Home Virtual Items 'Selling Like Hotcakes'

Virtual items in online community PlayStation Home are "selling like hotcakes," according to new comments by Susan Panico, senior director of the PlayStation Network at Sony. Speaking to the Silicon Valley Insider, Panico failed to provide any specific figures, but stated that the sale of virtual items in the first four days of Home’s launch had generated more revenue for Sony than movies and videos had in their first week. Items such as clothing and furniture are available on Home from between $0.49 to $4.99, while movies and videos from the PlayStation Network can cost up to $14.99. The most popular item at present is a Santa Claus outfit. "It's a classic 80/20 model, where 20 percent of your customers create 80 percent of your income," said Panico. Panico also says that the long-term goal for the PlayStation Network is to make the PlayStation 3 a replacement for cable boxes, with Sony Pictures providing exclusive content. "We look aspirationally at HBO, the way they have 'Sex and the City' and other shows," she says.