PlayStation Store
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| PlayStation Store | |
 |
|
|---|---|
| Developer | Sony |
| Type | Online market |
| Available | November 2006 (PS3), September 2007 (PC), April 2008 (PSP - Remote Play) |
| Console | PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Portable (Remote Play) |
| Website | Official Website |
The PlayStation Store is an online virtual market available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3 and PSP games consoles via the PlayStation Network. The Store offers a range of downloadable content both for purchase and available free of charge. Available content includes full games, add-on content, playable demos, themes and game and movie trailers. The service is accessible through and icon on the PlayStation 3's XMB, on the PSP via a Remote Play connection to the PS3 and via an internet browser on a PC. Whilst the PlayStation store is available in most Sony Computer Entertainment territories, it is not available in some PlayStation Network enabled countries including Mexico and Bahrain. As of May 16, 2008, there have been over 140 million downloads from the PlayStation Store worldwide[1].
Contents |
[edit] Access
[edit] PSN Master Account
A "master" PlayStation Network account is required to access the PlayStation Store. A log of all previously purchased items, known as "Download List", records each PlayStation Store account's full game, trial demo, and add-on download activity. A guest user can use his master account Download List to download free content or to purchase content on another console however, a single account can only be used on up to five consoles. The most recent firmware must be installed on the console in order to access the PlayStation Store.
[edit] Wallet
Each master account is associated with an online virtual "wallet" to which funds can be added. This wallet is then debited when a purchase is made from the Store. Money can be added to the wallet through different systems of payment. Although some of these are not available in all countries.
[edit] Currency
PlayStation Store users make purchases in their local currency. For example in the US, items prices in USD. This is in contrast to Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace, and Nintendo's Wii Shop Channel, which each use use their own specific currencies, Microsoft Points and Wii Points.
[edit] Edy viewer
Edy is an e-money system which is only available in Japan, therefore Japanese PlayStation 3 feature an XMB Settings extra option called "Edy Viewer"[2]. An additional USB IC card reader/writer (PaSoRi) is required to add e-money fund to the wallet by operating with the Edy Center. Edy associated options are "Edy Gift", "Checking online balance" and "Reader/Writer Self-Diagnosis".
[edit] Credit and debit cards
The most common method to add fund in the "wallet" is to use a credit card or debit card. This payment system is available in all areas with PlayStation Store support. Visa and American Express gift cards can also be used to add funds to the wallet.
Although select areas require that you use a credit card with a billing address from that specific country. Use of a "Virtual" credit card can be used to overcome this.
[edit] PlayStation Network Card/Ticket
PlayStation Network Card/Ticket wallet fund is a payment system available in South East Asia from Japan to Singapore and as of late December 2007 making its way to the US[3]. The PlayStation Network Card (PSN Card) is a form of electronic money that can be used with the PlayStation Stores for PS3 and PSP. This system is similar to Microsoft's Xbox Live Subscription Cards, Microsoft Point Cards, and Nintendo's Wii Points for their respective e-stores. PSN Tickets of various value can be purchased at convenience stores throughout Japan and PSN Cards are for sale in PlayStation ShopPartners in the rest of South East Asia. Each card or ticket contains a unique 12 alphanumeric code which can be input to a PSN master account to fund the associated wallet.
The Japanese ticket system is a bit different from the card system used in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, or even the one used by Microsoft and Nintendo for their virtual shops. Unlike tickets, the cards are available for purchase at retail stores.
Currently Imported PSN cards can work with "foreign" PSN stores. For example, if your PS3 is from the US, chances are you can't access the Japanese PSN store, unless you create a "dummy" account by creating a new user and creating a "bogus" account abroad. Then you can import a Japanese PSN card (for example) and download a game like GT5 Prologue that (at the time of this writing) is only available in Japan. People also create these accounts to obtain demos, trailers and other media unavailable in their respective region's PSN store. Sony Computer Entertainment is well aware of the practice of creating bogus accounts, it's done on a worldwide basis. Sony acknowledged this practice when the PS3 game Uncharted's demo became available as a region locked US only demo. Emails flooded SCEA and Naughty Dog from worldwide PSN accounts demanding the game be unlocked for all regions, the request was granted a few days later.
[edit] PlayStation Store for PS3
The PlayStation Store was launched on the PlayStation 3 on November 11, 2006 and is accessible via an icon under the PlayStation Network category of the XMB.
[edit] Content
Due to DRM restrictions, most items can only be downloaded and installed to up to five different consoles using a guest user account's Download List. Although, the games Warhawk and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue can only be downloaded to one console.
Downloadable content includes:
Picture:
- Free HD/SD XMB wallpapers.
Music:
- Free (WAV/MP3) audio tracks based on PS3 games original soundtrack. (North America only)
Video:
- Free HD/SD trailers for upcoming theatrical releases and movie or musical Blu-ray Disc.
- Free HD/SD game videos (trailers, behind the scenes, interviews, commercials or promotional videos).
- Free HD/SD music videos from Sony Music affiliates artists (Australia and Hong Kong only)[4].
Game:
- Free PlayStation 3 game demos.
- Free or for sale PlayStation 3 (PlayStation Network) full games.
- Free or for sale PlayStation 3 games add-on and system patches.
- Free PlayStation 3 (PSN) public beta software.
- Free PlayStation Portable game demos.
- For sale PlayStation Portable games.
- Free PlayStation emulated game demos (Japan and Hong Kong only).
- For sale PlayStation emulated games.
- For sale Arcade emulated game demos (Australia only).
- For sale Arcade emulated games.
Miscellaneous:
- Free XMB custom themes.
- Free PlayStation 3 software.
- Qore subscriptions and downloads (North America only)
[edit] Qore
On 3 June 2008 SCEA announced a new service, Qore, which launched on the PlayStation Store in North America on 5 June 2008. In a press release published on the Official PlayStation Blog, Qore: Presented by the PlayStation Network is described as "a highly interactive, monthly lifestyle gaming program covering the world inside PlayStation is on its way to PS3.". Episodes will be released monthly and users can choose whether to purchase individual episodes for USD2.99 or purchase a year's subscription of 13 episodes for USD24.99. Episodes are downloaded to the 'Game' category category of the XMB and previous month's episodes are overwritten.
The program, hosted by Veronica Belmont and presented in high definition, gives users advanced access to exclusive news, in-game footage and behind-the-scenes previews of PlayStation games. Users are also given "special access" to game demos, add-on content and beta trial invitations[5]. Each segment of the show is separated by 10 to 15 second advertisements which cannot be skipped by the viewer[6].
The announcement that Qore subscribers will have advanced access to exclusive betas and demos has triggered a mixed reaction from the gaming public. Many users believe this is a covert way of introducing a premium PlayStation Network subscription model, similar to that used on Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace service where premium subscribers get game demos one week before they are fully released[7]. Criticism has also been made of the way that advertising is being incorporated into the service[8].
[edit] Multitasking
As of March 22, 2007, background downloading became possible while watching a video stored on the HDD, listening to music, looking at photos, using the web browser and playing PS1, or offline PS3 games[9]. Officially 16 downloads can be queued up at a time. However, it is technically possible to have more than 16[citation needed]. The status of the downloads can only be checked on the XMB under the "Network" category. It is currently not possible to check the status while playing a game. However, if the messaging service is activated a pop-up message will appear in the top right corner of the screen to notify the user that a download is finished.
[edit] PSP Connectivity
Some crossplatform store content such as emulated PlayStation games and demos can be transferred from the PlayStation 3 HDD to the PlayStation Portable Memory Stick using a USB connection.
PlayStation Portable games and demos need a USB linked PSP in order to start the download from the store to the PlayStation Portable through the PlayStation 3 internet connection.
Download from the PlayStation Store to the PlayStation Portable can be performed later using the "Download List" log available in both the PS3 and PC PlayStation Stores.
Since April 15, 2008 the PlayStation Store can be accessed on PlayStation Portable handheld console through Remote Play function.
[edit] PlayStation Store revamp
Following feedback from a large number of PlayStation Network users, a redesigned version of the PlayStation Store was launched on April 15, 2008 via a firmware update[10]. The new design is OS based rather than the previous Store's web based design enabling the Store to process information a lot quicker.
[edit] PlayStation Store (PC)
The PSP-oriented PlayStation Store (PC) launched in Asia on September 20, 2007 at the Tokyo Games Show and is accessible through an internet browser on a PC. On November 20, 2007, the store became available for the U.S. and Europe. The Store is available at http://store.playstation.com.
[edit] Content
Downloadable content includes:
- Free XMB wallpapers ("PSP themes")
Video:
- Free SD game trailers (upcoming PSP games and emulated PlayStation games).
Game:
- Free PSP game demos
- Free PlayStation emulated game demos
- For sale PlayStation emulated games
- For sale PSP games available solely through the PlayStation Store (e.g. flOw)
- For sale PSP games also available on UMD (e.g. LocoRoco)
[edit] PlayStation Network Downloader
A DRM tool called the PlayStation Network Downloader is required to download content from the Store. When downloading a store content, the user saves a *.xpd file on his PC which can be opened using the Downloader which then downloads the content to a PSP connected via a USB cable. This 'DRM' tool prevents the user from saving store contents on their PC and illigally pirating the content. The software is only currently compatible with certain Microsoft Windows operating systems. The current version of the Dowloader is 1.0.0.11.
[edit] PC to PSP connectivity
The PlayStation Network Downloader needs a USB linked PSP (firmware 3.70 or higher) in order to start the download from the PlayStation Store (PC) for PSP to the PlayStation Portable Memory Stick through the personal computer internet connection.
Downloads from the PlayStation Store (PC) to the PlayStation Portable can be performed later using the "Download List" log available in both the PS3 and PC PlayStation Stores, although not all content from the PC Store is available on the PS3 Store. The PC Playstation store is currently only available on Windows XP and Vista.
[edit] PSP to PS3 connectivity
Some crossplatform store content such as emulated PlayStation games and demos can be transferred from the PlayStation Portable Memory Stick to the PlayStation 3 HDD using a USB link.
[edit] Criticism
The store is updated almost daily in Japan and weekly in other regions. Weekly updates are made available on Wednesdays in Asia and Thursdays in Europe and North America. One of the major critisims is of how the content available on the Store differs greatly from region to region. For example, the Japanese store features exclusive PlayStation Portable while the Australian Store features exclusive music videos and the North American Store has far more playable demos available than in other territories. This has led to numerous negative comments and complaints being posted on Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's "semi-official" blog by frustrated users[citation needed].
A number of complaints have been seen on the Official Playstation Forums about images on the store failing to load or not loading completely as well as error messages occurring when the store is accessed. Although this was acknowledged by SCEE, many users are still reporting problems[11].
As the downloader software required to download and install games and demos from the PlayStation Store for PC is only compatible with the Microsoft Windows operating system, these items cannot be installed by users of other operating systems such as Linux, BSD and Mac OSX. The specific versions of Windows the downloader software is compatible with are listed on the PlayStation Network download page[12].
Another criticism of the service is that, as stated in the terms of service, any funds added to the user's PlayStation Store wallet cannot be refunded, even if unspent[13].
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Sony Computer Entertainment (2008-05-16). Sony Computer Entertainment America Announces 2008 and Early 2009 Software Line Up for PLAYSTATION®3, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), and PLAYSTATION®Network. Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
- ^ Sony Computer Entertainment (2008-06-07). PLAYSTATION®3 System Software 2.30 User's Guide. Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ Sony Computer Entertainment (2008-06-07). Playstation Store: PS Store Cards *Finally* Heading To Retail. Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ Sony Computer Entertainment (2008-06-07). PLAYSTATION®Store Music Videos. Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ Sony Computer Entertainment (2008-06-03). PlayStation.Blog » Introducing Qore: Taking you behind the curtain with PlayStation. Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ TheSixthAxis.com (2008-06-04). Qore, The Fine Print. TheSixthAxis.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ TheSixthAxis.com (2008-06-03). Paid PSN Subscriptions Arrive. TheSixthAxis.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ TheSixthAxis.com (2008-06-04). Qore, The Fine Print. TheSixthAxis.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ Sony Computer Entertainment (2008-06-07). PLAYSTATION 3 Help & Support - Guides:- Background Download. Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ Sony Computer Entertainment (2008-04-14). PlayStation.Blog » PlayStation Store Update. Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ Kotaku (2008-04-16). Sony Explains Slow PlayStation Store Speeds. Kotaku. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ Sony Computer Entertainment (2008-06-07). PLAYSTATION®Network Downloader. Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ Sony Computer Entertainment (2008-06-07). PLAYSTATION®Network: Terms of Service / User Agreement. Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
[edit] External links
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