14 DAY TRIAL // Sony had a lot of announcements to make at last week's GamesCon in Cologne, Germany. We've seen the PS3 Slim, the new services for the PSP and many other news reports, but one that managed to slip under the radar was the new “minis” section in the PlayStation Store, accessible to PlayStation Portable users everywhere, starting in October.
This section will represent a new direction for Sony as it will be populated only with downloadable games for the handheld console and will have a 100MB size limit in order to ensure that everyone will get their games as fast as possible and will be able to play them wherever they want.
Arriving on October 1, it will be available both in Europe and PAL regions as well as in North America. As you might remember, that is also the day when the new PSP Go will be released, making the launch of the new section that much more interesting for users of Sony's portable device.
At the beginning, there will be 15 games that will span many genres, including arcade, racers or even parlor games. The goal of the company and the studios involved in the development of these small titles will be to have more than 50 games by the end of the year.
Innovation will be encouraged as many independent and small studios are currently in talks with Sony to bring titles for this new section. Besides these small companies, other large publishers like Electronic Arts will also contribute to this new initiative for the PSP.
“We are very excited to offer so much new content for PSP this year, particularly in this bite-sized form,” said Zeno Colaco, vice president, Publisher and Developer Relations, SCEE. “In opening the door to developers everywhere, we are broadening the type of content available to PSP owners, and opening up a world of possibilities to enhance the PSP gaming experience.”
The PSP is definitely getting a lot of high-end features lately, which make it a very attractive buy for all of the mobility obsessed gamers out there. This new “minis” section will definitely give Apple and its App Store a run for its money. Who will be the winner? Only time will tell.