PlayStation Network

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PlayStation Network
Developer	Sony Computer Entertainment
Type	Online service
Launched	November 2006
Platform	PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable
Members	25 million
Website	Official US website Official European website

PlayStation Network, often abbreviated to PSN, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service provided by Sony Computer Entertainment for use with the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable video game consoles,^[1] as well as PlayStation.com. As of June 23, 2009, there are over 25 million registered PlayStation Network users worldwide.

[edit] User registration

Icons indicating some of the features of PlayStation Network. From left to right: Sign Up, Game, PlayStation Store, Friends and Internet Browser.

Registration is performed via the PlayStation 3 console, a PlayStation Portable or a PC. Two types of accounts can be created; Master accounts and Sub accounts. Master accounts allow full access to all settings, including parental control, but the Master must be over the age of 18 to create an account. Sub accounts can subsequently be created with desired restrictions set by the master account holder.^[2]

Since Master/Sub accounts are not linked to the PlayStation 3 serial number, which allows users to buy and sell used consoles, they can be used with different consoles as a guest user; therefore a single console can have multiple Master accounts. Although unregistered users can access and browse the PlayStation Store, registration is required to purchase items. Once purchased, items can be downloaded from the PlayStation Store to up to five consoles, however if the user account is removed from the console, the content becomes invalid and is locked.^{[citation needed]}

PlayStation Network launched in November 2006 to coincide with the launch of the PlayStation 3 console in North America and Japan. Due to the delay of the European launch to March 2007, Sony allowed residents of Europe to pre-register their PlayStation Network via PC in order to reserve their favored PSN ID, allowing them to quickly retrieve their details on the day of release.^[3]

[edit] Services

On May 15, 2006, at the PlayStation Business Conference, Sony unveiled their online service for the PlayStation 3, tentatively named "PlayStation Network Platform" with free online play. The full list of features available at launch were announced at their TGS 2006 press conference.

The full list of current and planned services for PlayStation Network are as follows:

Account

• User Registration of Master/Sub accounts
• Login ID/Handlename/Profiles
• Portable ID, a user profile card similar in concept to a Gamercard

Communication/Community

• Lobbies/Matchmaking for instant online gaming
• Scores/Ranking for player comparison
• Trophies rewarded for achieving goals in certain games
• Virtual presence/Avatars
• Friend List allowing for up to 100 players
• Voice/Video Chat/Cross Game Text Chat (Bluetooth/USB Headset or PlayStation Eye, or an Eye Toy required. Video chat only requires a webcam as the cams have microphones built in. Text Chat can be used in game).
• Instant messaging integration
• Internet Browser and Google search engine
• PlayStation Home
• Life With PlayStation
• adhoc Party for PlayStation Portable (Japan only)

Commerce/Entertainment

• PlayStation Store
• Qore (North America only)
• OPMHD (Europe only)
• VidZone (Europe & Australia only)^[4]

[edit] PlayStation Store

PlayStation Store is an online shopping-based service for the PlayStation Network. The store uses both physical currency and PlayStation Network Cards. The PlayStation Store updates every Thursday (save certain exceptions) with content such as full games, game demos, game add-ons, game trailers, movie trailers, XMB wallpapers, XMB themes, movies and TV shows.

[edit] Video download service

Peter Dille, SCE Senior Vice President of Marketing & PlayStation Network, announced on the official PlayStation.Blog that a video download service consisting of full-length TV shows and movies would be launching on the network in 2008. Speaking at Sony’s mid-term strategy meeting on 26 June, 2008, SCE president Kaz Hirai confirmed that the video download service would launch on the PlayStation Network during the summer, initially in North America and then in other countries at later dates. Further information was released during the E3 2008 press conference, where SCEA CEO Jack Tretton revealed that movies and TV shows would be available in full and/or rental form, and would be situated in a separate section of the PlayStation Store. Many major studios are participating in the video download service, including Sony Pictures, MGM, Lions Gate Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures and Paramount Pictures. The service officially launched in the United States on July 15, 2008, the same day as Sony's E3 press conference.^[5][6]

[edit] Qore/OPMHD

On June 3, 2008, SCEA announced a new service, Qore (pronounced "core"), would launch on the PlayStation Store in North America on June 5, 2008. In a press release published on the Official PlayStation Blog, Qore: Presented by the PlayStation Network is described as "a highly interactive, monthly lifestyle gaming program covering the world inside PlayStation is on its way to PS3."^[7] A similar product, Official PlayStation Magazine HD (or OPMHD), is being produced by Future Publishing. Weekly episodes will be made available to PS3 users in Europe via the PlayStation Store^[8] from 2009.^[9]

[edit] PSOne Classics

PSOne Classics, launched on May 3, 2007, is a service which allows PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable users to download PSOne games directly to their hard drive or Memory Stick for transfer to a PSP.

[edit] PlayStation Home

The PlayStation Home logo

PlayStation Home is a virtual community-based service for the PlayStation Network, announced during the 2007 Game Developers Conference. Home allows users to create a custom avatar, which can be made to suit the user's liking.^[10][11] Users can decorate their avatar's personal apartment ("HomeSpace") with default, bought, or won items.^[10] Users can shop for new items to express themselves more through their avatars or HomeSpace.^[11] Similar to Second Life, users interact and connect with friends and customise content in a virtual world.^[12] Home also acts as a meeting place for users that want to play multiplayer games with others.^[12]

A closed beta began in Europe from May 2007 and expanded to other territories soon after.^[13] Home was delayed and expanded^[14] several times before initially releasing.^[15][16] The Open Beta test was started on December 11, 2008. Home is available directly from the PlayStation 3 XrossMediaBar. Membership is free, and only requires a PSN account.^[11][12]

Home is the host to avatars, a virtual economy, personal spaces and clubs. It features places to meet and interact, dedicated game spaces, developer spaces, company spaces, and events. The service undergoes a weekly maintenance and frequent updates. Xi, a notable feature in Home, is the world's first console-based Alternate Reality Game. Adventures, puzzles and spaces are set up to continuously puzzle those who participate in finding clues. The meaning of Xi and the mysterious character "Jess" are the objects of study in this game.

[edit] Trophies

The PlayStation 3 user profile screen showing trophies obtained by the player.

See List of PlayStation 3 games and List of downloadable PlayStation games for a list of titles that support PlayStation 3 Trophies.

"Trophies" are an achievement tracking system, introduced in the PlayStation 3 system software 2.40 update in July 2008.^[17]

The four different types of trophies; bronze, silver, gold and platinum are awarded to players for making specific accomplishments (eg. Completing a level or defeating a certain number of enemies) or reaching certain milestones in games (eg. reaching a "pro" rank online). A gold, silver or bronze trophy is normally awarded based on the difficulty of the accomplishment with each trophy contributing to a 'level' system^[18] linked to a player's PlayStation Network profile, with gold trophies contributing more experience level advancement than silver, and silver contributing more experience than bronze. A platinum trophy is awarded to the player once they unlock all other trophies in a game. However, smaller games such as certain PlayStation Network titles, lack a platinum trophy.^[18] Trophies are displayed on a player's PlayStation Network profile screen, which also shows their level.

On November 20, 2008, Sony announced that trophy support would be mandatory for all games submitted to Sony for certification from the beginning of January 2009.^[19]

[edit] Portable IDs

The European PlayStation Network Portable ID.

A Portable ID is a small, automatically-generated graphic available to PlayStation Network users in Europe and North America through their respective PlayStation websites. Intended for use as forum signatures and the like, these graphics contain information such as the user's trophy level, number of trophies and recently obtained trophies. Each user is able to log into their PSN account using a web browser to access and customise their personal Portable ID and are then given a unique URL for the graphic which they can use to display their ID elsewhere on the internet. The graphic is automatically updated regularly to display recent trophy information.^[20] Several third-party websites offer similar graphics (commonly referred to as "trophy cards") as both free and paid services which either update the graphic automatically from the user's official Portable ID, from the PlayStation Network or are updated manually by the user.^[21][22]

[edit] Life with PlayStation

The Life with PlayStation application showing weather forecasts and news headines for New York

On 18 September, 2008 the PlayStation 3's Folding@home application became Life with PlayStation. Along with the existing Folding@home functionality, the application also provides the user with access to information "channels", the first of which being the Live Channel which offers news headlines and weather through a 3D globe. The user can rotate and zoom in to any part of the world to access information provided by Google News, The Weather Channel, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Space Science and Engineering Center, among other sources.^[23]

[edit] PlayStation Network on other platforms

In May 2009, Sony announced their intention to make the PlayStation Network an "open system". This change will facilitate the use of the PSN in other devices other than the PlayStation 3 but no specific plans have yet been announced. Sony CEO, Howard Stringer said that the PSN has a lot of potential and that only having it available on the PlayStation 3 was limiting the scale of the service.^[24]

[edit] See also

• List of downloadable PlayStation games
• Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
• Xbox Live

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• PlayStation Home
• PlayStation Store for PC
• Life with PlayStation official website
• OPMHD official website