It's arguably a fairly obvious prediction, but as it's one coming from a man who should know – Sony UK's managing director Ray Maguire – it's certainly a more informed prediction than most. And given the company he works for, it's a timescale PSP owners may be interested to hear about.

Speaking at an ELSPA press conference with Dr Tanya Byron (the specialist behind the much-talked-about Byron Report which advised the government on issues relating to children and video games and the internet), Maguire made his prediction while discussing the new decision to make BBFC ratings the 'consumer facing element' on all boxed games.

"While games are recorded media and we have something on a packet, the recommendations in the Byron Review are okay," he said.

"But ten years from now the ratio of games sales will have gone from 90 per cent in-store to 90 per cent online. Therefore, we have a situation that if you're a retailer, you're currently responsible for the goods that come through your chain. But that's not true with ISPs in the future."

Whether he's talking purely downloadable games or also about online retailers such as Amazon is not entirely clear. We'd argue that credit card checks and parental controls should be enough to keep 18 rated games off the PSPs of minors even if they are available to buy via download, surely?

That said, we can clearly see the point that the proposed BBFC ratings approach would have less impact if not displayed on the front of a game box.

Expect the Byron Report part 2 in ten years' time, then, no doubt timed to coincide with the problem of under-age kids distributing digital copies of Manhunt 4 around the (virtual?) playground.