Sony to announce online Playstation changes

SONY IS PLANNING to announce some new online features for its PrayStation 3, with the aim of creating a user-generated community, similar to that of YouTube.com.

The big announcement is Sony's "PlayStation Home" which will become available to owners this autumn, according to CNET. PlayStation Home is looking to usurp the online offerings of competitors Nintendo and Microsoft, and will let users create their own online identities, allowing users to record their nerdiest gaming achievments.

Unnamed executives said that players who do particularly well in their games of choice will be able to unlock virtual prizes to boast around with online. An official announcement is expected later today as part of the San Francisco Game Developers Conference.

Sony's hoping to up the ante with its online service, the PlayStation Network, which so far has held reviews that are far from raving. It's expected that later today Sony will announce all sorts of developments, tweaks and improvements to its online services. The question is whether Sony can catch up and match the success of Microsoft's Xbox Live and the Wii's online capabilities - only time will tell. µ