>After the news end of last year about YouTube dedicated HD TV-channels and Google TV, PlayStation announces that it will rename it’s current ‘PlayStation Network’ to SEN: Sony Entertainment Network. I saw an incredibly cool presentation last week at the ‘iMMovator-conference’ about connected television where Sony unfolded their plans for 2012 and beyond.

As I predicted in my book ‘A Brand New Playground‘ the ‘game consoles’ develop into home entertainment systems that are connected to all the content in the world through the internet. The video below shows you how PlayStation was already providing all sorts of content in 2010. It organized consumer content (photo’s, music and video’s), but was also connected to content providers like Hulu and Mubi (arthouse movies) and loads of other stuff. It’s nice to know that currently more than 50% of all PlayStations are connected to the internet, which is about 30 million PlayStations globally…

Now in the near future PlayStation will largely copy Apple’s functionalities: the PlayStation will be the core of content that will be accessible by all Sony devices and screens in your household. The cool thing is that they decided to make it an ‘open system’ based on Android. Hooray for Sony – well done.
Now finally we can access Sony pictures, Sony music and Sony PlayStation content with all kinds of devices and a specially designed remote control with touch screen and a complete abc on the back will help you to navigate through all that content! Sony also promised to deliver full internet access instead of just limited versions of YouTube and Google.

The main difference is that with Google TV on the Sony televisions you can actually watch two layers of content at the same time: internet + television content. Technically these two cannot be integrated as of yet, but the layers are so well integrated that it will feel as ‘one’ stream of content. The ‘older’ internet television force you to choose between either ‘TV-content’ or ‘internet content’… the future televisions (connected televisions) will enable you to multitask like you never had before and make your tablet your third screen while sitting on the couch instead of your second screen… 😉

I will be visiting the release of PlayStation Vita tomorrow where we will hear more undoubtedly!

Meanwhile read some more on the Sony USA website 

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Maybe you are one of the 90.000 Gran Turismo 5 players that participated in the online cup facilitated by PlayStation and Nissan? If not, you missed a chance of a lifetime if you like cars, tarmac and speed… Nissan introduced their 370Z in GT5 and challenged all players to participate in their cup on a specially designed circuit within the game with the ultimate prize: driving for the Nissan team in the 24 hours of Dubai!

Two young lads (Thomas and Edwin) won the Dutch challenge on the Roosendaal circuit last week and will therefore take part in the European final on Silverstone! How is that for turning virtual experience into real-life action!?

I think Nissan does a great job to promote their brand amongst 90.000 young and eager car lovers and will definitely benefit from this excellent brand promotion!

There were six regions in total, amongst them were: Germany & Austria, France & Switzerland, Great Britain & Ireland, Spain & Portugal and Italy & The Netherlands. Each territory supplies two contestants so a dozen in total (which is 12 people in Holland 😉 will drive the ultimate drive on Silverstone in June!

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Sony Computer Entertainment just announced it sold 150 million PlayStation 2’s since the release in March 2000. I still remember this milestone event because I worked for Atari in those days as a product manager and we gave away 5 PlayStations to promote Reflections Driver 2!

The PlayStation 2 could play DVD (where the PlayStation 3 can play Blue Ray) and could even be operated by a USB-mouse and keyboard – handy for Unreal Tournament which came out later that year.

Meanwhile, the past 10 years an impressive 10.000 titles came out for PlayStation 2 and they introduced the Eye-Toy in 2003 – which must have inspired Nintendo for the Wii-control system.

In total, 1,5 Billion games have been sold up to now… that’s 10 games on average per PlayStation 2 and 1 game a year per console.

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