AUG. 23, 2007 • European PS3 owners will get TiVo-like recording functionality early next year. The PlayTV device will be sold separately, and incorporates both the pausing and recording of television signals. PlayTV also supports transferring recorded TV content to the PSP for viewing outside the home. Pricing was not announced. Sony said it had no current plans to release PlayTV outside Europe, but said doing so was a possibility.

Impact: Built-in DVR functions never were a big draw for Sony’s PlayStation 2-based, multifunction PSX several years ago. There is less risk in bringing DVR features to the PS3 as an add-on, and Europe likely has fewer standalone DVRs in homes that either Japan or the U.S. But is this really how consumers want to use their video game systems? Stay tuned.