Microsoft might be dominating the online aspects of next-gen console gaming, but Sony has always maintained that its console is more of an entertainment device than a straight-forward gaming machine. Whether that proves to be the best path to take is still a bit of a hot topic, but anyway, in the mean time, the inclusion of an internet browser is already proving to be a decent differentiator. And finally, it seems that other companies are starting to catch on to the potential of the device with the announcement that Virgin Radio has made its broadcasts accessible using the PS3 browser.

Speaking to trade mag MCV, Virgin Radio’s director of digital media James Cridland said “People are treating the consoles as part of their home entertainment media centre, and now Virgin Radio will be part of that experience. This platform has great growth potential, particularly among early-adopters and 25-44 audience popular with advertisers.”

It’s a neat idea, assuming you actually want to listen to Virgin Radio, but fortunately you should also be able tune in to Virgin’s other stations – Virgin Radio Xtreme, Virgin Radio Classic Rock and Virgin Radio Groove. Unfortunately they weren’t working this morning when I tried it out.

One other thing this does highlight is quite how irritating the PS3 browser’s constant confirmation pop ups are. To navigate straight to the Virgin Player requires you to confirm various actions SIX TIMES… Seeing as you can choose to enable Java in the browser settings why then do I have to confirm it over and over again? Time to sort that out Sony.

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