Sony Computer Entertainment on Tuesday announced a new program under which the company will approve peripherals designed by third parties for various PlayStation game systems. The program will help Sony to ensure high quality of peripherals and potentially establish a new revenue stream.

The official license program will be available to peripheral manufacturers in Japan, Asia, North America and Europe/ PAL territories to further enhance the PlayStation peripheral and accessory line-ups and offer richer entertainment experience on the PlayStation platform, explained Sony.

By entering into a license agreement with Sony Computer Entertainment through this program, peripheral and accessory manufacturers will gain access to technical documentations necessary for designing and creating variety of licensed products for PlayStation platforms including PlayStation Portable handheld entertainment system, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3. Obviously, the program will hardly be free for manufacturers, but Sony does not provide any information regarding licensing fees.

Sony will provide “Official Licensed Product logo” to be used on product packages, proving that the peripherals and accessories have been designed for each respective PlayStation platform, qualifying Sony’s standards and requirements.

Considering the fact that various controllers and accessories are gaining importance these days, it makes sense for Sony to ensure that all the available peripherals are well made and operate flawlessly. However, any licensing initiative by definition limits the choice on the market.

Tags: Sony, Playstation