Sony Corp. has begun developing the next generation of its PlayStation video game for sale by 2005, when it plans to roll out a console that would allow gamers to play opponents over high-speed Internet networks, a news report said Sunday.
The new game console will run on a computer chip expected to be around 200 times faster than those currently installed in personal computers and game units, Kyodo News agency said. It quoted Sony sources it did not identify.
Developing the chip will cost the Japanese electronics and entertainment giant about $400 million, Kyodo said.
Sony has set its sights on online gaming as the new frontier and is trying to take control of the market before rivals Microsoft Corp. and Nintendo Co. come up with their own versions. Microsoft makes the Xbox, and Nintendo has GameCube.
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