More details on PlayStation HOME... lots more
by Nick Doerr 
{ Mar 8th 2007 at 12:30PM }
- "Is the first of its kind on a computer entertainment console
- A unique blend of community, user-generated content, collaboration and commerce that is the future of computer entertainment.
- Will broaden the online community market in the same way that the PlayStation brand has broadened the gaming market
- Will take the mystery and the geekiness out of online interaction, and make it as easy as text messaging or picking up the phone
- Is inclusive and welcoming, not exclusive and daunting like current offerings
- Is the gateway and start point for a whole raft of future PlayStation Network services"
"Not exclusive and daunting like current offerings"? What? Maybe the codes needed to make friends on the Wii, but XBox Live hasn't really been described as exclusive or daunting. Whatever. There's a lot more to be read on this subject... so please, click the continued link and prepare to read about HOME.
- "It allows PS3 users to interact, communicate, join online games, shop, share private content and even build and show off their own personal spaces to others in real time."
- It's a free download!
- Launched directly from the XMB
- Customizing your personal "homespace" will indeed cost money from the PS-Store... but they aren't forcing you to get anything.
- Global!
- Closed beta this spring, probably released later on... like... fall?
- Multiple language support
Also listed were some key aspects of many different parts of the HOME system. These include:
- HOME Space
- Design and build your own apartment, house or even neighbourhood.
- Purchase new landscapes, apartments and furniture
- World
- Purchase new clothing sets, pets and accessories for your character
- Purchase functional items to add value to your private Home experience
- Leave your mark on the world with premium player-created content tools.
- Entertainment
- Share photos, movies and music from your PS3 HDD with friends in your personal space.
- Gaming
- Meeting game-specific lobbies to discuss games, get new content or team up for online gameplay
- Lobbies
- Individual lobbies created by first and third parties allow for consumer interaction, commerce
Why is this not a rip-off of XBL and even... why it is superior? "Home is a first of its kind 3D community that allows for open interaction between consumers, SCE and third party partners. It is a truly interactive, global community of users. Xbox Live is a static, 2D, text-heavy environment that can't match the rich community features found in Home. Xbox Live community interaction is much more passive and limited to the members on that friend's list."
Phew! Goodness gracious! That was a lot more information than I initially thought I was getting into. Anyway, feel free to check out the complete breakdown on ThreeSpeech. We've got to take a break and take some advil... our typing fingers hurt.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Frosty @ Mar 8th 2007 12:40PM
As a Xbox 360 owner, I have to say this sounds pretty sweet. Well done, Sony. You finally came up with something I am interested in!
Eric @ Mar 8th 2007 12:40PM
Exclusive and daunting is probably a reference to Second Life, not live. SL is not exactly user-friendly
san @ Mar 8th 2007 12:57PM
exclusive = XBL, full membership and interactivity requires subscription fee
daunting = Wii codes, as you implied
This is truly novel. It certainly suits the Japanese and Asian in general (think S. Korea) sort of gaming as community paradigm over the EU, Canadian and especially American paradigm familiar from XBL (i.e., XBL is a low-level messaging system, a content sales and distribution system, and a relatively oblique matchmaking service for online-enabled games).
I think it's superior in execution and fully realized concept to Wii's online capabilities, which are as yet incomplete, and vastly superior to XBL in both concept and philosophy. For example, you have the opportunity to meet and interact with other players online before you decide if they fit with your style of online playing. Whether it will superiorily peform in the American market remains to be seen, even at no cost for all to participate. It actually may serve to greater divide 360 online players and PS3 players, as it seems more likely to attract a certain kind of crowd, one I find favorable, but that a lot of XBL player will find not competitive enough or too casual and, well, fun. It's a set-up for the XBL player to call goofy or silly. It will force everyone, like Wii to some degree, to admit that these are indeed *entertainments* and *recreation*, not professional athletics, careers or life-and-death matters.
Delive @ Mar 8th 2007 1:04PM
I like it, but is it "Cookie Cutter"? If a 7'1" man (325 lbs) and a 5'8" man (325 lbs) both made avitars, will you be able to make them resemble their real life "Frames"?
L @ Mar 8th 2007 1:17PM
sounds to me like nothing more than a MMORPG :S any other system could do this very easy
sony can,t make a Good UI so they have put it into a game well done ^_^
Jiffylush @ Mar 8th 2007 1:36PM
Am I the only PS3 owner who doesn't think that 'Home' is the bees knees?
Looks interesting but this isn't the 2nd coming or anything (or first coming for my jewish friends).
Little Big Planet on the other hand is a very interesting little game, but still probably a long way away.
The most important things that I wanted them to work on are:
1 - games
2 - dvd upconverting
3 - network media playback (playing video/music/photos over ethernet so I don't have to reinvent the sneakernet at home)
Anything else should be after those (for me).
I think they should be making it do things we expect it to do before doing things we don't even know if we want.
Jiffylush @ Mar 8th 2007 1:39PM
#5 All the people standing around talking and dancing reminds me of hanging out outside the bank in ironforge. At least I had a compelling reason to talk to the people there.
I think there just might be a lot of "come to my apartment and see pictures of me naked" followed by newsreports about the dangers of the PS3.
Matt @ Mar 8th 2007 1:48PM
Yeah, I'm a 360 Fanboy, but this is pretty cool. I'm interested. However, I don't mean this in a negative way, but Sony still has to sell a lot of systems and get a lot of people on this "Home" to make it a success. As far as XBL being inferior, I don't necessarily agree with that. I mean, 6 million users and growing. We have to remember what Xbox Live is at it's heart. It's an online gaming Service. I'm pretty sure most of those 6 million users are paying $49 a month so we can play games online.
Matt @ Mar 8th 2007 1:52PM
Sorry, don't rip on my bad grammar. Should be "...its heart."
tom @ Mar 8th 2007 2:18PM
Matt> $50 a YEAR, not month (A lot less if you look for deals)
This whole concept is interesting, but it's still not tacking the major problem with the PS3 online compared to Live. Having a unified, cohesive and simple method for tracking friends, games, messages and invites at all times in all games and all modes of operation for the box. I'll reserve judgment until I use the service, but for now it's seeming very gimmicky, yet still very cool.
Alistair @ Mar 8th 2007 2:40PM
I feel that this a step i nthe right direction for sony. They have been pushing the whole hardrive. So good for them..
Ciaran Gallagher @ Mar 8th 2007 4:07PM
It does look very very good... I've tried them all: Everquest, There, Second Life, WOW etc... and there all awful. This looks much much better.
Doc Adams @ Mar 8th 2007 5:59PM
Anyone whos heard one of my little ditties knows I'm no fanboy of the PS3... but this is different. I don't mean the concept of Home, but Sony's newfound ability to improve on an idea that wasn't theirs to begin with.
Finally they've taken something someone else came up with (XBL, Mii, Second Life) and... apparently... improved on it. It should be interesting to watch this develop... although I can't help but wonder, with PS3 being such an open platform, how long it will take for the attack of the flying purple Phallus' (SL) or some other annoying stupidity to find its way into this "new" world.
I still don't like Sony... but I have to admit.... This is neat..... at first glance.
bootsielon @ Mar 8th 2007 8:30PM
Matt,
There's no way 6 million users have a Gold account. They have a LIVE account, which could mean either Silver or Gold. I bet it's half and half, or slightly more gold accounts (given Gears of War came out).
Anyway, I do consider this service superior to XBL, since it's free, and it has either something comparable to what XBL has (Media downloads), or superior (Interface, trophees, vast movie library). The only problem here is that it's not out yet, so XBL has that advantage: it's here right now. Like the games... PS3 will have a lot of games, and many of genres that either Xbox 360 doesn't have available or in development, or that won't have a massive amount of (such as Japanese RPGs).
aragorn @ Mar 8th 2007 9:22PM
bootsielon: The xbox live service it's self is pretty... bare bones... but the one reason that it's much better than the ps3 service (please note: I did not say "PS3 SUXOR!") is that... there is just so many more online enabled xbox and 360 games out there, and pretty much one for every kinda of player... even if your thing isn't halo and gears of war (WORMS!!!)
LOLHAXORLMFAOROTFLMFAOKMFAYMFCS!!!!!1111ONEONEONEONE
sam-evans @ Mar 9th 2007 2:13AM
@17
That is a pretty solid point you have there home isn't the most practical thing, the home feature imo looks pretty cool, but I do agree with you that there should be a No B.S. version for people who cant be bothered with home or who want do get into a game quick, and I'm sure there will be one, however what I think will be more practical is how not everything is not text based, so you see people and instead of a series of clicks, you just walk somewhere and sit down on a couch.
I however welcome the idea and think it looks pretty cool. I wonder if the big N or M$ will do anything similar to home...
maverick_saturn_626 @ Mar 9th 2007 6:39AM
Unpractical as it may be, I think the comment of people being nerds by messing about in a virtual world form a 360 fan is like a person wearing thick glasses and pants up to his chest and pocket protectors telling me that I am more a nerd then him. I don't think you can compare a programme that you walk about freely and talk to people more nerdy then that of trying to have a higher gamerscore then your nerd of a mate, so therefore buying all 360 games in existance to looker like the cooler nerd.
I still think 360 hardcore live fans are the nerdiest, call this nerdy or not, does playing WOW, FF11 or www.habbohotel.com make you a nerd? I think you iddiots should go and check @nerd@ in the dictionary before throwing it around like as if you have something decent to say. You say noone gets laid, but you're saying that because you haven't and you're ashamed?
bootsielon @ Mar 9th 2007 7:29AM
Unpractical? If you saw the demo, you can actually "relocate" on the virtual world. You don't need to live there, but you *can*. If you want to see trophees, you just go to the hall of fame. That takes as much time as seeing which game has which achievement on XBL. The only thing it doesn't have is the gamerscore, which Sony should implement.