AfterDawn: News

PlayStation Home coming before end of 2008

Sony America has announced that the much delayed PlayStation Home online social service will in fact launch before the end of the year, although as a beta and not a final release.

There was no specific date set or how many beta users will be allowed to test out Home but it appears that the service will come as part of a new firmware upgrade.



At the beginning of the year, Sony promised Home would be available by the fall, after promising before that it would be ready by the spring.

Electronista explains that Home "will allow users from around the world to interact with each other and set up uniquely furnished apartments, virtual stores that can earn them virtual credits and play casual games. Users will be able to spend real money in the virtual world as well by shopping for games and products. Home also promises to double as an online interface for Sony's TV and movie offerings."

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 9 Dec 2008 23:16

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• 15 comments

• Run4two

  Sony has been load testing for awhile now. Many, many, people have beta accounts. Including me. Most of us say that it has not lived up to expectations and wears off quickly. There is potential. It's just disappointing that it isn't more after sooooooooo long.

  9.12.2008 23:53 #1

• Vr0cK

  Home does wear off quickly however Sony is still working on some cool features that are to be released afterwards...so i've read lol. But oh wells its free! Cant complain to free stuff :P Glad everyone will be able to experience home soon.

  10.12.2008 00:52 #2

• rainofire

  It will be available to everyone, as in it will be downloadable on the PSN store and becomes part of the XMB. I have been in the beta since may of 2007. I have seen great improvement in HOME recently. And yes, everyone that was invite to the closed beta from september to now are all Load testers. Everyone that is in the beta, there is a stress test that I have start since August, I would like for you to participate in this.
  
  Also questions that ask too much detail of HOME will not be answered, since it is part of the NDA.

  10.12.2008 06:50 #3

• emugamer

  Definitely wears off pretty quickly. I like the concept though. I've been on this past beta, but haven't signed on in a week. I'll go on tonight and check out some more stuff. It got boring when none of the stores had items. I hopped on a couple of arcades, but that became boring too, especially waiting for one to become available. Bowling was OK. It would be cool if more could be done in ones own apartment (there probably will be....it just doesn't seem to be in the beta). I would like better character customization. Body type is severely lacking. You're either rail thin, or have a huge gut. Apparantley, fat people only grow in the mid-section in the Home world.
  
  What I would want Home to eventually evolve into...
  
  1.More of a world to explore. If the avatars could walk, run and jump in different ways.
  
  2.If there was character movement like LBP - I wouldn't mind a slapfest once in a while.
  
  3.Here's hoping - some games will allow you to import your Home avatar. And you get clothing from the game. Soul Calibur or Street Fighter...lol. I want to take on Ryu! One can only dream of the future of gaming.
  
  Glad it's free and I'm glad it's coming for everyone. I'm the only one out of my friends who got an invite this time around :(

  10.12.2008 08:17 #4

• Oner

  Actually PS HOME will be available tomorrow 12/11/2008 ~ http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/12/1...nches-tomorrow/
  
  There will be more "stuff" available on a consistent basis from here on out. If you go to the Japanese HOME you will see they have some cool/better stuff than the other 2 areas (US/EU) with a true Namco Arcade, a Gran Turismo area along with an expanded/different courtyard. Plus there have been/are dev areas for Uncharted & FarCry with more to come. It looks to be they where just holding out on all the "good stuff" for release.
  
  Here is one good video example of what is available for free
  
  http://www.viddler.com/explore/sceablog/videos/204/
  

  
  
  Search > http://forums.afterdawn.com/search
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  Important Rule > http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/380660

  10.12.2008 08:51 #5

• muccione

  This is from playstation blog
  
  PlayStation Home Open Beta Launches Tomorrow
  
  Posted: 10 Dec 2008 02:32 AM CST
  
  
  
  The day we’ve been waiting for is here! And this is just the beginning…
  
  Today we announced that PlayStation Home will enter into open beta, and will be available to everyone tomorrow. This milestone represents the very beginning of a long journey together, as PlayStation Home is an ever evolving, always changing, organic experience — full of new friends to meet, new events to enjoy, and new content to explore.
  
  
  
  If this will be your first time in PlayStation Home, be sure to talk to folks that have been around for a while, as they can show you the ropes. We also have a tutorial built in that will get you started with the controls, as well as help menus for you to reference in the Menu Pad. If you don’t have a USB keyboard or Bluetooth headset paired with your PlayStation 3, now is the time to do so – either option will allow you to easily talk and meet everyone.
  
  One of the first things that you’ll notice that there are always things going on – parties, tournaments, events – some of which will be announced, and some of which that will just happen. You’ve got to be there to be a part of the party, so make sure to log in often to see what is going on.
  
  If you want to know what’s coming up, check out the PlayStation Home forums, as we will be announcing events, tournaments, content updates, and feature revisions there, and by actively participating, you will be the first to know. You’ll also find that the PlayStation Home forums are alive with conversation from the PlayStation Home community discussing everything from feature requests to new clubs to join.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Many of you will have already seen the news regarding participation in PlayStation Home from your favorite game publishers and brands, including Activision, Disney, Eidos, Electronic Arts, Lucas Arts, THQ and UBISOFT as well as Sony Pictures, Paramount, Red Bull, Ligne Roset, and Diesel. As you can imagine, with this many partners already on board, PlayStation Home will grow rapidly, so you’ll need to check back often to see what is new. We’ll do our best to keep you informed on what is going on, but with so much happening in PlayStation Home, there will always be new surprises and secrets to discover. If we simply told you about everything, then it just wouldn’t be as fun for you to discover…
  
  
  
  For those of you that have been in PlayStation Home for a while, I wanted to take a moment to discuss something very cool that you will notice right away. Once you get in, you’ll see that a redesigned Central Plaza is there to greet you - we’ve made major upgrades as a result of your community feedback. Thank you!
  
  First of all, the Central Plaza now features a new 4 player mini-game called “Saucer Pop,” where each player launches a flying saucer from a take-off pad and flies around popping bubbles. These bubbles contain stars that have points attached, but watch out for the bubbles with bombs which will take you out if you’re not careful. You also must keep an eye on your saucer’s fuel gauge and collect bubbles with fuel cells or else you will quickly meet a watery fate. Success is all about the high scores, so good luck out there! I’ve been playing for a while now while we’ve been developing the game, so I’m getting pretty good…for those of you that know me, prepare to pop!
  
  Secondly, you will also see some changes to Listen@Home. Now, you’ll be able to select from a number of songs and vote on your favorites. Which ever song gets the most votes plays for everyone, so be sure to get your voice heard and get down on the dance floor.
  
  I could go on and on about all the cool new things you are going see and find in PlayStation Home, both on day one of open beta and beyond. The important thing to remember is that PlayStation Home will continue to evolve and change overtime, so be sure to get in often so you don’t miss out…
  
  See you in PlayStation Home.

  10.12.2008 12:37 #6

• spydah

  Since I been in beta I think it's great. I don't see where the drop off is for some but we all have our opinions. The dancing area has been the best part for me. It's funny when everybody rushes over and forms a train or is battle dancing. Kinda reminds me of bust a groove with out a character specific dance style. Once all the features are added. I think Home will set it's self apart from the experience. I know will compare it to a sims like world but the Sim's is just a game and not a vitual real world.

  10.12.2008 12:42 #7

• maxikaz

  it's a good news
  

  
  

  10.12.2008 14:08 #8

• kikzm33z

  I almost lost complete interest in Home since I didn't get picked for Beta but now I'm happy again :)

  10.12.2008 16:13 #9

• canuckerz

  Originally posted by Run4two: Sony has been load testing for awhile now. Many, many, people have beta accounts. Including me. Most of us say that it has not lived up to expectations and wears off quickly. There is potential. It's just disappointing that it isn't more after sooooooooo long.Its just a beta, and not a game; but and the basic features work very smoothly. This is the first build of home, you cant expect it to have all the features, if it did it wouldn't be a beta anymore would it?

  10.12.2008 17:23 #10

• kyo28

  I've been testing Home for some time and it lives up to my expectations. Of course, this is still the 'bare' version: setting the framework but as time goes on, content will be added like game trailers, movie trailers but more interestingly virtual events (anyone up for a virtual Tokyo Game Show) ...
  
  The important thing is to build a solid framework and from thereon, continuously add additional content.

  12.12.2008 03:28 #11

• Spectat0r

  Must be something like second life...
  :P
  
  Anyway, I hope it's good, it SHOULD be good after delaying it so long

  17.12.2008 04:01 #12

• kikzm33z

  Originally posted by Spectat0r: Must be something like second life...
  :P
  
  Anyway, I hope it's good, it SHOULD be good after delaying it so longThe majority of PS3 owners that downloaded Home says it's crap. Including me. But I can't really complain, since it's in Beta.
  

  
  http://www.vgchartz.com/forum/thread.php?id=53150&page=1 << Funny thread saying how nice the 360 fan boys are (ROFL)

  17.12.2008 12:06 #13

• Oner

  When free spaces & free games open up like the Red Bull & Namco areas people will understand what Home is about and capable of offering.
  

  
  
  Search > http://forums.afterdawn.com/search
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  Important Rule > http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/380660

  17.12.2008 12:44 #14

• Spectat0r

  Originally posted by Oner: When free spaces & free games open up like the Red Bull & Namco areas people will understand what Home is about and capable of offering.Yeah i hope so,
  can't wait to get my network up and running... again (*sigh)

  17.12.2008 15:43 #15