Sony outlines PlayStation 3 online services

Sony Corporation has revealed details of the online services and launch titles for its forthcoming PlayStation 3 games console.

The PS3 is due to go on sale on 11 November in Japan and 17 November in the US. It will not launch in Europe until March 2007.

Access to PlayStation Network features will be via the Xross Media Bar interface, which is currently used on the PlayStation Portable. It offers gaming, networking and Web connectivity allowing users to download movies and music.

Users can create secure IDs to communicate with other PlayStation gamers, and use an electronic wallet to purchase games, games content (such as maps and weapons) or media from the PlayStation Store.

Sony is releasing three in-house developed titles at launch: Resistance: Fall of Man, NBA 07 and Genji: Days of the Blade.

The vendor is distancing itself from rival console maker Microsoft with its Xbox 360 by emphasising the PlayStation 3's Blu-ray technology.

"We are pioneering a new era of true next-generation gaming through such titles as Resistance: Fall of Man, a visually arresting game that takes advantage of the large storage capacity and exceptional visual clarity offered by Blu-ray," said Kaz Hirai, president and chief executive at Sony Computer Entertainment America.

"And NBA 07, running at full 1080p for the highest resolution image possible, will offer hyper-realistic characters and gameplay never seen before."

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