view of the PS3 has just gone up somewhat. If this is confirmed. *crosses fingers*
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----------------ATTENTION---------------
1. NINTENDO DID NOT INVENT DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT!
2. HAVING A DL BACKCATALOUGE IS A NATURAL DEVELOPMENT OF DISTRIBUTION
3. NOBODY HERE KNOWS SHIT ABOUT THE PS3 YOURE ALL SPECULATING OUT OF YOUR ASS
4. WAIT UNTIL YOU KNOW WTF YOURE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE YOU PISS ALL OVER IT
5. HATING SONY IS NOW THE COOL THING TO DO. SONY IS THE NEW MS.
6. NOBODY CARES WHAT CONSOLE YOU LIKE OR WITCH CONSOLES YOU HAVE BOUGHT IN THE PAST OR HOW NEUTRAL YOUR OPPINION IS
7. STFU ALL OF YOU. SERIOUSLY!
-----------------ATTENTION----------------
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Rootkit not works under Linux.
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BTW, Hating Sony is the new cool thing, eh? That sounds a lot like the mainstream current gen fan's opinion on Nintendo. Nintendo was beat by Sony in the past. Presently, it looks to me like Sony is beating themselves this upcoming gen.
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What's a "witch console?" Sounds CREEPY!
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1. Nintendo's wifi service has been up and has been more successful than microsoft's, it's service has accrued registered users at 4 times the rate of the live service. And it's free. It will probably follow suit for the revolution that it mirrors the DS in lack of cost. That alone will put it into prime position for the best online service for a great many gamers.
2. Nintendo did announce a download service before the last e3
3. Sony actually does have a back catalogue of exclusives that will work for downloads, something that micrsoft lacks.
4. Most people who can afford to buy a 360 or ps3 have a broadband connection.
5. Analysts are a mixed bag in general, this generation is anyone's game for market share. However it's probable that only Nintendo can turn profit.
6. Pretty much every game that is released for the xbox360 will make it's way over to the ps3, and a good many of those will go to revolution as well.
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Crap > Sony.
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The question for Sony is what developers will jump on board with this plan. If a game needs to be restructured to work under this model, will any companies other than Sony bother. The Revolution has an advantage in that everything before the Gamecube was on the order of 256 MB or less. Nintendo also has the advantage of being arguably the best game developer and publisher in the last 2 decades. This feature is attractive for Nintendo even if no third parties sign on. Sony? ... Not so much. The old Wipeout games are the only Sony owned properties that I would care to see again. Then again, I already own the ps1 discs.
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Sony has been talking digital distribution long before MS had a console, and long before Nintendo even care for online or even Disc based systems for that matter. They just have yet to implement it.
But of course, Nintendo, the last of the 3 to do anything online, must have thought of it first.
*sarcasm*
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No real basis for this except the Sony team produces some beautiful pre-rendered stuff.
Best Processor.................... TBD
3.2Ghz General Purpose PowerPC-based CPU, plus a 7 synergistic signal processors. For comparison, the 360 has three (3) 3.2 Ghz general purpose PowerPC-based cores.
Best 3rd Parties...................TBD
Exclusives are dead on the next generation consoles.
Biggest Selection of 3rd Parites...TBD
If you like a big pile of Japanese anime inspired crap.
Online Network.....................TBD
XBOX Live required coordination with every major ISP to ensure good QoS for XBOX Live packet. You can't launch a reliable network without it. Nintendo knows this and that's why there was a WiFi roll-out.
Downloadable Content...............TBD
And stored on your what? Memory Stick?
High Definition Player.............TBD
Blu-Ray. It's the BetaMax of the 21st century! Superior technology doomed by er. uh. Sony.
High Definition Games..............TBD
120FPS, 1080p. Uh, yeah. Sony rendered MGS4 in real time, but that didn't include any AI or game logic. It was a puppet show. The Nvidia specs aren't notably superior to the 360 ATI. Plus, the PS3 has a slower memory bus. And uh, there's no such thing as 1080p120 or 1080p60. Minor detail.
Downloadable Games.................TBD
Sounds great, but the console has no built-in storage.
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At this point, it's all just vapor. I'm a fan and will probably buy one, but the claims are officially incredulous. I'm really getting sick of the hype.
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