Sony PS3 tunes in PlayTV

23-08-2007

by Deirdre McArdle

Taking a step closer to the digital living room, Sony has revealed details of PlayTV, a device that will turn the PS3 into a personal video recorder.

The Japanese consumer electronics giant took the wraps off the twin TV tuner, which can be plugged into the PlayStation 3, turning it into a personal video recorder (PVR), much like the Sky+ service or, more recently, UPC Ireland's offering. The news from Sony, revealed on the eve of the Games Convention in Liepzig, Germany on Wednesday, has long been rumoured among industry watchers.

PlayTV will allow PS3 users to watch high-definition TV programmes and record them onto the console's hard drive. Interestingly, in a move that is likely to make the PlayStation Portable more desirable, the new set-up from Sony will also allow transfer of recorded content to the PSP so that users can watch TV while they're out and about.

The device will hit shelves in the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain from early 2008, with other European countries to follow.

Already the news from Sony is being touted as a way for it to make more of an impact on the games console market, where it's been trailing rivals Microsoft and Nintendo. In marketing the PS3 as more than just a games console -- the PS3 also comes with a Blu-ray drive -- Sony is widening the appeal of the unit, positioning it to become a part of the 'digital living room' we've heard so much about in the past few years.

The PS3 wasn't the only Sony device to get a boost: the PSP is to get a wireless communications package that means users will be able to make voice and video calls, as well as send instant messages from the handset once its connected to the internet. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has linked up with BT for this service -- dubbed 'GoMessenger!'

The service will initially be rolled out in the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy, and will be available for new and existing PSPs through a web download.

Sony's PSP has been playing second fiddle to Nintendo's DS for a while now, with Nintendo selling 23.6 million DS units worldwide in the year ended March 2007, outpacing PSP shipments of 8.4 million. Voice calling capabilities on the PSP could well throw the cat among the pigeons in this particular niche of the gaming market.