SONY PLANS SPRING LAUNCH FOR GAMES
Copyright 2002 www.reuters.com

[ October 31st 2002 ]

Sony Corp. said on Thursday it would launch an online gaming network in Europe next spring for its top-selling PlayStation 2 video game console, triggering a new turf war in the ultra-competitive industry. Console manufacturers, including Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, are making a big push into online gaming just as home penetration of high-speed broadband access hits a critical mass.

The firms say that in time avid gamers will pay monthly subscriptions to compete against other gamers, further expanding an entertainment segment that already rivals cinema box office and recorded music in sales. While online gaming revenues remain scant, market research firm Screen Digest forecasts they will surpass $1 billion world-wide by 2006.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) said it would begin selling "a broadband gaming pack" at the suggested retail price of 44.95 pounds ($70.14) in the United Kingdom. The pack will include an ethernet adapter to make the PlayStation 2 console Internet-ready, a game and start-up disc. The product will be rolled out in Germany, France, Spain, Australia and other countries that use the PAL-TV format in the following months. The suggested retail price for continental Europe, though not finalised, will range from 49 euros to 69 euros ($48.37-$68.11), the company said.

Microsoft last month said it plans to launch in March an online gaming service for its Xbox console in the UK, with further European countries to follow. Nintendo, the No. 2 video game console maker, has yet to announce plans for a European launch. On Wednesday, the company said it began selling online gaming adapters for its GameCube console in the U.S.

Sony said it would launch with nearly a dozen online games on offer, including those from its in-house development team, plus third parties Eidos, Electronic Arts, Take 2 and Capcom. The company said it would make its broadband packs compatible to play on as many European Internet service providers as possible. There will be no monthly subscription fee at launch, the firm added.