Open Home as Sony talks to devs

The latest figures from Sony’s PlayStation Network underpinned the bullish attitude at its three-day DevStation developer conference, held in London.

Millions of pieces of content have been downloaded, while Michael Denny, VP of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, Europe, also said the number of network registrations since launch was very encouraging.

Next up will be download packs for MotorStorm, which will be available in premium (adding ‘significant gameplay’ to the title), and lite flavours.

Denny also revealed that two of the most popular avatars on the network were God of War’s Kratos and Buzz’s Disco Steve. "It proves we’re lovers as well as fighters," he joked

Elsewhere in a wide-ranging keynote, he highlighted the advantages for developers to make the most out of PlayStation 3, both creatively and technically, by directly targeting its architecture.

This was demonstrated by showing a number of firstparty titles, including downloadable games, and emphasised by the first public showing of Criterion’s anticipated Burnout Paradise, for which PlayStation 3 is the lead development platform.

"Sony’s goal has always and will always be to empower, encourage and support thirdparties," Denny said, referencing the number of updates being highlighted throughout the conference, such as the new PlayStation Edge suite of tools and technologies.

Another area covered was the technology roadmap for the company’s Home online service.

"It’s a platform that will define social networking," he said. Due to launch in the autumn, its open approach means publishers and developers can host their own games and services; something that contrasts with the stricter wall-garden approach used by Microsoft and Nintendo.

"There’s space for everyone within Home and we truly believe it’s the future of network interaction and network sociability. When we say it’s inclusive, we mean that in terms of other developers and publishers, as well as consumers.," Denny said.