I think some people need to remember that we already have something very similar to this service; pre-orders. The difference is this service has the potential to bring forward products that would otherwise have been nipped in the bud by some chap in a suit. The basic chain of 'pre-order -> company gets money before release -> consumer gets product at launch' is pretty much the same. Sony aren't going to be pulling in million in free money, they're still selling a product. It just happens to be a product that might not have existed without that initial show of consumer support.
There is always the chance something like this could be abused, but i think it'd be best to wait and see what kind of stuff comes out of it before we proclaim Sony are the birth of all evil.
