Sony Japan talks PS3 downloadable content

By Tom Bramwell Published 26 October, 2006

PSone, e-dist launch details.

Sony has been talking a bit more openly in Japan about what it plans to do with downloadable content around the PS3 launch.

According to IGN, Sony in Japan has revealed that Blast Factor will be one of the first e-Distribution (Live Arcade-style) games released, along with some sort of weird daily information service starring Sony mascot Toro the cat, which will be available for free.

With those out at launch, there will also be demos of flOw, Lemmings, formerly PSP-based puzzle game Kazuo, and a Sony Europe puzzle game about exploding blocks (called, for now, "Puzzle") - with full versions of those games due to be released online by the end of this year.

Japanese gamers logging into the PlayStation Store will also be able to download a game of future-best-PS3-game-ever Ridge Racer 7 on launch day.

And for those of you wondering about those PSone games that you'll be able to download on your PS3 and then copy and play on the PSP, Sony's said that there'll be quite a few out in late November, including Resident Evil Director's Cut, Bishi Bashi Special, Arc the Lad, Hot Shots Golf 2, Silent Bomber, Mr. Driller and Tekken 2 - with around ten following each month thereafter.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (31) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • York #1 5 years ago

    PSone emu is missing something rather important.

    RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDGE RACER!


    Ah well, at least there's the PS3 demo.

  • Xerx3s #2 5 years ago

    ...

  • Salvia #3 5 years ago

    HAHAHAHAH HAHAHAHAHA!!

    It's just like that funny man said at E3.

    HAHAHAHAHAHA

    You're so clever. No one else has ever thought of saying that.

    (It's been a long week already ;-) )
    Edited by 1 at 26/10/06 @ 15:09

  • Zuiyo #4 5 years ago

    I think if PS3 prevails and game downloads for the PSP playable via MS catch on, we will see a solid state PSP (no disk drive) sometime in the future.

  • skillian #5 5 years ago

    Sounds good. Did that mean you can download the full version of Ridge Racer? If so, that's a first isn't it? I must have got the wrong end of the stick or surely it would be bigger news.

    However - Sony mascot Toro the cat? Hmm...

  • JediMasterMalik #6 5 years ago

    I like the fact that Sony have a sense of humour in using the ridge racer and massive damage jokes themselves. Anyway, the online service seems solid at the very least.

  • skillian #7 5 years ago

    Toro the Cat: [link url=htt p://mendolcoco.giftlandshop.com/1500/1773a.jpg
    ]http://me ndolcoco.giftlandshop.com/1500/...[/link]

    Wow, this guy will be bigger than Mario :/

  • Aysir #8 5 years ago

    That's an intersting line up of PSOne titles. Can't wait to play Silent Bomber or Resi DC on the PSP. Glad their not doing just the 'popular' titles like 360's 'backwards compatibility'.

  • OnlyMe #9 5 years ago

    TEN each month!?

    Sounds pretty good. Although I already have most of my favourite games. But will these downloadable games only be playable on the PSP, or can it be played on the PS3 too?

  • hidden_asbestos #10 5 years ago

    Kazuo is the Japanese name for Go! Sudoku

  • lambtron #11 5 years ago

    Finally there might be a reason not to sell my PSP after all! I can play all the PS1 games I missed. Although I will need a PS3 no?

    Ah f**k.

  • aine #12 5 years ago

    Bishi Bashi Special and Mr. Driller? And Arc the Lad, the sequel to which is one of my favourite RPGs ever? Christ! Just when I thought Sony couldn't do anything right, they go and pull this out.

    Although I bet none of the above will be available in Europe. We'll probably get the entire contents of Phoenix's budget line instead (excluding Buttsubushi, because that was actually quite good).

  • F1Tom #13 5 years ago

    Is this true? You have to have a ps3 to play psone games on the psp?

  • groovychainsaw #14 5 years ago

    Bishi bashi special FTW!!!

  • jiveguy #15 5 years ago

    "Yeah, what's up with that?"

    Are you seriously asking why Sony are requiring you to buy a 600 euro console to download games to a 250 euro handheld?

    Man, and I thought people who bought horse armour and mafia money were naive :)

  • Nobuo #16 5 years ago

    Last I checked, you don't need a PS3.

  • YogiTah #17 5 years ago

    As far as i heard you can also lock in to the store directly via PSP (it said so on IGN or someplace)...

  • YogiTah #18 5 years ago

    Really good old oddworld games on PSP - that would be fun :-)

  • itamae #19 5 years ago

    Ten each month?

    By the time the games I'm interested in are released we'll all be traveling through space in atom-powered flying cars. This is a very sad day. :-(

  • Steroyd #20 5 years ago

    Really good old oddworld games on PSP - that would be fun :-)

    You're forgetting the non existant R2 and L2 buttons. :-(

    You don't need a PS3 to download PSone titles for the PSP heck for a little while only the PSP will be able to download PSone titles.

    But i'm guessing titles like Oddworld will need a PS3 for the reason i just mentioned. :/

  • lambtron #21 5 years ago

    How soon will that be Itamae - it sounds cool ;)

  • itamae #22 5 years ago

    Around 2850.

    /books storage space in liquid nitrogen tank

  • Steroyd #23 5 years ago

    <a href=http: //www.ps3forums.com/showthread.php?t=35334>Pics of the service in action.</a>

  • Hughes. #24 5 years ago

    They'll definitely have to come up with a work-around for the missing shoulder buttons, which may be why so few games are being launched to start with, non L2-R2 dependent ones only. If they're going to meet their plans for 7000 PS1 games downloadable by the end of next year, 10 a week won't get the job did.

    I'm trying to think of games that had to have dual analogue control, and RC Stunt Copter and Ape Escape are the only ones I can think of. Dual Analogue was released quite late into the life-cycle iirc, so almost all games had it as an optional control method only.

    What I want to know is could the nub be used to simulate the Namco JogCon for RR: Type 4!
    Edited by 1 at 26/10/06 @ 19:34

  • MadMirko #25 5 years ago

    And for those of you wondering about those PSone games that you'll be able to download on your PS3 and then copy and play on the PSP

    Eurogamer says you need a PS3 right here in the article, BTW. It's just that you can't PLAY them on the PS3, because there is no PS1 hardware anywhere in the box, and they failed to complete the software emulator in time.

    I still would like to see how their DRM works, they of course will try to make sure that you can't give a game to your mates.
    Edited by 1 at 26/10/06 @ 20:05

  • Steroyd #26 5 years ago

    I still would like to see how their DRM works, they of course will try to make sure that you can't give a game to your mates.

    naturally but with games like Blast Factor and Criminal Crackdown you can temporarily re-download the game on you're mates PS3.

    5 times maximum i think.

    So Sony must be pretty confident in their DRM abilities to allow people to share.

  • LittleTofu #27 5 years ago

    Mr Driller - Go Driller Go! Happ-ee!

  • Hughes. #28 5 years ago

    @MadMirko

    The article doesn't say you need a PS3, it says you'll be able to download them to your PS3 and then copy them to the PSP. The PSP download area where Loco Roco and other demos were available from changed recently to become a Download Store, and now has a Price label below each item.

    As there is nothing to buy yet, the demos and videos all read No Charge, but once it's set-up it will deal with tansactions and download games to the PSP via the USB link up and a PC, the same way downloading Demos work now. No PS3 required.
    Edited by 1 at 26/10/06 @ 22:05

  • Steroyd #29 5 years ago

    i'd very much like it setup so you can buy stuff straight to the PSP, Sony's store's support from a PSP's prospective is dire.

  • F1Tom #30 5 years ago

    I agree, i have had my psp since uk launch and very little is new at yourpsp.com

  • Blerk #31 5 years ago

    Eurogamer says you need a PS3 right here in the article, BTW. It's just that you can't PLAY them on the PS3, because there is no PS1 hardware anywhere in the box, and they failed to complete the software emulator in time.

    That's not quite true. The PS3 will play PSOne games, it just won't play downloaded ones at the minute. There's separate emulation software to handle the download games, but disc-based PSOne titles work from the off.

    And the PS3 is only required if you want to store lots of games. You can download the games directly to your PSP or to your PC instead.
    Edited by 1 at 27/10/06 @ 08:46