Japan gets PSP demo service
They're looking into it for Europe.
Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has launched a new service that will let PSP owners download game demos from special hotspots.
The new service, PlayStation.Spot, was unveiled in an announcement on SCEJ's website partially translated by Gamasutra. From today, PSP users can visit specified branches of the Gourmet Pia café chain to take advantage of the service, which uses the handheld's 'gameshare' feature to enable demo downloading.
You can only access the demos for as along as their handheld is powered up and switched on as they can't be stored on memory stick, and PSPs must have been upgraded with firmware version 2.0 or higher to use the service.
According to Sony, more than 150 Gourmet Pia cafés already have PlayStation.Spot technology installed, and the number is set to grow on a daily basis over the next few weeks.
Sony has yet to confirm whether a similar service is planned for Europe, with a spokesperson telling us: "There is no further news on the PSP download hotspots. It's something we're looking into."
The news follows Nintendo's recent announcement that it plans to roll out a series of DS demo kiosks across North America shortly - they're expected to arrive in Europe later this year.