Sony Courts the Mainstream With PS3 Buzz

And SCEE's David Reeves drops word of how well the PS3 is selling in Europe.

There were tens of millions of PlayStation 2s in homes across the world before Sony truly began to deliver games made to satisfy more casual gamers. But with the PS3, Sony isn't waiting around.

Right from the beginning, when the company starting showing off what the PS3 could do, popular karaoke series SingStar was there, serving not only as something for the more casual set but also as an example of how Sony was going to incorporate online commerce into the console's offerings.

This week Sony introduced a PS3 version of another of its casual game successes: Buzz!

Buzz! Quiz TV bring the now-familiar game show concept and updates it in a big way. The core of the game is the actual Blu-ray disc you'll be able to buy next March. This will have around 5,000 questions broken up into "channels": Music, Movies & TV, Sports, Knowledge and Lifestyle. You'll be able to play in your favourite channel or let the game jump between them.

Once you're mastered the first batch, it's time to start downloading more quiz packs. These channel-flavoured packs can be incorporated into the pools of questions, or you can play using just the new stuff. It's your call.

Want to get more hands-on? Why not write your own quizzes? Using the MyBuzz community feature, you'll be able to create full quizzes and either play them with people on your own PS3 or share them with the world.

You'll be able to prove your knowledge to everyone too, since Buzz! Quiz TV lets you play online with up to three other teams, anywhere in the world.

The extension of Buzz into PS3 is a sign that Sony has its sight set on not just the hardcore set that traditionally first latch onto new consoles but everyone else too.

Figures released this week suggest that the company is doing a much better job of spreading its message than some of the more negative headlines would have you think.

According to MCV, Sony's David Reeves, speaking at this week's Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, said that the PS3 has already sold more than 1.3 million units since it launched in Europe in March - that's faster than the PS2 managed when it launched in Europe nearly seven years ago.

The console is catching on outside Europe too. Several analysts have recently predicted that the PS3 outsold the Xbox 360 for the first time in July.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo