Central Station (also known as Network Gaming Service) was an online service operated by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe in PAL regions for the PlayStation 2.
The service allowed users to have friend lists, view new game releases, read the latest PlayStation-related news, enter events, and play Central Station-integrated online games for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable consoles. The service acted as a Sony official alternative to middleware like GameSpy but with extra features similar to Xbox Live or PlayStation Network.[1] The Central Station portal could be accessed via a Network Access Disc which would be used to set up an internet connection.
Central Station was superseded by the worldwide PlayStation Network upon release of the PlayStation 3.