PS2 goes online

Sony is set to launch its online gaming offering for the PlayStation 2 in the USA on August 27, with the release of the official PS2 network adapter and some of the first titles to support online play - giving it a headstart of over two months on Microsoft's competing Xbox Live service.

The online plans for PS2 all revolve around the network adapter, which offers both Ethernet and modem connectivity in one package - expected to be priced at around $40, slightly cheaper than Microsoft's Xbox Live starter pack. Unlike Xbox Live, no annual subscription fees apply to basic PS2 online services, but companies are free to design their own subscription models and infrastructure for individual games in a system reminiscent of the way that PC online gaming works at the moment.

Sony plans to ship 250,000 network adapters to US retail for the launch of the service, and hopes to sell 400,000 of them by the end of the year - giving the PS2 a vital critical mass of online gamers early in the life of the service. Users wanting to bring their PS2 online will need to have a separate ISP account, either for dialup or broadband - for those who don't have one, however, the startup disc provided with the network adapter contains setup software for a variety of US ISPs.

News source: The Reg'