Sony Corp is pushing its new Playstation console as more than a games console, the company is claiming that the new machine can be used as a home gateway to the internet. The Playstation 2, which was previewed yesterday, is Sony’s answer to Sega Corp’s Dreamcast and the forthcoming Nintendo Dolphin. However, as the market matures, the company envisages the box as a complete home entertainment hub, possibly utilizing the Home Audio-Video interoperability (HAVi) standard.
The Playstation 2 will be launched on March 4 in Japan priced at 39,800 yen ($365), a US and European launch will follow in the fall. The games console will double as an internet terminal enabling users to download game software, movies and music through the via cable TV lines. Sony’s policy over the coming few years is to gradually move towards net-based distribution of music and other content and away from the sale of discs at retail outlets. PlayStation2 is able to support high quality moving images with the ‘Emotion Engine’ graphics processor developed jointly with Toshiba Corp. It can also play digital video discs.
Japanese analysts say that the new game machine is expected to give a major boost to the global market for such consoles and related software, which is already worth more than a trillion yen ($$9.2bn) annually. They predict sales of a million units in the first two days alone. The Sega Dreamcast sold around 500,000 units on the first day it was available in the US last week.
