Earlier this morning, gaming news site Next Generation announced that Sony plans to launch an online service that bears resemblance to Microsoft's Xbox Live. Currently referred to as PlayStation HUB, it will allow PlayStation 3 owners to chat, download demos, and play games online. There are also plans to enable support for PSP online play. It appears a step in a different direction from Sony's relatively laissez-faire approach to online gaming in regard to the PlayStation 2, which left online play in the hands of publishers, and has been widely considered inferior to Xbox Live.

Allegedly, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is developing HUB, and has been describing it as a "subscriber service" to developers, implying that there will be a fee to utilize its services. Also, according to the article, Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer is pushing to integrate downloadable media, such as music and movies, into the service, a move that would rival Apple's iTunes store.

Also included in the article is the news that developers seem to be leaning toward a September launch date for the PlayStation 3 based on the release schedule for launch titles, although there are no specifics in regard to launch territory. The assumption seems to be that Japan and the US will see the machine first, although there is still no set launch date for the hardware. A few developers have also speculated a September 16 Japanese launch and a September 21 American launch. However, with fluid pace that release dates are revised, even the Next Gen piece mentioned that those dates are far from concrete.

When contacted, a spokesperson for Sony declined to comment, stating that any information in Next Gen's article is purely speculation. GameSpy will continue to report on any news pertaining to PlayStation 3's online services, as well as any launch information, as it becomes available.