By Paul Hayes
SYDNEY, NSW: Current.com.au was this morning whisked away to Sony’s house by the sea for the launch of the latest range of PlayStation offerings.
At a dedicated PlayStation house in South Coogee, Sony first unveiled the new PlayStation Network Video Delivery Service, which provides both high and standard definition movies on demand to both the PlayStation3 (PS3) and the PlayStation Portable (PSP).
The new service is set to go live at 1am Thursday 20 May 2010.
“The launch of the PlayStation Network Video Delivery Service expands our broad entertainment offering and provides consumers with a simple way to access their favourite movies whether at home or on the go,” said managing director of Sony Computer Entertainment Australia and New Zealand, Michael Ephraim.
This morning’s event also showed off Sony’s answer to Nintendo’s phenomenally successful Wii motion control device, the PlayStation Move, due on the market later this year.
With a significant amount of personal and machine calibration, the Move involves direct interplay between the controllers and a special PlayStation Eye camera, as well as voice and gesture based recognition within a 3D atmosphere.
“It puts you right at the centre of the entertainment action,” said Ephraim.
Also loudly exhibiting its Play TV personal video recorder, including ABC iView and the VidZone music service, plus the range of 3D options, Sony was keen to push the idea of the PlayStation as not just a gaming console, but as the beating heart of home entertainment.
“With more movies, music, games and TV on demand, plus innovations like 3D and PlayStation Move motion controller, the game really is just the start for PlayStation in 2010,” said Ephraim.