SoE Station Launcher

Cuppycake · 05-11-2006, 01:16 AM

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsAr...SONYONLINE.xml

Quote:

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sony Corp. has revealed little about its upcoming PlayStation 3 online service to rival Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox Live, but an upcoming offering from the Japanese giant's online game division may hint at its direction.

Sony Online Entertainment in July will debut a service, known by its working title "Station Launcher," which provides users access to several of its online PC games.

Station Launcher, which ties together several programs already offered by Sony, will also consolidate lists of players' friends from a variety of the company's games, support chat and provide downloads of new game content and trinkets. Also, it will offer a single point where players can manage payments and link to other Sony-run sites carrying player rankings and information.

"It's not going to stop at the PC," said Nathan Pearce, a creative director at Sony Online Entertainment, which is a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Digital.

At the debut, Station Launcher will connect users to Sony's "EverQuest," "The Matrix Online," "Star Wars Galaxies," "PlanetSide" and "EverQuest II." Unlimited play of all five games through a Sony Station Access subscription plan costs $24.99 a month.

Sony also will add "Vanguard: Saga of Heroes" to the Station Launcher lineup this winter, Pearce said.

Games on Station Launcher will constantly update to computers with live online connections so subscribers can go straight into play rather than waiting for new information to download every time they boot up. The service uses technology from Microsoft that transfers files using leftover bandwidth, ensuring uninterrupted computer use.

Microsoft has had unexpected success with Xbox Live, which connects through its Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles and allows players to compete, download content, chat and build an online profile.

The community-oriented features behind Xbox Live's popularity are nothing new to many PC gamers who have been chatting, competing, trading and building virtual characters inside individual games for years. They have also helped to drive the success of upstarts like MySpace.com as well as major online companies like eBay Inc.

Sony, which aims to retain its dominance in the $30 billion global video game market with the PS3, has vaguely outlined its plan to offer features that will match Xbox Live.

GrobbeeTrull · 05-11-2006, 01:20 AM

Vanguard this winter, eh?

Soriak · 05-11-2006, 01:25 AM

Considering the PS3 is going to have a 60gb HD, I hope you can also buy games online and download them straight to the console. Beats having to import it/walk to the store

Also I'm sure people are more inclined to buy a game when they're bored (and drunk) late at night than on the next day...

Faille · 05-11-2006, 01:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soriak

Considering the PS3 is going to have a 60gb HD, I hope you can also buy games online and download them straight to the console. Beats having to import it/walk to the store

Also I'm sure people are more inclined to buy a game when they're bored (and drunk) late at night than on the next day...

Should also allow Consol games to be released early and patched later to be fixed!!

Caocao · 05-11-2006, 01:46 AM

What happen to 2007 o.O. Guess they will be rushin beta

Jaytan · 05-11-2006, 01:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soriak

Considering the PS3 is going to have a 60gb HD, I hope you can also buy games online and download them straight to the console. Beats having to import it/walk to the store

Also I'm sure people are more inclined to buy a game when they're bored (and drunk) late at night than on the next day...

Dual Layer Blu-Ray discs can store up to 50GB so I don't really think that is going to happen.

Skars · 05-11-2006, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caocao

What happen to 2007 o.O. Guess they will be rushin beta

Whoever said 2007? It's been 2006 as long as I can remember.

Hachima · 05-11-2006, 01:49 AM

You will be able to download old PS1 titles to play on your PSP.

Zuuljin · 05-11-2006, 01:56 AM

That launcher thing sounds pretty cool IMO. Hooray for Vanguard going on it. I'll definantly pick it up now. It will also be nice to just load up whatever MMORPG I want (which will be EQ,EQII, or Vanguard) without having to wait to patch ect. Will be even nicer if I can just choose which character for which game I want to load up and it does it for me.

Faille · 05-11-2006, 02:26 AM

I wonder if they are going to suck people's upload bandwidth to help share the load.

Hachima · 05-11-2006, 02:30 AM

Quote:

The service uses technology from Microsoft that transfers files using leftover bandwidth, ensuring uninterrupted computer use.

This is what concerns me the most. Not so much for the PC games because I can use programs like NetLimiter to control the bandwith useage. If this is an indication for how the PS3 will work it is not a good thing. I will have little controll over how my PS3 uses the internet unless I want to mess around with extra hardware. Upstream bandwidth is very limited to most people. If everyone and their dog thinks they can use their software to tap into this and depend on this for their bandwidth then there are going to be problems.

Zefah · 05-11-2006, 04:37 AM

I was hoping that the release from Microsoft meant an extension to beta. If it really is released this winter, that means bad news for Sigil I think.

Arbuste · 05-11-2006, 05:04 AM

It's like Steam for MMOz. (edit: Actually, nm.)

BitterButter · 05-11-2006, 05:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hachima

You will be able to download old PS1 titles to play on your PSP.

Have they said what the prices, if any, will be for that? I'm debating whether to get the PS3, but it would sway me to buy it if they gave the PS1 games at no extra cost. Or at least if they do charge for them they should throw in a certain amount of PS1 titles for download free. Eitherway, the idea itself being able to download games instead of going out to buy them is good thinking.

Iannis · 05-11-2006, 05:57 AM

Did Xbox Live just claim credit for inventing MySpace?

He's going to claim he invented the internet next.

05-11-2006, 01:46 AM	#5 (permalink)
Caocao Stop running back to old times Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: EC Tunnels Posts: 932	What happen to 2007 o.O. Guess they will be rushin beta __________________ Tkon - 80 Warrior Tkons - 80 Rogue

05-11-2006, 02:26 AM	#10 (permalink)
Faille Fires of Heaven Officer Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 3,364 +25 Internets	I wonder if they are going to suck people's upload bandwidth to help share the load. __________________ Faille Fires of Heaven http://www.fohguild.org/forums/uberw...lopment-forum/

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05-11-2006, 01:20 AM	#2 (permalink)
GrobbeeTrull Banned Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Springfield, Ohio Posts: 1,685 +0 Internets	Vanguard this winter, eh?

05-11-2006, 01:25 AM	#3 (permalink)
Soriak Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: NYC Posts: 5,833 +54 Internets	Considering the PS3 is going to have a 60gb HD, I hope you can also buy games online and download them straight to the console. Beats having to import it/walk to the store Also I'm sure people are more inclined to buy a game when they're bored (and drunk) late at night than on the next day...

05-11-2006, 01:49 AM	#8 (permalink)
Hachima Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 2,081	You will be able to download old PS1 titles to play on your PSP.

05-11-2006, 01:56 AM	#9 (permalink)
Zuuljin So there's this plane on a treadmill... Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern California Posts: 3,217 +20 Internets	That launcher thing sounds pretty cool IMO. Hooray for Vanguard going on it. I'll definantly pick it up now. It will also be nice to just load up whatever MMORPG I want (which will be EQ,EQII, or Vanguard) without having to wait to patch ect. Will be even nicer if I can just choose which character for which game I want to load up and it does it for me.

05-11-2006, 04:37 AM	#12 (permalink)
Zefah Registered User Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Kanagawa, Japan Posts: 1,524 +2 Internets	I was hoping that the release from Microsoft meant an extension to beta. If it really is released this winter, that means bad news for Sigil I think.

05-11-2006, 05:04 AM	#13 (permalink)
Arbuste Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 967	It's like Steam for MMOz. (edit: Actually, nm.)

05-11-2006, 05:57 AM	#15 (permalink)
Iannis Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Butt Hugging Moose Jockey Posts: 4,968 -1 Internets	Did Xbox Live just claim credit for inventing MySpace? He's going to claim he invented the internet next.