Home may completely replace the XMB

by Nick Doerr { Aug 9th 2007 at 4:30PM }

We've got a few more details on the upcoming release of Home for you today. They aren't the biggest announcements, but they're things that you're absolutely better off knowing. Some of them are disappointing, some of them are ambitious, but all of them deserve mentioning in a fancy bulleted list.

Home is currently capped at 60 people per room, for frame-rate issue reasons. If we can put in our two cents, we recommend a Phantasy Star Universe approach for the rooms -- players, you know what we mean.
Travel between zones is more straightforward than originally planned. You can run as well as walk, or just use the magical PSP interface to warp wherever you want.
Many organizations desire Home to completely replace the XMB. That is, when you boot up your PS3, you start off in your room in Home.
Work on Home will continue well into next year, so the product we get in October is in no way the final version of the program.

These are all ambitious claims and we're looking forward to seeing what even the incomplete build will be able to do. Then we can gauge how well the other points will work out. How do you all feel about Home perhaps someday replacing the XMB altogether? Would you prefer the option, at least, to start up into Home upon turning the PS3 on?

Tags: home, xmb

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

tw08 @ Aug 9th 2007 4:35PM

Do you not need to be online for Home to work? If so, how would this work if you no internet connection?

soulscreme @ Aug 9th 2007 4:35PM

I would prefer that they do this similar to the way they handled booting to XMB or disk. Just add a third option for booting to boot to XMB, disk, or Home. If they make it only Home I will like fill my PS3 with some type of deadly substance and throw it through the window of the person responsible.

Not really, but I'd be pretty pissed.

jtedesco33 @ Aug 9th 2007 4:36PM

Replacing the XMB is the biggest mistake they could ever make!

Andy @ Aug 9th 2007 4:38PM

I don't like the idea of replacing the XMB. I just have to those gentle silk waves.

Replacing hard drive today...YAY

shase @ Aug 9th 2007 4:38PM

well XMB is not big of a deal... i guess i am good as long as there's not much lagging when always use home for start... but then wouldnt that also mean everybody's required to register to use home? I don't think it will work....

Darkdrium777 @ Aug 9th 2007 4:42PM

I don't think, and I hope that Home wont replace the XMB.

bos6268 @ Aug 9th 2007 4:45PM

I just want home and the trophies because I love getin achievments

Psn id : bs6268d

Planning on buying warhawk

aschoen @ Aug 9th 2007 4:46PM

Don't replace the XMB with home, that would be retarded. They should give the option to boot into home though. I'm sure some people would like that.

Al @ Aug 9th 2007 4:47PM

Well I sure as heck don't want HOME taking up space on my hard drive. I mean how much space are we talking about here? 5 gigs? 10+ gigs? No thanks. XMB is working just fine for me.

Jak @ Aug 9th 2007 4:51PM

And i dont want to go connecting my PS3 to my internet every time i wanna play a game.

Neil @ Aug 9th 2007 4:53PM

I'm not sure I'd want to see how replacing XMB, but I wont knock it 'til I see what they have in mind. At the end of the day if its just an option then I'm ok with it.

Ian @ Aug 9th 2007 4:56PM

"Many organizations desire Home to completely replace the XMB."

Hmm, these "organisations" wouldn't be advertisers by any chance? We've already seen how Home is being adapted to serve those markets with custom spaces and so on, but the thought of any ads being rammed into my face everytime I boot up would drive me nuts.

Not to mention that a lot of the time I use my PS3 to watch films... Do I have to quit Home to do that?

This should be an option as others have said (e.g. boot: Default OS, Home, Other OS). If it's enforced I'm tearing Phil H a new one...

James @ Aug 9th 2007 4:59PM

I think aschoen has it right - give us the option but not require us to boot into Home and I'm good.

And there's nothing that says that your own Home has to be stored online - if you can access your "space" offline then it would be possible to get to Home without the Internet connection. It would kind of defeat the purpose though...

GRANTED @ Aug 9th 2007 5:00PM

my apartment/friends/life sucks so let me start a new one! in virtuality!

i think home is just weird, and kind of sad. am i really the only ps3 owner on here that plans to avoid this like the plague?

Jason B. @ Aug 9th 2007 5:01PM

Al, Home is only 500 MB.

Taylor B @ Aug 9th 2007 5:02PM

Given that there's several PS3 owners who bought it either as: A. A Blu-Ray player or B. Multimedia device. I think it would be extremely shortsighted of Sony to complicate those user's experience. Especially as they make up a significant portion of the PS3's early install base.

However, I think it would be a great idea to give users the option to boot up in Home (turned off by default). That way users who prefer that experience can do so while those who don't can willfully ignore it.

Additionally it would be wise for them to add a start up hotkey that will override the Home boot up option to put them in the XMB. (that way users who have the option turned on can manually override it by holding Triangle, for example, in the case they just want to watch a BD movie instead of game) Perhaps even an option that works the other way too, allowing a hotkey on startup to throw right into Home, (Up on directional pad?)

It's great to have options, but I think it would a mistake for Sony to assume the Home is a one size fits all service. There's a distinctive and likely significant number of their install base that are absolutely not interested. And to force them into such a service would surely diminish their experience!

importuner93 @ Aug 9th 2007 5:09PM

Noooooo not +the XMB! It was so young...

myarggg @ Aug 9th 2007 5:17PM

@1 Of course you need to be online. the whole idea of home is to interact online with other people in the "online community". Anyway there would be no way to download Home without being connected to the internet!

rawd @ Aug 9th 2007 5:24PM

Launching into Home would be pretty cool. It might get a little annoying after a while who knows. They should give users the option launch into either one.

AlanS17 @ Aug 9th 2007 5:38PM

Hey I'll take some virtuals ads in my face if it means I can play online for free.

I don't see Home being practical for every situation, but having it as an optional XMB replacement would be totally awesome. I'd at least give it a shot.

I could see it being a little lonely for anyone not online, though.

Mr Khan @ Aug 9th 2007 5:40PM

People, remember, this is "you don't own the music on that CD, you just own the privelege to play it" Sony. If it isn't all server-side-saved, i'll be surprised

But i think an option would be cool, starting from Home could be distracting, though, if you start with an intent to play a single player game and just wind up shooting the breeze for a while

you'd have to add a lot of buffer time to your play session if you chose that route

HektikLyfe @ Aug 9th 2007 5:59PM

Many organizations desire Home (advertising) to completely replace the XMB. That is, when you boot up your PS3, you start off (with ads everywhere) in your room in Home.

The program is called Insta-cash.

DaveC @ Aug 9th 2007 7:00PM

I don't want this to replace the XMB at all. The convenience factor outweighs anything Home can do. That said, I would still probably love the option to boot straight into Home.

gullum @ Aug 9th 2007 7:21PM

Where do they get these people? Replace the XMB? Are they kidding?

The XMB is one of the most intuitive and easy to use interfaces i have ever used. its so good that it works for the PSX, PSP and the PS3 and some high-end Bravias too!

Please Sony, don't ever get rid of the XMB! That is just the Xbox team trying to trick you!

Thomas @ Aug 9th 2007 7:23PM

That's a good idea, but make it an option. Its as simple as having a Initiate HOME on startup [yes or no] option. But I love the idea of starting off in your living room, that's a good way to get people to always be involved in home.

SolidsS @ Aug 9th 2007 7:29PM

you people must me on somthin right? gawd if you dont like home features then dont download it sony isnt shoving it down your throats people! get over your selves.

matt @ Aug 9th 2007 7:52PM

make it an option to boot into it.
Then, everybody's happy.

RalphMuchachio @ Aug 9th 2007 7:56PM

I'm for the XMB. Home might be fun for like a minute.

pinoyloco @ Aug 9th 2007 8:32PM

it'd be cool to have like a virtual ps3 to boot up games and a virtual blu-ray player to play videos...so i think it can replace the xmb

Bangbang... @ Aug 9th 2007 8:45PM

Lets hope home stays as far away from the xmb as possible.

Nick @ Aug 9th 2007 8:54PM

The XMB is easily a replaceable interface. It is simplistic and easy to use, which is great. But that also means it has no depth or personality. It's just an operating system interface.

I would say keep it for those that do not have an internet connection, and for those that do, give access to the XMB within the Home environment. As a previous poster stated, the best idea is to add a 3rd boot option for XMB, Game, Home.

omar @ Aug 9th 2007 9:44PM

i'd perfer if they replaced the xmb. its good for the psp but not so good on the ps3.

MYPS3KilledMy360 @ Aug 9th 2007 10:41PM

you dont need to be on the internet for home. you know when you go online with rainbow six and your avi is just standing in the room it must be like that with the psp xmb over it. im sure sony wouldnt give you something that much slower than the xmb i think most of the stress will not be on your PS3 the experience will be more like a dedicated server no lag at all. you will be able to walk in your room if your offline. Sony is trying to give you the best human machine interface in console history , even when your not playing you will still have a fun talking to real people with a more natural human to human interaction imagine MYSPACE 3D hopefully without the child molesters. i actually dont like the xmb for the fact that i have a lot of crap. i know there are groupings but running through 23 gigs of music 15 gigs of videos 2 gigs of pics there has to be an easier way to find stuff when you need it.Hopefuly home gets a search system where i just type in what i want and it gets it from my archive.

MYPS3KilledMy360 @ Aug 9th 2007 10:48PM

if you dont have the internet then i dont think you even have update 1.6. why are those people even worrying about this.Unless you download it to a USB drive from a friends house. how did you afford to get a PS3 but not the internet.

Eric @ Aug 10th 2007 1:51AM

I don't own a PS3 (yet), but the HOME component turns me off. I don't want to play The Sims to do a simple task like setting up an online game. Xbox LIVE does it better. At least give people to choose how they play.

zayenz+ps3fanboy @ Aug 10th 2007 2:33AM

XMB is stylish, the "virtual 3D world" thing is not.

I want my nice machine to feel like the "computer entertainment system" it is, not as a "video game console".

Note: I'm not dissing the idea of Home, just the idea of having it as the only interface.

russ @ Aug 10th 2007 7:32AM

in game messaging and cross-game invites, in game messaging and cross-game invites, in game messaging and cross-game invites, in game messaging and cross-game invites, in game messaging and cross-game invites, in game messaging and cross-game invites, in game messaging and cross-game invites, in game messaging and cross-game invites.

HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO SAY IT!?????

linkosuo @ Aug 10th 2007 9:38AM

Can somebody explain what "a Phantasy Star Universe approach for the rooms" means?

Grey @ Aug 10th 2007 9:55AM

IMO Home couldn't replace the XMB so many people would complain.

Mak @ Aug 10th 2007 3:44PM

Please don't replace XMB.

XMB is a stylish interface, to stylish kit. Many PS3 owners are not even gamers, who use it for Blu-Ray playback, media streaming and photo capabilities.

Can you imagine who pissed they would be, if it booted into home?

By all means give us the option to boot into home, please however let us also boot XMB and OtherOS.

I see the System Boot setting as being changed to:

XMB
Home
OtherOS

That would be ideal, everyone would be happy.