Jack Tretton, Sony Computer Entertainment America president and CEO, has told GamePro that he reckons the PlayStation Network will really start to come into its own in the very near future.

More pointedly, Tretton was asked at the recent Sony Gamer's Day event when the PlayStation Network will really kick into gear, to which he answered confidently: "Very, very soon, almost to the point of being overwhelming," before outlining that: "We have 41 games in development devoted to the Network, not just talking about PSone games being enabled."

"We're talking about games developed specifically for the PS3," Tretton explained. "I think because people are seeing the traction from the movies studios and what the trailers can do for them, there is going to be a lot for downloadable content in that area. So, really it will happen this fall...we'll get there well before the holiday timeframe."

Tretton added that by September the burgeoning online service would be at a point where the amount of content would be "really rich," and perfectly timed with the release of Home (Sony's The Sims/Second Life-alike gaming portal). Original downloadable content is one area where Sony can start to make ground on at least one of its next-gen rivals - the Nintendo Wii has just one non-Virtual Console title confirmed so far, and even that's a remake.

Watch this virtual space...