PlayStation Home

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File:Ps3 playstationhome logo.jpg
The PlayStation Home logo

Home (trademarked as "Home™" and known more practically as PlayStation Home) is a community-based service for the PlayStation Network which has been in development since early 2005. Home allows users to create an avatar for their PlayStation 3 console. This avatar will get their own apartment, which can be adorned by items players can receive in several achievements. In the future the service will also expand, allowing players to have more sorts of clothing, as well as hold pets.[citation needed] When it is available, Home will be launched via its own category in the XMB between the "Game" and "Network" category. This service will be free of charge. Sony is aiming for the initial download to be under 500MB. Home was announced at the Game Developers Conference on March 7, 2007[1] with a scheduled global public release for Fall 2007 (sometime during September or October).[2] During the TGS 2007, Home was announced to be delayed until Spring 2008, though home will still have an earlier "open beta" release.[3]

Environment and Layout

File:Home Icon XMB 2.JPG
The Home icon in the XMB between "Game" and "Network".

When first launched, the player first starts out in a main lounge where other people can communicate and play each other in various mini games in the lounge. From there, a person may visit their own apartment or travel around to other places set up on Home. People can also invite others to their own apartments.

In the world outside of the player house, players can meet and chat with other community-members. This will create a Second Life-like experience, where one can invite their friends, hang out and communicate via voice chat, or normal text chat, listen to music, play a game or exchange content. People who enter each other's "homes" can stream the host's music and videos from their HDD. Videos are viewed via virtual Sony TVs, such as the BRAVIA. As well, pictures can be viewed via a virtual picture frame.

Every user has a private apartment space that they can modify and change over time. The basic apartment is free and will offer users lots of options for customization and personalization. In the future, Sony will provide tools that will enable users to have an even greater ability to create their own Home spaces and content.

At time of release, the user's "home" will be streamed from their own PS3, meaning that if the user logs off of Home, then access to this user's apartment no longer exists until the user logs on again. According to Sony, they are looking for new ways to get around this issue.

The world of PlayStation Home will not only consist of players' houses, but there will also be arcade-games that can be played, as well as games like pool billiards and bowling. Sony will also install cinemas that allow players to watch and download new content and trailers. It is not yet known if this feature will cost money.

The look of the avatar, decorations, where to travel, settings, etc. can be controlled on a virtual PlayStation Portable. Sony will be strict on spamming of the Home system. They have told gaming website GameSpot that they will be able to lock people's PS3's and IP addresses so that they cannot go online.[4]

In time, Home will play host to many types of events such as exclusive game previews and developer interviews. It will be organized by Home and its affiliated content providers. Live events such as sports and concerts may also be broadcast within Home. These will all be pre-paid using the Sony Wallet System.

Hall of fame

There will be a 'Hall of Fame' which will include a Trophy Room. The Trophy Room is a Home Space where users are able to display their gaming accomplishments. Players will be able to earn Trophies (similar to the Xbox Live Achievements) when they play games that support the Trophy system. The more Trophies a player has dictates which games s/he owns and how skilled a gamer they are. Publishers and developers will be able to support Trophies by building them into their games' architecture, and existing games may be updated with patches to support it, as evidenced with Lair.

Communication

There will be at least four ways to communicate with other users in the environment. Users will be able to type on the virtual keyboard, a USB or Bluetooth keyboard, talk using a USB or Bluetooth headset, and use e-motions, which are movements such as waves or a dance. These e-motions are based on emoticons. For convenience, there is also an array of premade textual messages to choose from via the controller or keyboard, such as "Hi" or "How to do.. ".

History

An online-based service has been the subject of speculation since the launch of the PlayStation Network. Sony has expressed interest in such a system, specifically the achievements, for first-party titles, though they never released any specific information regarding it.[5]

PlayStation Home, as a feature, was first mentioned in an interview with NG-Gamer[6], detailed by Kotaku [7], and finally confirmed by NG-Gamer[8]. It was officially announced by Phil Harrison on Wednesday March 7 2007, during his keynote speech at the 2007 Game Developers Conference.

Commerce and Content

Although the service itself will be free of charge, content will be available on the PlayStation Store, such as clothes, furniture, and game specific accessories, which can be purchased, but some might be available free of charge. Content can also be unlocked on specific games. Larger apartments can be purchased that come with games such as billiards or a swimming pool.

Advertising will be a big part of Home, and Sony expects retailers to create their own lobbies and deploy them for commercial purposes. At first, Sony will stream advertising from their own Home servers. Later, other companies will be allowed to insert their own ads into the network, including dynamic advertising targeted at particular users.[9]

All transactions within PlayStation Home will use the Sony Wallet system within the PlayStation Store, although ultimately transactions will be possible without leaving Home.

Users will be able to make money in Home by using an auction service that will be implemented which will allow users to sell their Home assets and user-created content to other users. In a 2007 keynote speech, Phil Harrison described Home as a "Game 3.0" game.

In addition to content sold, users will be able to earn certain content based on certain milestones in a game.[10]

Release date and availability

  • Closed beta (15,000 Users): April 2007
  • General beta testing: Q4 2007
  • Projected global release date: Spring 2008[3]

References

  1. ^ Tor Thorsen (March 7 2007). "GDC '07 PlayStation Keynote". Gamespot. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "Home Development Q&A" (PDF). [[Sony Computer Entertainment]]. March 7 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); line feed character in |publisher= at position 8 (help)
  3. ^ a b "Home Delayed Until Spring 08". Kotaku. September 9 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Sony: Abusers will be locked out of Home". GameSpot. August 14, 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "No gamerscore, no achievements on PS3". Joystiq. October 23 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Martijn Müller (March 1 2007). "PlayStation 3 launch interview". NG-Gamer. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ Michael McWhertor. "Rumor: Sony To Unveil PlayStation Home". Kotaku.
  8. ^ Martijn Müller (March 2 2007). "PSN krijgt PlayStation Home" (in Dutch). NG-Gamer. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Home Development Q&A" (PDF). Sony Computer Entertainment. March 7 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "Overview of Home". Inside Gamer. May 16 2007. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links


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