PSP gets web-browsing and television channels

http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/07/21/psp/index.php

Sony's PSP to browse the Web, play TV
By Martyn Williams, IDG News Service

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) will release a system software
update for its PlayStation Portable (PSP) next week that will add
several new functions to the handheld gaming device, including the
ability to browse the Internet and download TV programs, the company
said Thursday.

Chief among the additions to version 2.0 of the software will be a Web
browser. Accessible from the PSP's main menu, the browser supports
HTML 4.01 and will allow access to most Web sites.

The PSP already has a wireless LAN for online gaming and for
downloading software from the Internet, but SCEI hasn't officially
allowed users to browse the Web. However, users quickly found a way to
exploit a Web browser included in the "Wipeout Pure" game to enable
access to Web sites. Instructions for doing this can be found easily on
the Internet, but the software update will make Web browsing both
official and much easier.

Also new will be support for downloading video in the MPEG4 AVC format.
This was demonstrated at an event in Tokyo Thursday by connecting a PSP
with the new software to a PSP portal site that will be launched next
week by SoNet, a Sony-affiliated Internet service provider in Japan.
The portal will offer downloads of TV programs and other content.
Prices for the service were not disclosed.

Other new features include the ability to transfer photos from one PSP
to another via an ad hoc wireless LAN, and support for additional media
formats including the AAC audio format.

The version 2.0 software update will be available via the PSP's
built-in update function or in UMD (Universal Media Disc) form from
July 27, the company said. Information on whether the update will be
simultaneously available to users outside Japan was not immediately
available.

Sony also announced plans to launch a white PSP, called the
PSP-1000KCW. At present the console is available only in black. The
white version will be available in Japan from Sept. 15. A value pack
that includes the PSP, headphones, a memory card and other accessories
will cost ¥24,800 (US$220), which is the same price as the black PSP.
International launch plans were not disclosed.

Sales of the PSP, which was launched in Japan in late 2004 and earlier
this year in the U.S., totaled 5.1 million units as of July 20. Sales
in the U.S. are ahead of those in Japan, at 2.7 million units versus
2.3 million units, the company said at an event in Tokyo
__________________________________



http://news.com.com/Sony+announces+development+tools+for+PS3/2100-1041...5796023

Sony announces development tools for PS3
Published: July 21, 2005, 5:05 AM PDT
By Reuters


Electronics and entertainment conglomerate Sony on Thursday announced a
range of development tools so software companies can develop games for
its next-generation PlayStation 3 video game console.

The company said it acquired Britain's SN Systems and formed strategic
alliances with U.S.-based Ageia Technologies, Havok and Epic Games to
provide more tools.

Having led the worldwide console gaming market for the last decade,
Sony is counting on PlayStation 3 to dominate in all aspects of
networked home entertainment--games, movies, music and more.


The company had said in May at the Electronic Entertainment Expo that
it planned to launch PlayStation 3 in 2006, but there had been concern
in the development community about the immense cost of creating games
with movie-quality graphics for a machine with unparalleled processing
speed.

"Things that we thought were only possible in movies are now possible
in games," Ken Kutaragi, Sony's game division head, told a meeting of
developers, suppliers and media.

"But we're receiving calls every day from game developers who want to
know how to develop games for the PS3 and how (game unit) Sony Computer
Entertainment intended to support them."

Sony has said the PS3 will feature a graphics chip with 300 million
transistors, more than the combined processing power of the
current-generation Xbox from Microsoft, Game Cube from Nintendo and the
PlayStation 2 combined.

Industry analysts believe the development cost of a high-end game for a
machine like PS3 could rise to $15 million to $20 million from about
$10 million now.

Sony also on Thursday said it planned to launch a white version of its
PlayStation Portable, or PSP, game console on Sept. 15 in Japan. The
cost will be about $224 (24,800 yen) for a package that includes
accessories.

The white player will come with an updated version of the operating
system, which will allow users to surf the Internet and access
television programs from its downloading service.

Sony said it has shipped 5.7 million PSP units worldwide and was on
track to launch the machine in Europe in September. It is expected to
ship 12 million units in the current business year.





Previous Next As part of its aim to boost sales, the company said it
planned to have more than 150 game titles for PSP by the end of March
2006.

It also plans to increase the monthly manufacturing capacity of the
disks used in the machines to 5 million from 3 million in anticipation
of greater demand for movies, which can be viewed on the PSP.

nv55 wrote:
> http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/07/21/psp/index.php
>
> Sony's PSP to browse the Web, play TV
> By Martyn Williams, IDG News Service
>
> Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) will release a system software
> update for its PlayStation Portable (PSP) next week that will add
> several new functions to the handheld gaming device, including the
> ability to browse the Internet and download TV programs, the company
> said Thursday.

Thats good news and just what I have been waiting for. What I don't
understand is the TV programme thing. I wonder if this will be subscription
based as I cannot seem them allowing TV programme downloads for free.
Someone somewhere along the line will want royalties.