Watch TV. Earn Trophies.

Two weeks ago we discussed Japan’s new digital TV player and recorder, Torne. With the device’s launch coming in Japan in a few weeks, Famitsu have now published some more details about the snazzy piece of kit, with 1UP outlining a few of its features that gamers might find intriguing.

Labelling it a “full PlayStation product,” SCE’s Kiyoto Shibuya goes on to highlight the device’s “game-like features.”

Torne is fully PSP compatible, which is another way of saying you can use your PSP as a remote control. You can also transfer content downloaded via Torne onto your PSP for mobile TV enjoyment.  So far, so what? The big news, however, is that the hardware is also fully compatible with Sony’s trophy system. Kiyoto-san says:

“You can get trophies for things like watching final episodes from a lot of TV series, for example.”

Call us old fuddy-duddies but this is a terrible idea. The purity of the trophy universe is that – unless you’re a stinking cheater who downloads a save file in order to glean another player’s hard work – everyone’s trophy list is their own and based on their personal gaming exploits. Sure, there are some ridiculously easy trophies out there. In fact, earning a trophy for watching some anime is not a whole lot different than staring at the walls in Flower and getting the “Healthy Play” Bronze trinket. But there’s something inherently cheap about generic passive trophy acquisition – the process of simply earning trophies for just turning up.

This is just one opinion, of course. Do you think the prospect of unlocking trophies from marathon Doctor Who viewings is a great idea? Make your case below.