Sony has begun the countdown to Qore. An addition to the PlayStation Network (PSN), the subscription-based gaming program will debut Thursday.

Available only on the PlayStation Store on PSN, Qore is the first in a series of original content planned for the PlayStation community. Qore will feature exclusive multimedia news, developer interviews, in-depth game previews, and behind-the-scene looks at popular PlayStation games. Sony said subscribers will also have special access to game demos, betas, add-ons and other downloadable and game-related content.

"Qore is the first step in providing original content dedicated to the PlayStation community and evolving the network into a place where our customers can gather, share and discover new forms of entertainment," said Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment America.

Monthly Episodes

Qore episodes will be available the first Thursday of every month to coordinate with weekly PlayStation Store updates. The first episode will feature SOCOM: US. Navy SEALs Confrontation, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Secret Agent Clank, Soul Calibur 4, and Afro Samurai, as well as the latest Blu-ray Disc trailers, an exclusive SOCOM: Confrontation theme with an invitation to the SOCOM: Confrontation beta, art galleries, and a few other surprises.

The high-definition, interactive Qore lets members customize their experience through the Sixaxis or DualShock 3 wireless controllers. Sony said gamers will "act as the director" of the content and can access and control how they want to view content, using multiple windows, picture-in-picture and other features. Qore also offers advertisers interactive advertising opportunities through rich-media executions, video trailers, active ad pages, and contextual branding.

Gamers can purchase episodes of Qore through the PlayStation Store for an introductory price of $2.99, or an annual subscription for $24.99. Sony is offering bonuses with annual subscriptions. For example, annual subscribers will receive 13 episodes of Qore. In addition, for a limited time, annual subscribers also receive free the PlayStation Network game Calling All Cars.

The Xbox Factor

Is there a market for these episodes? According to Mike Goodman, a video-game analyst at Yankee Group, there's a market for exclusive content. "People are certainly paying for exclusive content on Microsoft, and gamers are paying for things on PlayStation Network already," he said. "They are doing game downloads there. If you follow the road map that Microsoft has followed for rental and sell-through, gamers are paying for video there. So there's certainly a marketplace."

PSN is an entertainment network aimed at digitally delivering innovative content and fostering a community for a worldwide audience. The network has eight million members, according to Sony, and Qore is the latest addition. But Sony is still very much in building mode versus its rival, Microsoft's Xbox Live, Goodman said.

"The PlayStation Network pales in comparison to the features and design of Xbox Live. It is where Xbox Live was maybe two years ago," he said. "Sony just redesigned and re-rolled out PlayStation Network and they are still working on getting the kinks out of it."

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