
Sony seems to be going the Microsoft way as they announced that their Play Station 3 owners are going to get movie downloads on their consoles.
As part of SonyÙs long-range plans for its newest gaming console, the PlayStation 3 will be getting a movie-download service as well as additional music and HDTV capabilities. The inclusion of a hard drive in the PS3 is part of a larger strategy to boost the PlayStationÙs presence as an entertainment hardware device, rather than just a game machine.
SonyÙs move to integrate movie downloads with the PlayStation 3 console is not surprising, given the arms race mentality that has been running rampant in the gaming scene for the past year. In creating a movie and music download service for the PlayStation 3, Sony will be putting itself in competition most directly with Microsoft and the Xbox 360 platform.
In creating a movie and music download service, Sony will be putting itself in competition most directly with Microsoft, which launched a similar service last November. Called Xbox Live Video Marketplace, the Microsoft download service allows Xbox 360 Premium owners to buy movies and TV shows.


