Sony’s U.S. video game division has launched a blog, a new public relations strategy that gives all of its employees the power to talk to gamers directly.

The new effort follows a string of PR missteps such as an astroturf scandal late last year stemming from a Web site purportedly made by two guys pumped up about Sony’s PSP handheld gaming device. Gamers quickly discovered the truth: the site was created by a marketing agency with a misguided sense of cool to promote the PSP ahead of the holidays. The company also caught some heat around the appearance last year of ThreeSpeech, a “semi-official” Web site that turned out to be backed financially by Sony Computer Entertainment UK.

Blogging has been an important part of Microsoft’s strategy to relay information about its Xbox 360 console and online service, with employees running popular sites such as Major Nelson, Ozymandias and Gamerscoreblog.

Sony’s new effort is no mere toe in the water. Dave Karraker, head of Sony Computer Entertainment’s U.S. PR team, said the company spent 6 months getting the format right and then sent out a company-wide memo encouraging all employees — from hardware engineers to game testers — to post material, which will of course be reviewed to make sure corporate secrets are not exposed.

Karraker: “The main thinking about it is to get closer to the gamer and to provide them with information and content directly from the company so they don’t have to wonder about speculative reports. It’s a must-have in terms of communicating with the gaming world. This is where everyone’s getting their information.”

In a further sign of openness, Sony is also allowing comments, though they will be checked for offensive language. Sony bloggers are encouraged to respond to the reader remarks, Karraker said.

Judging from the 290 responses posted so far to the introductory entry, Sony is making good on the idea of open dialogue. Most commenters praised Sony for finally blogging, but some took the opportunity to complain about the PS3’s high price or relative lack of must-have games.