MTV talks Playstation Store in thorough interview

by Scott Jon Siegel { Dec 4th 2007 at 5:25PM }

Sony's PC-based Playstation Store launched in late November with very little fan-fare -- a move that seemed somewhat uncharacteristic of the confident console maker. Still, despite the company's best efforts to downplay the service, MTV's Stephen Totilo sees what he feels could be the future of the industry.

In an interview with Playstation's director of network operations Eric Lempel, Totilo learns pretty much everything there is to know about the Playstation Store, including the decision to restrict the downloads to PC (as opposed to allowing purchases directly from the PSP's browser). The interview also reveals more titles coming to PSPs via the download service, including SOCOM: Fire Team Bravo and Twisted Metal: Head On.

Tags: dlc, playstation-store, socom, sony, twisted-metal, twistedmetal

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

NATO_Duke @ Dec 4th 2007 6:17PM

Insert obligatory angry anti-sony comments below:

Mr Khan @ Dec 4th 2007 6:19PM

frackin' Cell processor ;)

jason @ Dec 4th 2007 6:31PM

An interesting note for Mac using PSP owners:

I am a mac user. When I heard about the new PSP store I headed over and started trying to download stuff. I tried the SOCOM demo and a theme. Of course neither worked. But when I got on my PS3 and checked my list of things I have downloaded the SOCOM demo showed up and I was able to download it to my PS3, then transfer it. The themes unfortunately didn't show up. Hopefully this isn't a one-time glitch and Mac users can still get some demos, if only in a round about way.

Marty @ Dec 4th 2007 6:45PM

If you have to transfer it over to your PS3 to use it, what's the point?

losttoys @ Dec 4th 2007 7:31PM

so you do not lose out on your money if you payed for a game.

jason @ Dec 4th 2007 9:15PM

Marty:
to clarify, it shows up on your list of PSN downloaded content on your PS3, you have to download it with your PS3 then transfer it to your PSP.

losttoys:
I don't really want to waste $10, so I don't know if this works with paid content. But it doesn't seem to work with videos, wallpapers and themes. I'm gonna mess around with it some more tonight.

Robert Capa @ Dec 23rd 2007 11:41PM

Jason, confirmed, rather a month late, not a fluke, works the same way for me. Themes do not work as you report, but you can always get the themes directly on the PSP via the PSP-specific site. Paid PSP-only (UMD-style) content, I have no idea as there is nothing I'm particularly interested in at the moment and I have a stack of games for several consoles presently untouched as it is. But I don't see why not. Your PSP, more than one PSP is allowable of course, is activated to your PS Store account and authorized PS Network sub-accounts. Whether the PSP-only game you download is free -- like a demo -- or paid, it should still show up in your PS3 PS Store download and you should still be authorized to download it and transfer it to your PSP, and play there. Remember, they did away with the "key file" scheme a while back when they made PS1 games playable on PS3; so you don't need a software "key" to run paid content on your PSP, you just need a PSP activated on your PS Store account, and you can play compatible games on both PSP and PS3. So I'd assume you can copy PS3-incompatible games, like PSP UMD titles for paid download, to your PSP; of course they'll run there.

Hoffer @ Dec 4th 2007 8:06PM

I used the PSP store for the first time today. Downloaded some SOCOM demo and some videos. I thought it worked really well. Much easier than when I've tried to download stuff from the PSP's browser in the past.

required @ Dec 4th 2007 9:06PM

Sony should not force patrons to use a PC running Microsoft's OS. It's nonsensical.

All in all the PSP should be able to access the Playstation Store. Hell the iPhone can access iTunes.

sheppy2.0 @ Dec 4th 2007 10:23PM

Hmm, iPhone can access iTunes. Amazing... can the non $500 iPods without $40 monthly contracts do the same? No? Okay... now let's actually follow the magic link.

Well, turns out the PSP is not accessable right now because because of the concerns of being able to protect the content downloaded. DRMs holding it down. And yet the PSP store is currently in plans as well as supporting other OS's.

As for why Windows was chosen as the lead on this digital distribution program, couldn't possibly be because Windows controls over 90% of the computer market, could it. Nope, I can imagine it now. PSP Store, exclusively for Ubunta Linux... what a surefire program of success that is.

hexoDAT64 @ Dec 4th 2007 10:46PM

Actually my $300 iPod Touch can access the store, but I do get your point. Plus downloading some of the file sizes would take forever.

ill trooper @ Dec 5th 2007 5:37AM

I'm not really concerned about the ability to download directly to the PSP yet, but I do want to try it out on from my Mac. They need to make a Mac client, and I'm sure it's on it's way. Mac people tend to spend a lot of money (or at least, everyone seems to think Mac people want to), while the millions of grandparents that are on the Windows machine that their kids got them to keep in touch aren't going anywhere near a PSP store, if they've even heard of a PSP. I doubt the game-buying/PC-using demographic is 'over 90%' in favor of Windows. I'm sure it's still higher, but I bet it's less of a landslide than that number.

Sometimes a company needs to look at more than global operating system sales and look at the type of customer they're trying to snare in.

And Sheppy, Sony made efforts to get the PS3 a Linux flavor, so I don't think that's as far-fetched as what you joke about. I think over the last year the installed base of OSX and Linux has remained higher than the beleaguered Vista, for instance. And on a side note, the iPhone isn't the only iPod that can access the iTunes store, the iPod Touch can as well, and I'm sure more wifi-equipped iPods are on the way.

But even more confusing is that I was told you can't download the Socom or new WipeOut games directly on to your PS3 to install on your PSP, is that true? Seems a step backward from when you could download the PS1 games and install them from the PS3.