Sony has revealed that it is planning to expand its PlayStation Network service allowing punters to access the network through other hardware platforms.
Speaking to Nikkei Electronics Asia, Sony Corporation bigwig Sir Howard Stringer commented, "We developed brand new, absolutely incredible technology for the PS3, but the cost was high.”
“We’ve adopted a slightly different approach now, and are evolving the PS3 into a platform for Web services.”
"Next we will be expanding the PlayStation Network to hardware other than the PS3, because the number of PS3 units sold puts a limit on the scale of the network possible."
Don’t expect things to happen overnight, though – Stringer warned it would "take time" to expand the service, though notes the future is looking decidedly rosy. "A lot of people thought Sony’s content download service was doomed, but it’s in a pretty good place right now in the form of the PlayStation Network," he said.
"The DRM is based on Marlin, an open scheme developed by consumer electronics companies and other companies. What does all this mean? Very simply, it means that Sony has begun the transition from a closed system to an open one."
Stringer also tipped his hat to Nintendo’s efforts with the Wii, observing how the Japanese giant has managed to tap into the non-gamer crowd: "The Wii from Nintendo Co Ltd of Japan is an excellent example. They didn’t develop any unique technology; they just realised that there was potential demand out there for something different from conventional games, and thought about how to satisfy different demands from different age groups.”
“They attained results that the PS3 hasn’t; namely, generating profit from hardware sales."