Sony announces in-house video game lineup
Looking to keep up the current string of positive news, Sony on Friday detailed its game lineup for the rest of the year and into 2009.
Part of the announcement also revolved around games intended to take advantage of the PlayStation Network, Sony's online gaming service. While the service is said to have eight million registered users, it still is seen by many as inferior to Xbox Live.
Sony's own studios plan to release at least 15 games during the period, including several highly anticipated titles which it hopes will help the console catch up to its competitors in sales.
"For the second half of 2008 and beyond, we will see a spectacular line up of triple-A titles and original gaming content that will satisfy PlayStation fans across the board," SCEA's marketing chief Scott Steinberg said in a statement.
According to NPD, Sony has only sold about 4.1 million consoles in the US as of March, compared with 8.8 million for the Wii and 10 million for Microsoft's Xbox 360. Part of the criticism against the PS3 has always been the gaming selection.
The PS3 titles announced Friday include SOCOM: US Navy SEALs Confrontation, the oft-previewed LittleBigPlanet, NBA 09 (also releasing for the PS2 and PSP), MotorStorm Pacific Rift, and the highly anticipated Killzone 2.
Several PlayStation Network titles are also en route: wipEout HD, PixelJunk, and Siren: Blood Curse. The PSP will not be forgotten, with Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 and Secret Agent Clank are slated for release later this year.
If the game charts are any indication, Sony may need a little in-house help to jumpstart video game sales for its brand. Data for the month of March -- before Grand Theft Auto shipped -- showed that the best a PS3 game could do was 10th (Army of Two), while the Wii had three games in the top ten, and the Xbox 360 had five.