Branson plots 'iTunes for games'

Pay, download and play is name of the game for Virgin

Virgin Games is attempting to become the gaming equivalent of iTunes, the hugely popular online music shop.

The company, together with Game Domain International, is to set up a site called A World Of My Own, which will offer tgamers the chance to purchase the latest games and download them immediately.

Similar sites exist for films, but no-one has yet been able to successfully offer games downloads. Part of the reason for this is the huge file sizes of modern games, which would lead to unacceptably lengthy downloads for most people.

Virgin said it would get round this using new streaming technology so gamers can start to play shortly after beginning the download, with more of the game being downloaded later.

"This is a really exciting development for us, as it gives us the opportunity to do for PC games what iTunes has done for music," said Richard Branson, owner of the Virgin Group.

The first games are scheduled to become available in the next few months.