The idea is that owners of NTT DoCoMo's i-mode internet phone will be able to turn to their phones in spare moments to play Playstation 2 games. And players will be able to compete with each other whether they are connected to a phone, a personal computer or a television. Sony has signed agreements with NTT DoCoMo's six global alliance partners, which will bring the game phone to Europe and the US, after being launching in Japan as early as March. The i-mode phone has more than 17 million users in Japan and is hugely popular. It is now to be marketed in Europe through an alliance announced earlier this month with Dutch KPN and Italy's Telecom Italia Mobile.
Japan leads the way in mobile internet technology.
The first version of internet phones on offer in European markets, based on the WAP system, have been largely text based and has had limited success. The US market for internet mobiles is still an almost untapped area. Technological advance Sony and NTT DoCoMo will jointly develop the technology that will link Playstation games to the i-mode phone. Playstation 2 already has DVD video playback, and the option to add internet access - which is promised to be available some time in 2001. Playstations have been the world's best selling video consoles, with more than 30 million sold in the past five years.