PS3 to launch with free online games

Sony has unveiled details of the PlayStation 3's (PS3) online service as it attempts to replicate the success of Microsoft Xbox Live.

The PlayStation Network will allow PS3 owners to play other users online, chat, store images, download extras and browse the internet. The network will be free to play or chat on, but users must pay to download new games and other extras.
The announcement was made ahead of the console's launch in Japan slated for 11 November. The PS3 will be released in the United States on 17 November but Irish users will have to wait until March for its European release.
Sony is launching the console a full year behind Microsoft's Xbox 360. The PS3's predecessor, the PlayStation 2, enjoyed considerable success globally selling 105 million units worldwide, including 550,000 in Ireland -- its highest per capita penetration.
Microsoft has set the pace in online console gaming with its Xbox Live service, to which around 60 percent of Xbox 360 owners subscribe for a small annual fee.

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