Loco On: Upcoming Online Store
Loco On is a weekly column written by Get Loco founder and blogger locoroco, who also does a weekly podcast and monthly newsletter for his LocoRoco-based blog.
In case you were concerned, it seems that SONY is finally pushing for a well-overdue digital distribution system that would provide movies and possibly music and games. All I can say is that I’m giddy. I’ve been hoping that SONY would finally grace the PSP with a PS3-digital distribution service that would provide content that many PSP owners have been lacking–movies, music, demos, and possibly games via digital distribution. Something like this could finally put the PSP on the map.
To say that PSP owners would not shop for Memory Sticks anyway is a complete lie. Memory Sticks have drastically decreased in price (partly thanks to SanDisk offering Memory Sticks cheaper than SONY) and increased in storage capacities (up to 8GB, now). SONY could easily work with SanDisk to push capacity up to maybe even 12GB or 16GB via new flash drive technology or maybe even utilize a USB drive that can attach to the mini-USB port on the top of the PSP. Adding extra storage at affordable prices could make it easier for PSP owners to access content. With an online store, there would finally be a reason for PSP owners to use extra storage besides game memory, and that’s a good thing.
Providing movies, music, demos, and games would all be great, as long as it would be executed right. The system should be shared between the PC and PSP. I actually agree with Sony Online Entertainment creative director Nathan Pearce–PSP owners should be expected to only connect their PSP and watch files download to their PSP instead of placing them in awkward files. Additionally, PSP owners should be spared the chore of actually having to connect their PSP in the first place. A PSP app that would basically launch an internet version of the digital distribution service should be implemented onto PSPs via firmware update and allow owners to transfer music, video, demos, and emulated-games to their PSP in a matter of minutes.
Content would also be a big issue. Even though SONY can easily provide movies and music (they own numerous record companies with hot singers like Shakira, Beyonce, John Legend, etc. and also own numerous TV/movie studios with hit movies like Spider-Man and shows like The King of Queens), they must also sign deals with other studios like Paramount and Warner Bros. to provide additional television and movie content. While this could be tough, persuading movie studios into these deals would be easy–improving PSP sales show no signs of slowing down.
Following these three steps could be easy ways for SONY to finally make the PSP a full-fledged multimedia device, all the while providing much-anticipated games like WipEout Pulse, God of War: Chains of Olympus, LocoRoco, Monster Hunter 2, and others for our beloved handheld device.
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[…] On is a weekly column written by Get Loco founder and blogger locoroco, who also does a weekly podcast and monthly newsletter for his LocoRoco-based […]