PlayStation Home will be patched today to version 1.04 in a "
first step" effort towards resolving various connection issues users have been experiencing. While this is a good thing, the
PlayStation.Blog also notes one side effect of this new patch: voice chat will be temporarily disabled. The removal of voice chat (for now) should alleviate the crushing bandwidth load on Sony's servers since the official "open beta" launch of the service.
The blog recommends "to make use of the Wireless Keypad for PLAYSTATION 3 or any USB or Bluetooth-enabled keyboard for text chat and also the "phone friend" features to communicate within PlayStation Home."
{ Dec 18th 2008 at 10:30AM } 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
DeforMAKulizer @ Dec 18th 2008 10:35AM
Hope they bring it back with better implementation and a surprise of some form! =D Maybe sharing videos or pictures... Hopefully they update the content in Home as well..
DeathroW @ Dec 18th 2008 10:36AM
Whats that i hear? The sales of the official chatpad shooting up?
JAH75157 @ Dec 18th 2008 10:47AM
lol i was just going to say this.
sony exec.: well darn our chat pad isn't selling well.... WHAT! people are using the mic to chat in home! well we'll fix that. mwwaaahahahahahaha
Hife @ Dec 18th 2008 2:05PM
Don't forget, they recently released the official Sony bluetooth headset too. I doubt this was a marketing ploy, probably had something to do with profanity along with the bandwidth.
j.howlett @ Dec 18th 2008 2:10PM
it said something about still being able to use the phone a friend feature.
sy the sigh @ Dec 18th 2008 10:36AM
Typical.. I was under the impression they had enough bandwidth and server power to cope with every PSN ID in the world at the same time...
magnuw @ Dec 18th 2008 10:38AM
It took 5 seconds to connect
Clubs is disabled too, but maybe only a day
RPGJock @ Dec 18th 2008 10:43AM
Oh noooze, I won't be able to hear the 16 yr droppng the F-bomb every few seconds. I don't get to hear the racial slurs and the sexual orientation bashing from the homophobic refuge that seem to pop when a person can be anonymous in an online environment. What to do, oh what to do...
osirus824 @ Dec 18th 2008 10:54AM
I feel your pain. Home just won't feel the same without all that. Thank God they can never remove the 16 year olds' ability to gang-bang unsuspecting "girls."
RPGJock @ Dec 18th 2008 11:13AM
And the Heaven forbid if you leave your Playstation Mii/Avatar sitting in public while you go do something...
The Aggie CEO @ Dec 18th 2008 11:22AM
yea I agree.......
Got tired of the dumb sons of bitches runing thru groups of people saying "Fuck You Fuck You Fuck You"
Jack Tretton @ Dec 18th 2008 11:54AM
Gee, I guess Sony fanboys had it wrong when they said only Xbox Live was populated by puerile, teenaged sh*theads.
hippe @ Dec 18th 2008 12:03PM
For all you that cant seem to get out of your shell and are scared of your mics, and you know who you are. All you guys that say the kids are cursing to much and you have kids in the room, i have a novel idea. Dont go on HOME. So you mean to tell me you dont play video games with questionable language. Please all you soft hearts. Go play mario cart super super happy world with your kids (mics disabled) and leave the big boy toys to big boys. oh and BTW you can disable mics in HOME also.
The Aggie CEO @ Dec 18th 2008 12:53PM
yea I agree.......
Got tired of the dumb sons of bitches runing thru groups of people saying "Fuck You Fuck You Fuck You"
RPGJock @ Dec 18th 2008 1:14PM
First, Hippe, that is a ironic name for a person who is bashing people who don't want annoyance from immature, intolerant people.
Second, no one said anything about kids in the room. Its about the respect (or fear of public opinion) you would show me if I was actually in the room vs in some virtual space. Half the people would never dare behave that way in public and the other have probably been in more altercations that it wouldn't surprise me if they had some sort of record.
Third, even if I do play games that has mature themes and content, what does that has to do with someone who is being disrespectful?? Saying rude nasty things to strangers does not mean you being mature. Its mean you are being ignorant and you lack any kind decent manners.
Roto13 @ Dec 18th 2008 2:44PM
@hippe: So you don't know the difference between playing a game with swears in it and being sworn at? Really?
So I guess it's totally ok for me to call you a retarded virgin fuckstain right here then? (Because you are.)
JoeTheBlow @ Dec 18th 2008 11:22AM
So one of Home's most innovative features (the location based sound relaying to all nearby) is apparently too much for the network?
I've been a Home defender, but this is godamn retarded.
Mr. Joe @ Dec 18th 2008 10:48AM
typing sucks. i'll wait for the voice chat to come back.
ScottishPrik @ Dec 18th 2008 10:52AM
Lol disabling chat with a patch to boost sale for the chatpad. Only with sony
ultimateidiot911 @ Dec 18th 2008 11:10AM
You can always use your PC keyboard, that's what I do. Besides sony has their own bluetooth headset.
Peter @ Dec 18th 2008 12:13PM
The bluetooth headset advertised in Home that can't be used in Home?
rgoff31 @ Dec 18th 2008 11:22AM
I guess all the crappy music is too much of a load for the servers. The cynical part of me says it's to sell keypads, and the very cynical part of me thinkgs the voice will return as a monthly premium option.
Jerses @ Dec 18th 2008 10:55AM
Thats not fixing a problem... they should disable the dumb twilight movie trailer and the emo song instead.you know...for the bandwidth.
i hate the comunication with text. No one seems to know how to conect a usb keyboard and they all type very slow with the sixaxis.
marauder800 @ Dec 18th 2008 12:28PM
Some of us don't want a full sized keyboard and cable in our living rooms. I'm also not going to buy the PS3 keypad. I wouldn't get enough use out of it to justify the bloated price tag. Its voice chat or nothing for me, so I'll wait for PS3fanboy to tell me voice chat is back up before going Home again.
Rodney @ Dec 18th 2008 10:58AM
i'm about to load it up right now!!!
Joe @ Dec 18th 2008 11:06AM
All the unlocks from the Namco Arcade have disappeared! >:(
pat1202003 @ Dec 18th 2008 11:11AM
You got to be joking! I work my butt off to get those.
ultimateidiot911 @ Dec 18th 2008 11:11AM
All my namco and home unlocks through arcades have disappeared too.
ThePlake0815 @ Dec 18th 2008 11:23AM
What?!?!?!? i don't hope that my Icebreaker jeans disappeared... took me almost ages to get it!!!
Kid Chemical @ Dec 18th 2008 12:23PM
Just load the Namco beta program, then exit it.
Go into Home and the items will be returned.
John Giotta @ Dec 18th 2008 11:13AM
I hate the voice chat. Random people can just yell obscenities without them being identified. The last time I went to Home, I had some jerk(s) yell vulgar things which in-turn is broadcasted into my living room. I have children.
Peter @ Dec 18th 2008 12:17PM
Wear a headset? Then the chat goes through the headset.
xFenixKnightx @ Dec 18th 2008 11:17AM
Theres voice chat on PS3?
:P
xFenixKnightx @ Dec 18th 2008 12:03PM
Don't be fooled by the ":P" on my post. This is a legitimate question guys!
:P
Vcize @ Dec 18th 2008 12:08PM
Heh, I spent around an hour in Home and only heard one person talk with their mic.
It can't have been using that much bandwidth...
Popfrogs @ Dec 18th 2008 12:48PM
Joystiq says "I miss you FenixKnight".
Invisible Robot Meat @ Dec 18th 2008 11:24AM
Not only are all my unlocked clothes gone now, but I have to re-download all the damn spaces! I have a slow internet connection and home worked just fine for me before. This is very discouraging. I'm not bothering with this again until they figure out what they are doing. Why bother unlocking and downloading stuff if they will just delete it next time they release a patch??
Jesse @ Dec 19th 2008 3:00AM
Let me say this nice and slow so you get it.
Its.... a.... BETA.
Would you like some cheese? You know, for your whine?
HAAS599 @ Dec 18th 2008 11:30AM
No problem here, I prefer typing in crowded areas anyway and only voice chat at the apartment or through phone calls.
NipGrip @ Dec 18th 2008 11:56AM
Eventually, they will have to pull bowling, the arcades, your living spaces, everything until we are all just relegated to the main commons area, noone able to communicate, just walking around. Oh and doing the robot of course.
NipGrip @ Dec 18th 2008 12:53PM
And it's true.
They've taken away my Echochrome outfit, my Icebreaker outfit items, and all NAMCO related items I unlocked which was everything possible; clothes, arcade units, and the table top 4 in one unit. Seems Sony is slapping hands for meddling with outside territory stuff perhaps?
Honestly, this stuff is getting old, Sony releasing half baked crap. Between HOME, LBP, and SOCOM.. My PS3 is really nothing much more than a media device at this point.
Tim Parsons @ Dec 18th 2008 2:38PM
Must just be you , I still have that stuff
xxtrekar2kxx @ Dec 18th 2008 12:25PM
***FOR ALL THOSE HATING ON VOICE CHAT***
1.) If it was that bad there is a "Mute" you know.
2.) Voice Chat needs the following to appease community:
a. Voice Chat be off by default
b. allow user choice to let anyone voice chat with him/her.
c. allow user choice to let only people on friends list to voice chat with him/her.
d. allow user ability to report any violation of T.O.S. 3 strikes & login disabled for period of time.
3.) Listening to your favorite legally purchased songs with others should be encouraged (ex. Virtual Sony boombox)
In reality you can go to a park and enjoy listening to someone playing music the same should be in Home.
This is one of the more popular forms of social interaction.
Finally in my opinion for Home to truly set itself apart and break new ground
it should be about "Self-Expression" in my home i pick who I let in what Picture I want to display. The music I want to hear.
The Video I choose to see with whomever I want.
If not then why bother calling itself "HOME".
Neal @ Dec 18th 2008 12:26PM
I use voice chat almost exclusively in Home. And no....I'm not yelling swears or racial slurs. I just find it quicker/easier to communicate. Guess I'll just have to wait for the fix.
Brandon @ Dec 18th 2008 12:27PM
Wow, some of you are the most impatient and short sighted people ever.
Mattchewie @ Dec 18th 2008 12:28PM
The only issue I had with the voice chat was it always seemed ungodly loud in retrospect to the voice chatters position.
Tim Parsons @ Dec 18th 2008 2:23PM
The blog recommends "to make use of the Wireless Keypad for PLAYSTATION 3 or any USB or Bluetooth-enabled keyboard for text chat and also the "phone friend" features to communicate within PlayStation Home."
WOW what an Ad campaign for the PS3 Keypad (killing 2 stones at once) , Mind you I have it and let me say it's well worth the Price!
mike @ Dec 18th 2008 4:12PM
I have a Jarba headset and can hear other people but I cannot talk to them....headset works on testing it with the ps3...in the settings menu.On home I hear everbody but they cannot hear me.Any suggestions?
bukster @ Dec 18th 2008 4:18PM
Wow! I guess you guys are getting what you pay for. I'll still gladly pay my 50 bucks a year for Live to avoid these problems.
But I feel that many of you have lost sight of one thing, this is a BETA.
youbettergosomewherewiththatshit @ Dec 18th 2008 6:05PM
HAHAHAHAH live?!?
Anyways on a serious note. I hate all the stupid minors who all of a sudden turned 18 when HOME came out . They are immature to the point that it makes me embarrassed to even show off Home to my wife and kids . It's bull$hit . Guys it's a place to hang out and be social . QUIT YOUR SHIT !