Internet connections, digital rights management and used games restrictions all point to a common theme when the next consoles drop, both Sony and Microsoft want to be able to keep their consumers under control.
When the iPlayer first launched the BBC was criticised for producing versions that only worked with Microsoft's Windows XP and which used Microsoft's digital rights management (DRM) system to enforce viewing restrictions.
Martin Blomkvist, Sony Ericsson's head of content acquisition and management said in a recent interview that offering digital music without rights or copying restrictions and games will help pull users toward the new site, providing a larger separate revenue stream, and stimulate handset sales.