PSN to be on other hardware platforms

Sony Corporation boss Sir Howard Stringer has revealed PlayStation Network will be accessible through hardware platforms other than the PlayStation 3.

"We developed brand new, absolutely incredible technology for the PS3, but the cost was high," he told Nikkei Electronics Asia. "We've adopted a slightly different approach now, and are evolving the PS3 into a platform for Web services.

"Next we will be expanding the PlayStation Network to hardware other than the PS3, because the number of PS3 units sold puts a limit on the scale of the network possible."

According to Stringer it will "take time" to expand the network, but the future is bright. "A lot of people thought Sony's content download service was doomed, but it's in a pretty good place right now in the form of the PlayStation Network," he said.

"The DRM is based on Marlin, an open scheme developed by consumer electronics companies and other companies. What does all this mean? Very simply, it means that Sony has begun the transition from a closed system to an open one."

Stringer said Sony also hopes to boost its profits by understanding consumers and winning over new customers, just like one of its biggest rivals. "The Wii from Nintendo Co Ltd of Japan is an excellent example. They didn't develop any unique technology; they just realised that there was potential demand out there for something different from conventional games, and thought about how to satisfy different demands from different age groups," he said.

"They attained results that the PS3 hasn't; namely, generating profit from hardware sales."