Sony Planning PSP-Accessible PSN Store

In a new interview PlayStation director of network operations Eric Lempel has confirmed that Sony is working on making the PSN store available through the PSP handheld itself, rather than relying on a connection with the PlayStation 3 or the recent PC version of the service. Speaking to the MTV Multiplayer website, Lempel indicated that a version of the store on the PSP was certainly being considered. “With the capability of the PSP it’s something that should be possible, so it’s definitely something we’re thinking about,” he said. “It’s just a matter of priorities and some technology that we need to make it all work right and make sure the content is delivered securely, just to protect some of our [intellectual properties].” On the subject of existing UMD games being made available as downloads, as has already happened with WipEout Pure and Gangs of London, Lempel confirmed that Sony was working on an internal policy for the minimum length of time between a retail and download release. “As you can see we’ve only offered two first-party titles on the store. We’re working on that plan so we can roll it out to our third-party partners. At this time I can’t discuss the policy,” he said. “Right now it won’t be day and date for those titles just to avoid any retail conflict. We appreciate what the retailers do for us. We know this would create some challenges for them.” Regarding the release of PS one titles on the PSP, Lempel confirmed that the rate of release would increase in the future to more closely match the schedule in Japan. However, technical problems in the emulation and music licensing issues had so far kept the pace of updates at a slower level than originally anticipated. Finally, when asked about the volume of sales and downloads via the store, Lempel refused to reveal figures. “We don’t have any numbers to release yet, but we are happy with the launch,” he indicated. “It was a pretty strong launch even if it was a somewhat softer launch in terms of messaging goes… So far, so good.”