Starting today, Sony Computer Entertainment began offering adhocParty to North American PSP owners. The application lets PSP owners use their PlayStation 3s to play normally local-only wireless ad hoc games online much like they would with the game's infrastructure mode. The service was launched in Japan last year.
The free application can be downloaded from the PlayStation Store as part of the update that went out this afternoon. Though the PS3 and PSP will communicate wirelessly, it will require that the PS3 have a wired connection to the Internet. The service will also support voice and text chat, with friends meeting inside lobbies of 10 areas called "worlds."
Unfortunately, adhocParty will not work with every PSP game that has an ad hoc mode. A full list of compatible games has not been released, but Sony Computer Entertainment America marketing manager Kristin Neirinckx told GameSpot that "most" titles with an ad hoc mode should work with the application. Two major titles, Sony's Gran Turismo PSP and Capcom's Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, have been confirmed to have full support.
To see Neirinckx's full video demonstration of the North American version of adhocParty, check out the video below.
