AdHocParty Coming to North American PSP Consoles

Sony has announced that it is planning to introduce online multiplayer capabilities to those titles for the PSP that only had ad hoc connectivity. The service, called AdHocParty, has been running in Japan for about one year and is set to debut in North America at some point later in November or in early December. The idea is to make the PlayStation 3 home gaming console a hub that allows PlayStation Portable gamers to actually get online and engage in multiplayer sessions.

Normal Wi-Fi connections only permit players to connect to the PSP gamers who are around and offer a limited multiplayer experience. Connecting to the PS3 opens up a host of new possibilities.

In Japan, the AdHocParty concept is supported by more than 200 videogames even if on launch, only one title specifically offered it. Sony is saying that Gran Turismo from Polyphony Digital and Monster Hunter Freedom from Capcom are set to be the first titles to support AdHocParty in North America.

A statement released by Sony quotes Scott A. Steinberg, the vice president of product marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment of America, as saying that "We saw this as a tremendous opportunity to enhance the PSP system’s online gaming experience and bring the service to our North American consumers."

The move is part of Sony's charm strategy related to the PlayStation Portable handheld. The recent launch of the Go, which is only getting content via digital distribution, was not a huge success for the company and piracy is still a threat on the older models.

Offering enhanced multiplayer capabilities for the devices could attract more gamers who are interested in facing other players online to titles already released but it could also attract more developers to the Sony made handheld, resulting in more videogames being launched in the future.