MUMBAI:
Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) will be launching the fourth version of
playstation-2 (PS-2) by Diwali this year. This will simultaneously be released
in the European and Indian markets, said SCE country manager (playstation)
Atindriya Bose to ET.
The
higher-end version promises to be slimer, sleeker and more suave in its looks.
There will be no more external AC adapters, all of which will be in-built and
the product price will also be the same as the earlier version (Rs 6,990).
SCE India will also be
launching the playstation network for their playstation-3 in India, which will
allow gamers to download free games and also buy them online. This portal is
already available in the US and Europe.
“The playstation network
is ready for India. It is only the integration of the payment gateway that needs
to be done.” said Mr Bose. We shall launch it by the end of this fiscal,
he added.
Sony Play Station,
over the last 13 years, has evolved as every gamers aspiration. It has its own
cult following and to grow this base, SCE wants to market PS-2 as gaming console
for novices of all age groups and class.
“PS-2 is an entry-level
console, which helps first timers to enter the gaming zone,” said Mr Bose.
While PS-3 failed to make as great an impact as PS-2, SCE wants to tap the BRIC
markets with PS-2.
It has a
120-million installed base, worldwide, with 3,40,000 of these being in India
alone. “We feel PS-2 has the potential to penetrate further into the
Indian and Russian markets. Console gaming is in its nascent stage in India.
These are untapped markets and are new to the gaming world, hence we have no
plans to phase out PS-2 anytime soon,” he
added.
Asked if this would
affect the market for PS-3, Mr Bose said that would not be the case. “We
do not market it as a PS-2 or PS-3. It is the experience of the PS that we
market. PS-3 is for the next generation. People who are first timers in the
gaming market want to pick up PS-2 and experience that, before upgrading to
PS-3,” he said.