Newsweeks' N'Gai Croal has a fascinating interview up with David Jaffe about Sony's version of Xbox Live Arcade, called (oh, so poetically), e-Distribution Initiative or eDI.

In it Jaffe talks about how he now wants to concentrate on making pop songs (small downloadable games for the service) instead of operas (Twisted Metal and God of War). While he also talks about his most recent game Criminal Crackdown for the PS3, the most interesting and intriguing bits of the interview are where he starts to talk about what he feels are the differences between the Xbox 360's Live Arcade and the PS3's eDI.

I would say that there are pop songs by Ashlee Simpson and pop songs by the Beatles. My goal is to write pop songs like the Beatles, not like Ashlee Simpson. If you want Ashlee Simpson pop songs, go to Xbox Live Arcade. Actually, they're the oldies station, because all you're getting is Scramble and Pac-Man.

Most suprising is just how into these smaller games Jaffe is. When asked if he would go back to making operas like God of War or Twisted Metal, Jaffe says no, unless someone made him.

One day, I may have no choice. Phil [Harrison, president of Sony Worldwide Studios] is a really big believer in this service. It's not just a place to put shovelware. It's our version of HBO original programming. Not everything is suited to a 50-megabyte Blu-Ray disc. It doesn't mean those games don't deserve a platform. This is probably the first time since the arcade days that games of this type have had a viable home. So far, Sony seems really supportive of me staying in this space.

I don't completly agree with Jaffe's assessment of Live Arcade, though recently it has been getting flooded with retros and ports. This is why I love competition. If Sony really is trying to turn their eDI into the next HBO, then Microsoft is going to have to up their game to stay competitive and it's the gamers who win. Brian Crecente

The Artist's Way: Sgt. Jaffe's Lonely Hearts Club Band [Newsweek]