Sony discusses 'big things' for PSN in 2008, including PlayStation Cards

There are more than a few people who feel that Sony and the PS3 are going to have a big year in 2008, and Peter Dille, Senior VP of Marketing & PLAYSTATION Network, is obviously one of them. In a post yesterday on the PlayStation.Blog, he outlined all the things that Sony has in store for the PSN this year. He first talked about the revamped PlayStation Store (and his personal dissatisfaction with its previous interface), though he said it’s “the first step but it’s only one example” of what Sony will be bringing to the PSN in 08.

Here’s some of the exciting stuff he discussed. He mentioned four “key pillars” that will make the PSN a success: “The PlayStation community”; “Free online gaming”; “Digital media download services”; and “Original content”. That gives me solid reason to believe that Sony will always keep the PSN free. Then he moved on to the games (“fewer arcade remakes and more original content” — a subtle jab at Xbox Live, methinks): stuff like SOCOM Confrontation, flOwer (from the makers of flOw, natch), and echochrome.

Next up was the rumored North American PSN video service. Dille had no updates on it, but noted that “it’s already been confirmed that we’ll be offering a video service for PS3 in a way that separates the service from others you’ve seen or used.” Apparently, we’ll be hearing about this “very soon”, and it’ll deliver “TV, movies and gaming content.” His next paragraph was community-oriented, talking about in-game XMB access and “other community-related services”.

Lastly, Dille delivered another bit of good news: Sony will finally be bringing PlayStation Cards to the American market. He said, “we are rolling out the PlayStation Cards to retailers nationwide as we speak.” The long-awaited cards — we first heard of them way back in mid-December — will be available in denominations of $20 and $50. All these updates have got me really psyched (yes, that’s how it’s spelled — not “siked”) for the future of the PS3 and PSN...what about you guys?

[Via PlayStation.Blog — thanks, Gynecologist Cobra!]