Following on from its initial “Go!” announcement made during last year’s GCDC game conference in Leipzig, Germany, Japanese electronics giant Sony Corp. has finally joined together with satellite TV specialist Sky to date the long-awaited video-on-demand feature for the PlayStation Portable (PSP).
Sony and Sky set to bring on-demand TV to the PlayStation Portable. Credit: estilovagabund0/Flickr
Set to arrive throughout Europe this coming summer, the new Go!View download service is a joint venture between Sony and Sky that will provide PSP owners with access to Sky-selected TV content including a wide range of entertainment, comedy, sport and movies.
In its Leipzig release, Sony noted that Sky would also be working with third-party channel brands and content owners to create an even more wide ranging and comprehensive download selection.
The new service will function by enabling users to download content directly to their waiting personal computers before then transferring that content over to a PSP for portable playback whenever and wherever the user sees fit.
The arrival of Go!View is likely to expand the functionality and audience appeal of the surging PSP yet further, with it adding to the current selection of Go!-branded product elements available to the portable gaming and multimedia platform.
“Both truly mobile and with a best in class high-quality screen, PSP delivers a great on-the-move video experience. Working with such a well known content brand, we will be able to offer PSP owners access to the best in cross-genre Sky content, available through the first official video download service,” trumpeted David Reeves, the president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE). “This really will make PSP the standout all-in-one portable gaming, video and music device.”
Presently, the PSP plays host to Go!Explore, a 3D interactive Sat Nav system, Go!Cam, a digital camera accessory that turns the PSP into a photo and video-capable device, and Go!Messenger, which is a free instant messaging, voice, and video call application (partnered with BT) that enables wireless PSP-to-PSP communication.
The PlayStation Portable also recently embraced Skype, the hugely popular free telephony service that already has some 300 million registered user accounts worldwide.
Currently, neither Sony nor Sky have disclosed the finalised payment system for the download and use of Go!View’s television content, although Sony has previously said content would arrive via pay-per-view. That being said, industry watchers have suggested that payment could yet be built around a subscription service, which is how Sky generally sells its satellite content.
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