Does the Playstation have a marketplace like Xbox 360 does?

I recently decided to move my entire gaming activity away from the PC (and steam) to a console for many reasons, including my reluctance to constantly upgrade my PC. Since I already had an Xbox 360 laying around I figured that would do. After my first Xbox Marketplace game purchase I realized that only Norwegian content was available and Xbox Live won't give me any English content (Conversation with Xbox Customer Service here) I decided to scrap the Xbox and try the Playstation 3 instead.

Before I buy one though I'd like to confirm that it's possible to purchase and download games using some kind of marketplace service. If Xbox Marketplace sucks donkey balls and PlayStation 3 requires physical game disks I might just stick with the PC after all

Thanks for any info on the hopefully existent online PlayStation 3 game acquisition service

Followup questions if you cba:

• Can I install physical game disk games to the PS3 in order to play them without the disk?
• Does the PS3 have a service for backing up my game save files?

The PlayStation 3 (and Vita and PSP) utilizes the PlayStation Store, which is similar to the Xbox LIVE Marketplace: you can purchase games digitally and do all that stuff. It doesn't have as large of an indie gaming scene as Xbox LIVE as there is no XNA equivalent for PlayStation development.

Most, if not all, retail-purchased games will require the disc to play, but many games will install at least some of their assets onto the hard drive for performance reasons. How much they install depends on the game: there is no standardized system like Xbox has.

If you purchase a membership to PlayStation Plus (somewhat similar to Xbox LIVE Gold, except you don't need it to play multiplayer or use add-on services like Netflix: it's more of a value-add service), you get 150 MB of backup space. Some games support backing up to it automatically, but you can generally place any saves you want there manually if need be.

Yes, the Playstation Network does allow you to digitally purchase games.

No, you can't play a game that you installed off a disc without the disc in the drive.

Yes, you can back up your save files if you have a PN Plus subscription ($4/month or $50/year). It also gives you access to special discounts and some free games. Other Playstation Network features are free, including online multiplayer.