PlayStation tunes in to YouTube

User-generated content is on the rise in the world of gaming, and Sony wants to tap into it in a big way. One of the biggest PlayStation 3 releases this holiday season is Media Molecule's Little Big Planet, which allows players to create and share their own worlds. The latest PS3 firmware update (expected to go live today alongside the new PSP Store) is adding support for capturing in-game screenshots and videos, one of the more straightforward ways users can create and share their experiences with others.

Now Sony is embracing the poster child of user-generated content, YouTube. The popular video-sharing site--which has no content other than what's uploaded by its users--is now playing host to an official PlayStation channel. While the page currently features little more than a selection of game trailers, Sony's plans call for it to incorporate user-generated content and contests.

This is only the first of numerous YouTube channels Sony has planned. The PS3 maker will be introducing game-specific pages in the future, starting with a Little Big Planet channel that's launching in November. For an idea of just what can be created using Little Big Planet's suite of editing tools, read up on a recent Parsons the New School of Design competition, which challenged students to make levels for the game over a marathon 24-hour development session.