PVR functionality announced for PS3 at Leipzig; PSP to get GPS

Thursday 23rd August 2007, 02:02:00 AM, written by Carl Bender

Sony revealed several new non-gaming features for its PlayStation platforms in the press kick-off to this year's Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany. Giving form to long-standing rumor, chief among these was the announcement that Sony would be bringing PVR functionality to the PS3 via a DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting – Terrestrial) compliant add-on unit. Sporting dual tuners for simultaneous viewing/recording, and the ability to support content in resolutions up to 1080p, Sony's "PlayTV" will be targeted at the PAL territories with initial roll-out scheduled for early 2008 in the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain. Programming recorded on the PS3 will be further transportable to the PSP for the mobile viewing of televised content.

Also announced was upcoming GPS support for the PSP, enabled via a peripheral receiver and UMD-based map/point-of-interest software developed in conjunction with partners TeleAtlas and NavNGo. "Go!Explore," as it will be known, will feature support in eleven languages across seven initial geographic packages. These packages will consist of the UK/Ireland, Iberia, France, Germany/Austria/Switzerland, Italy, Benelux, and Scandinavia. Highlights of the software include 3D city maps and landmarks, automatic zoom and tilt functionality, 'smart' keyboard, logged history and favorites, and customizable route settings. Similar to the PS3's PVR functionality, availability for PSP GPS hardware is expected for early '08 in PAL territories.

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