Neowin.net

In an interview with Nikkei Electronics Asia, Howard Stringer, CEO for Sony Corporation of America told the magazine that Sony is working to make the PlayStation Network available on hardware other than the PlayStation 3.

"We developed brand new, absolutely incredible technology for the PlayStation 3 (PS3), but the cost was high. We've adopted a slightly different approach now, and are evolving the PS3 into a platform for web services,"

Stringer continued to say that unlike the view of many people, the PlayStation Network is no longer having difficulty but in a good position. "A lot of people thought Sony's content download service was doomed, but it's in a pretty good place right now in the form of the PlayStation Network, available to PS3 users for network gaming, video, etc. The DRM is based on Marlin, an open scheme developed by consumer electronics companies and other companies.

"What does all this mean?" he added. "Very simply, it means that Sony has begun the transition from a closed system to an open one.

"Next we will be expanding the PlayStation Network to hardware other than the PS3, because the number of PS3 units sold puts a limit on the scale of the network possible. Sony has a vertical structure for each product line, an organisational structure that resists change, so it will take time to achieve this network growth. However, a large number of employees share my opinion on this."

The PlayStation Network or PSN is Sony's digital media service for use with the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable. The online service was first announced by Sony in 2006 and as of February 2009 boats over 20 million registered users worldwide. The PlayStation Network service allows users to connect with one another as well as purchase games, movies and TV shows from the shopping-based PlayStation Store.