It’s the PayStation 3!

[Dave Birch] Leo van Hove was the first to point to a super story coming from Japan. If you needed a reminder just how far Europe (and for that the matter, the U.S.) is behind Japan when it comes to digital money, Sony is rolling out a USB contactless interface for the Playstation 3 so that Japanese consumers can pay for online games with their EDY cards and, of course, their Felica-equipped mobile phones.

Technorati Tags: contactless, e-purse, games, internet, mobile

I think I noted somewhere previously that more than 1.5% of EDY transactions are already online. It’s only a matter of time — probably a very short time — before the new generation of Japanese consumers find themselves loading their e-purse using their PlayStation rather than mucking around on the Internet or walking around to an ATM. Here’s a picture….

I am literally green with envy. Not because of my deep-seated nerdism, but because this sort of development should be — assuming that banks and operators learn to get along together — a vision of what’s to come with NFC-equipped mobile phones in Europe. This is digital money for the masses, an instantiation of the Mondex dream using disruptive technology. Mind you, my new phone did come with a mini-golf game, so you can’t say that U.K. operators, banks and content providers aren’t pushing the envelope of innovation to breaking point.

My opinions are my own (I think) and are presented solely in my capacity as an interested member of the general public. [posted with ecto]