Author Topic: PLAYSTATION® HOME (Read 18638 times)

TheApprentice · « **on:** December 10, 2008, 05:04:41 AM »

Yes folks, the anticipated, delayed social network is on the eve of public/open beta.
December 11th is the day home will be available to everyone.

Since Home can be considered a platform of its own, this thread will be the host of all comments and discussions regarding the service.

Press Release is as follows:

Quote

PLAYSTATION®HOME BETA SERVICE WILL BECOME AVAILABLE TO ALL PLAYSTATION®3 USERS ON DECEMBER 11
Highly Anticipated Service Open For All PLAYSTATION 3 Users

Tokyo, Foster City, London, December 10, 2008 – Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) today announced that its highly anticipated PlayStation®Home Beta service for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) will become available for all PS3 users around the world *1 on December 11, 2008. Following the successful completion of the closed beta service, PlayStation Home’s open beta service will continue to evolve with new features and functionality.

PlayStation Home is a ground-breaking 3D social gaming community available on PS3 that allows users to interact, communicate and share gaming experiences. By leveraging the power of PS3, PlayStation Home delivers overwhelming visual graphics and rich gaming social experiences only possible on the PS3 platform. Within PlayStation Home, users can create and customize their own unique avatars and explore the virtual community in real time where they can communicate freely through text or voice chat. PlayStation Home users will not only be able to enjoy variety of entertainment content such as mini-games, videos and special events along with their friends, but will also be able to create their own community by using the “Club*2” feature to create clubs with other PlayStation Home users who share the same interests. PlayStation Home also allows groups of users to launch directly into their favourite online games together from PlayStation Home.

PlayStation Home, available as a free download*3 starting December 11, will launch directly from the PlayStation Home icon on the PlayStation®Network column of XMB™ (XrossMediaBar) on PS3. Users will be able to experience basic features and services of PlayStation Home, free of charge*4. PlayStation Home will allow open interaction among users, business partners, Kotaku press releases and SCE, and will evolve with additional features including dedicated game spaces, special events and exclusive themed items, to further enrich the entertainment experience on the PS3 platform.

“PlayStation Home is truly a promising network community service on the PlayStation platform, made possible with the powerful combination of PS3's overwhelming computational power and PlayStation Network that covers many countries around the globe,” said Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO, SCE. “We are committed to providing PS3 users with exciting gaming experiences with PlayStation Home and together with our partners and users, expand the new world of interactive entertainment as we move forward.”

For users accessing PlayStation Home in the Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) regions, themed virtual environments will be available to explore. Starting with a themed Far Cry 2 space, PlayStation Home will offer game inspired environments that allow people to discuss the specific games, plan strategies and access content and clues that will enhance the gaming experience. The number of gaming environments such as this will regularly increase, with spaces for Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune™, Warhawk™, Motorstorm and SOCOM following very soon. SCEE is working with leading publishers such as: Electronic Arts, UBISOFT, Midway, Sega and Atari to create engaging environments that will provide users with an on-going gaming experience.

“We are very excited to be bringing PlayStation Home to Europe and the PAL territories, offering users an interactive, social, gaming experience,” said Daniel Hill, Home Service Manager, SCEE. “PlayStation Home is unique to anything else in the gaming world and by partnering with both global and regional gaming and non-gaming brands, we are able to offer exciting and entertaining content that will enhance the PlayStation experience.”

SCEE today also announced the first partnerships with some of the world’s most respected lifestyle brands for the Open Beta. Fashion leader Diesel, contemporary furniture designers Ligne Roset, energy drink Red Bull, film studio Paramount Pictures and video content providers Hexus TV and Eurogamer are the first on board. They will offer resident’s virtual clothing for their avatar, virtual furniture for their PlayStation Home apartments, exclusive video content and a virtual flying challenge: the Red Bull Air Race.

Visitors and residents will be able to explore PlayStation Home with their avatar character and, thanks to Diesel, avatars can look great from the start with Diesel offering the latest men’s and women’s designer avatar clothing, with items ranging from free of charge to €1.50. So for those visiting PlayStation Home, they can dress their avatars in the latest jeans and jacket prior to getting out and about.

On the home front, PlayStation®Home gives everyone their own apartment to spend time in and entertain friends - who will now be able relax on exclusive Ligne Roset furniture. At the virtual store, people will be able to choose from a selection of the most popular Ligne Roset designs, including the iconic Togo and Facett upholstery collections. It will be possible to personalise furniture by selecting from a wide selection of fabrics and leathers allowing a unique and individual look. This is an opportunity to get acquainted with Ligne Roset’s cutting edge designs created by some of Europe’s most talented designers.

As the very first consumer brand space, Red Bull has created the Red Bull Island where visitors to the Island can interact and take part in many of Red Bull’s unique events. Initially there will be the opportunity to get inside the cockpit of a Red Bull Air Race plane and compete against the PlayStation community. The real-world Red Bull Air Race World Championship has become a global phenomenon in just four years, attracting millions of spectators. Now those spectators can leave the stands, become a pilot and tackle the Red Bull Island course themselves. The Red Bull Island will continue to expand, adding new and exciting content in early 2009.

Taking full advantage of the PlayStation Home Theatre, SCEE has partnered with various content providers to enhance the cinematic experience. Offering a wide range of content, the PlayStation Home Theatre will provide lifestyle technology programming from Hexus TV, gaming content from Eurogamer and exclusive film content from Paramount Pictures. Starting with the release of the highly anticipated film, Watchmen, Paramount Pictures International will use PlayStation®Home to promote its latest films. Initially, PlayStation®Home residents will be able to view an exclusive video greeting from Watchmen Director Zack Snyder as well as the latest Watchmen trailer. A selection of virtual Watchmen merchandise e.g. T-Shirts with the smiley face logo, Doomsday clocks and character statues, will also be available in the New Year, ahead of an exclusive Q & A event where cast and filmmakers will meet selected press and competition winners fans within the Watchmen themed environment.

PlayStation Home is exclusive to PS3, free to download and easy to join. It’s the ultimate online community – a place where you can meet friends, try the latest games, hear new music, watch videos, relax in the apartment of your dreams and much, much more. With more and more spaces being created and partners like Diesel, Ligne Roset and Red Bull coming on board, the PlayStation Home experience is just getting started.

SCE will vigorously promote the expansion of the world of PS3 by introducing new services that will open up new possibilities and enjoyment in interactive entertainment.

*1 PlayStation Home will not be available in some regions.

*2 To be a “Clubhouse” owner, user will need to buy the entitlement to run the club.

*3 When the service is available, PlayStation Home icon will appear after booting/ re-booting the PS3 system. To enjoy PlayStation Home, users will need broadband network connection and PlayStation Network account in addition to the PS3 system.

*4 Some content and services are charged.

Carigamers · « **on:** December 10, 2008, 05:04:41 AM »

shivadee · « **Reply #1 on:** December 10, 2008, 06:04:32 AM »

Yep just read it myself. It would be nice to check this out and actually meet people in the social network rather than the 1 or 2 i would meet in the closed beta.

Seiryuki · « **Reply #2 on:** December 10, 2008, 07:53:30 AM »

Wonderful news! It's been a long wait (with all those delays and such), though it'll still be in beta. Can't wait to meet some of you guys in a 3-D world.
*Shucks...gotta remember to add you to my friends list*
Last week was the first time I ever played against people online, ever. Can't wait to experience Home.

Hmm. Today is going to be a long day at work.

ViCe · « **Reply #3 on:** December 10, 2008, 10:50:13 AM »

apprentice beats me to it, i was goin n post this
anyway hope 2 c u guys there d closed beta was good so i can only imagine d new stuff
apprentice hope dat platinum trophy yuh get from dead space unlockin sumting good 4 yuh yes.

i hadda start deleting d idle ppl on my frens list who never on an takin up space cuz mine almost full

Nephilim · « **Reply #4 on:** December 10, 2008, 11:23:39 AM »

"People. What a bunch of bastards." - Roy

Carigamers · « **Reply #4 on:** December 10, 2008, 11:23:39 AM »

ViCe · « **Reply #5 on:** December 10, 2008, 07:25:40 PM »

Quote from: Crixx_Creww on December 10, 2008, 11:01:10 AM

isnt this a little sad? like facebook to the extreme?
how about going and meeting like i dont know.. real people.. instead of 3d high graphic representations of them... sigh

if yuh payin 4 meh plane ticket to go 2 d states an meet d ppl on meh frens list/family away who on psn/ and clan members den by all means be my guest other dan dat u jus sound like a retard, i hav no problem meetin trini ppl

Arcmanov · « **Reply #6 on:** December 11, 2008, 12:50:04 AM »

Well said.

I tried the closed beta, and was pretty impressed with what I saw. I even went to the pool hall
and shot some pool with a total stranger, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Even my brother was like 'I GOTTA get
me a PS3 now', and he is one not easily swayed.

Sony has a really great concept on its hands here, and it blows Xbox Live's NXE completely out of the water
in terms of the overall design. Once everything comes on stream, it can only improve from here.

...and kudos to Sony for avatar options that don't look like 8 year olds with big heads.

New Era Outlaw · « **Reply #7 on:** December 11, 2008, 03:57:26 PM »

All right. Thread cleanup time.

I am going to have a word with all parties involved, but, with respect to the original thread poster's wishes, I am doing this to try to keep this discussion as civil as possible.

Without saying anything much more, I will say this one thing. If you don't like what's being discussed:

STAY AWAY FROM THE GOD DAMN THREAD.

That is all. =)

TheApprentice · « **Reply #8 on:** December 11, 2008, 04:54:05 PM »

Yes everyone Home is now out..

Start up your PS3's and it will appear right under the PSN Icon.

Dance party in home all day so see you guys there

woodyear99 · « **Reply #9 on:** December 11, 2008, 07:59:01 PM »

Quote from: New_Era_Outlaw on December 11, 2008, 03:57:26 PM

All right. Thread cleanup time.

I am going to have a word with all parties involved, but, with respect to the original thread poster's wishes, I am doing this to try to keep this discussion as civil as possible.

Without saying anything much more, I will say this one thing. If you don't like what's being discussed:

STAY AWAY FROM THE GOD DAMN THREAD.

That is all. =)

Hallelujah

Redlum08 · « **Reply #10 on:** December 11, 2008, 09:15:13 PM »

Quote from: TheApprentice on December 11, 2008, 04:54:05 PM

Yes everyone Home is now out..

Start up your PS3's and it will appear right under the PSN Icon.

Dance party in home all day so see you guys there

is HOME down? Because I cannot get on there...

TheApprentice · « **Reply #11 on:** December 11, 2008, 09:21:07 PM »

Well everyone who logged in within the hour of me posting it up was able to stay in as long as they wanted to.
It was expected that 100's of thousands of people will be logging in = epic crash.

So yup log-in servers down.

....

The fun hath started in Home though

With Blu_Vice, myself, slysuki, ninja_55 and other locals and foreign friends.
I started the party as the beta went public.

Here's a clip of the party:

TheApprentice · « **Reply #12 on:** December 11, 2008, 10:29:50 PM »

Yea login servers are functioning now...

And here's some more vids from this evening:

Rten-Kakashi · « **Reply #13 on:** December 12, 2008, 10:36:23 AM »

Quote from: TheApprentice on December 11, 2008, 10:29:50 PM

Yea login servers are functioning now...

And here's some more vids from this evening:

To me, this Home thing looks truly amazing, Sony really has taken this avatar concept and done what Nintendo refused to do(not saying they copied anyone)...and look how it turned out, I must say...I'm impressed, now that I think about it, this Mii thing really fails now that Sony and MS just made it better....a lot better..

Redlum08 · « **Reply #14 on:** December 13, 2008, 12:45:50 PM »

So I've tried out HOME, and I must say I am impressed with the level of design that went into it. I was pleasantly surprised that you can tweak your character to EXTREME levels of detail, down to wrinkles, stress lines, freckles...its truly something to admire.

But I do see why Crixx mentioned Facebook earlier, as this seems to be more for socializing and keeping in touch with familiar people in a virtual social environment. The concept is solid and I like it, but when it comes down to it, they are turning a gaming console into socializing and marketing tool. Yes, you can still play games and group up etc, but the interaction and detail of interaction seems a bit much.

But good work Sony, I like...

shivadee · « **Reply #15 on:** December 13, 2008, 10:56:40 PM »

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/12/12/

o god....ogodogod i cant stop laughing on that one! But is true. the day i logged in i see real "chirren" playing the fool and spoiling people lime. But its expected. This is a community that is almost COMPLETELY novel to an MMO style community, not to mention the age group that is also playing online because PS3 Online is free.

Should be interesting to see how SONY handles all these issues while keeping people interested.