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PlayStation Home download targeted to be under 500MB

Sony Computer Entertainment’s big news at this year’s GDC is the announcement of PlayStation Home, basically what appears to be ‘the answer’ for PS3’s life online. Phil Harrison’s keynote Wednesday at the Game Developer Conference explained the features and appearance of PlayStation Home, which some call the closest realization of William Gibson's Cyberspace.

Old, but apparently relevant sci-fi classics aside, parallels between Second Life and PlayStation Home were immediately drawn, but Sony touts its free online service as superior to the MMO.  “Home is a much more rich, user friendly experience than Second Life, allowing for ease of entry and use, as well as being fully-functional with the technology and capabilities of PS3,” said a Sony representative in the ThreeSpeech blog.

With Microsoft’s Xbox Live service as the benchmark for online console gaming, most Sony faithful were hoping for a PS3 online experience that would equal the competitive offering. But Sony’s belief is that it has a product that’s incomparable to Xbox Live.

“Home is a first of its kind 3D community that allows for open interaction between consumers, SCE and third party partners. It is a truly interactive, global community of users,” the representative added. “Xbox Live is a static, 2D, text-heavy environment that can’t match the rich community features found in Home. Xbox Live community interaction is much more passive and limited to the members on that friend’s list.”

While it’s unclear if PlayStation Home will become a mandatory way for gamers to connect with each other, but the current PlayStation Store is to coexist with the upcoming service. “Home is a real-time online 3D, networked community available on the Network, while the Store offers free and premium digital goods delivered directly to your PS3,” Sony said.

It’s also unknown if PlayStation Home will be an optional component for online gamers, though Sony revealed that a download of under 500 MB is required in order to add the feature to the PS3.

A Home Beta Trial Web site is now available online with placeholder graphics and art for the pending public beta test set to begin in April. The full release of PlayStation Home is slated for this fall.

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As it seems to me...
By novacthall on 3/9/2007 3:51:29 PM , Rating: 3
If my understanding of the press releases is sound, it seems that Sony's Home service is in a different "genre", to use the word loosely, than Microsoft's Xbox Live offerings. Though I admit that I do not fully understand PlayStation Home.

It's fairly clear that it offers social interfacing between PS3 users in a detailed, interactive 3D world, but does it have the game content downloads, gamer reputation tracking, server-based statistics, and other features that are offered by Live that make it such a competitive playground? Also, will Home essentially act as a portal to or possibly contain the PlayStation Store or will the two entities remain separate?

I'm intrigued by Home, as a one-day owner of a PS3, but I wish all the facts would fall in line before the battle lines are drawn.




RE: As it seems to me...
By SunAngel on 3/9/07, Rating: -1
RE: As it seems to me...
By therealnickdanger on 3/9/2007 4:11:12 PM , Rating: 2
Whereas Microsoft does not see one device, but rather one OS, regardless of device. Different approaches, same result: homogenization.

What I see here is Sony being unable, but mostly unwilling to compete with Xbox Live on its terms, so they are telling the world that they have reinvented the wheel. All I see is a clumsier interface of Xbox Live, where I have to virtually walk around a virtual mall in order to find things to buy, where as with XBL, I can just quickly "click" on text buttons.

I'm interested to see where Sony takes this, but I can't really see anything functionally better than XBL.


RE: As it seems to me...
By Hypernova on 3/9/2007 4:58:23 PM , Rating: 3
SONY's interface looks good, sound good and will PR nicely. But look at it any deeper then the surface will reveal that it's a horrible interface that's nothing but eye candy. Virtual environment only works for games because it ties in with it well. For any type of serious interface it is simply going to suck. 3D virtual desktop mods exist yet they never gain ground should give you an indication why this is a bad idea.

People go online to find/join a match a fast a possible not walking around.


RE: As it seems to me...
By Kanti on 3/9/07, Rating: 0
RE: As it seems to me...
By thebrown13 on 3/10/2007 1:49:50 AM , Rating: 4
Did you say Xbox Live is poorly designed? You just invalidated your whole post right there.


RE: As it seems to me...
By Death on 3/10/07, Rating: -1
RE: As it seems to me...
By therealnickdanger on 3/10/2007 12:08:25 PM , Rating: 2
Ha.


RE: As it seems to me...
By JWalk on 3/10/2007 12:49:09 PM , Rating: 2
Now that is funny.


RE: As it seems to me...
By crazydrummer4562 on 3/10/2007 7:09:10 PM , Rating: 2
I smell fanboy.


RE: As it seems to me...
By JimFear on 3/12/07, Rating: 0
RE: As it seems to me...
By tuteja1986 on 3/9/2007 9:45:43 PM , Rating: 2
Well the way sim game sell ... i don't doubt the PS3 home system will be a great move by sony. But only problem i see is that huge bandwidth it requires to run a services like this. They are talking about HD Video running in cinema , Screens with game adds... ect I just hopping that when Home is released that i don't lag to death and also that its not region coded.


RE: As it seems to me...
By borowki on 3/9/2007 7:15:26 PM , Rating: 3
Sony can't compete with Xbox Live because they've decided to not charge a subscription fee. You simply can't offer that type of service for free. So it has to be supported by advertisement. Think of things this way and it all makes sense.

A 3D environment offers endless possibilities for product promotion. Most basic are virtual billboards and posters. Models of real world products will also no doubt dot the landscape. And users will be able to buy them using their achievement points. This would increase consumer awareness of a given product. It also yields very useful marketing information, especially if players virtual purchases are correlated with the type of games they play, music they listen to, and so forth. Just by monitoring the position and orientation of the users' avatars you can tell which product or ad design is eye-catching and which isn't.


RE: As it seems to me...
By SunAngel on 3/9/07, Rating: -1
RE: As it seems to me...
By FITCamaro on 3/10/07, Rating: -1
RE: As it seems to me...
By walk2k on 3/10/2007 5:49:53 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Instead with the PS3 you'll pay per title for any game that wants serious online play.


WRONG.

Where the hell did you even hear this? Games like MMOs are free to charge fees if they want (just like on the 360, if there was any....) Most PS3 games, as in 99.7% of them, are totally and completely free to play online.


RE: As it seems to me...
By Aikouka on 3/12/2007 7:38:38 AM , Rating: 2
Actually, Phantasy Star Online has monthly subscriptions for the online component. If I recall, the online component is also required for the XBOX 360 version but not for the PC version. This is all from memory though as I don't own the game for either the XBOX 360 or the PC. Although, the fees for PSO are fairly easy to take care of via XBL.


RE: As it seems to me...
By FITCamaro on 3/9/2007 4:12:07 PM , Rating: 2
What does his post have to do with encompassing all functionality into one device?


RE: As it seems to me...
By SunAngel on 3/9/2007 7:09:14 PM , Rating: 1
How many add-ons are there for the Playstation 3 already? How many add-ons are there for the XBox 360? How many add-ons are there for the Windows Media Center PC? How many critcal updates for the XP OS? How many different versions of Windows can you buy lately? How many clicks does it take to get to XBox Live? How many menus are there to get to settings? How many.....? All encompassing was meant to be a form of simplicity where the user uses the machines for entertainment, not navigating the mindfield of settings to reach your destination. But, I agree XBox 360 is a nice product. I hope they can clear up the jet engine sound of the fans and dvd drive.


RE: As it seems to me...
By FITCamaro on 3/10/2007 12:43:30 AM , Rating: 4
Played a friends launch 360. Couldn't hear it from 5 feet away.

And of course PCs have patches. What OS doesn't? How many patches has the PS3 had in what? 4 months? I don't think the 360s had as many as the PS3 despite being out longer. Same with menus. Is it supposed to read your mind and know what you want to do and where to go? Lots of versions of Windows? God no, choice. Addons. Will always exist. Extra dollars they can make from us post-sale.


RE: As it seems to me...
By Lakku on 3/10/2007 2:48:43 PM , Rating: 2
You are completely deaf if you can't hear a launch 360 from 5 feet away. I can hear the damn thing 30 ft away in the next room. Of course, this is without sound going, but even then, I have to turn it up pretty loud to actually drowned out the 360 and its really loud DVD drive, and that is with a fairly high opwered surround sound system. As such, most of the PS3's patches have added features, broken some (like 720p BD playback), or fixed/expanded on launch items. And yes, the 360 has had quite a few updates in its life, along with a large number of games requiring updates as well. I am thinking you are one of those people who doesn't have any of the consoles and are therefore someone who is talking out of your ass or using what others have said about it, probably biased reports as well, as fact.


RE: As it seems to me...
By FITCamaro on 3/11/2007 12:28:18 AM , Rating: 2
I never said I had either system. I have an original Xbox. Can't hear that either unless my sound is muted (who plays games like that though).

His launch 360 had a slight hum while playing GRAW that was easily masked by the sound of the game. And that was without surround sound. I hear just fine.


RE: As it seems to me...
By Hemipower on 3/11/2007 3:34:12 AM , Rating: 2
How many of you guys had the red ring of death from that infamous 360 update. As far as updates go both systems have had their own mis-cues.

The newer 360's are not nearly as loud as the launch ones but they are still loud. Try playing one at 1a.m with nothing but the tv and 360 going, than turn it off and you will see just how loud they can get.

I can't hear my 6th year release slim silver ps2 at all, but hopefully these two monsters can one day accomplish what the ps2 has accomplished in this regard at least.

I don't play much xbox live but I have to say it is pretty simple. There are a lot of things I don't like about it, and I do game a lot on my pc, but this so far takes the cake. You can't compare one system that tracks all games to the ones on PC.


RE: As it seems to me...
By leexgx on 3/15/2007 10:15:42 PM , Rating: 2
360 fan is loud but norm the noise is muffled from games but as an media center to much noise

Xbox was quite


Meh. The whole community thing is annoying.
By CBone on 3/9/2007 3:50:49 PM , Rating: 2
What is the reason for wasting time and resources on something like this? It seems a lot like Sony is trying to make a blinged-out hammer.




By FITCamaro on 3/9/2007 4:06:22 PM , Rating: 3
Exactly. Who buys a PS3 to sit in a chat room with a 3D avatar? You buy it to play games. All thats needed are text menus to get you where you want to go. And Sony says Microsoft couldn't do it when the 360 is just as able to do it. It's not like Sony is in great financial shape to begin with, so bleeding the resources on this is kinda pointless. How about you just make a text menu system and pass the money savings onto your consumers by lowering the price?

Two things:
1) Sony had to go and ruin it. It wasn't enough to just announce it. It's not even out yet and they're already claiming its better and far superior.

2) So when the beta(possibly the live version) bricks your $500-600 PS3, are they going to fix it for you?


RE: Meh. The whole community thing is annoying.
By cochy on 3/9/07, Rating: 0
By ObscureCaucasian on 3/9/2007 4:28:38 PM , Rating: 3
PS Home will be a social network with all dudes...... I think I'll pass. Last thing I want is to have to go through a 500 meg UI to get to my friends list.


RE: Meh. The whole community thing is annoying.
By CBone on 3/9/2007 4:47:06 PM , Rating: 4
3D sausage fest? No thanks, I'm good.


By ObscureCaucasian on 3/9/2007 4:50:34 PM , Rating: 2
Everyone seems to be ignoring this fact lol.


By 05SilverGT on 3/9/2007 5:03:54 PM , Rating: 3
Come on everyone, you know the fat chicks will be lining up to get a PS3 to get in on the sausage fest!


By ObscureCaucasian on 3/9/2007 5:28:44 PM , Rating: 2
OMG you're right, too bad there aren't any PS3's anywhere :0


By oab on 3/9/2007 6:00:12 PM , Rating: 2
But the PS3 shortages will be resolved by May!


RE: Meh. The whole community thing is annoying.
By jtyson on 3/9/2007 7:09:03 PM , Rating: 3
Aaaaaaaand you're an idiot.
quote:
2) So when the beta(possibly the live version) bricks your $500-600 PS3, are they going to fix it for you?
Clearly, you have been born with the super-human ability to correctly predict the affects of an application on its hardware before it has even launched. I find this nothing short of amazing. You have a gift, my friend. An absolute blessing. What your theory lacks in logic and fact, it more than makes up for in correct spelling.

Kind of reminds of this other console... what was it called? You know, the one that craps out a year after you buy it... something about "The Red Ring of Doom" or something... happened to a bunch of people... started a class-action lawsuit against the company that makes them...

Or is that the PlayStation 3 I'm thinking of? Hmmm, must be.


By FITCamaro on 3/10/2007 12:47:09 AM , Rating: 2
Just trying to be like Sony since they're god like. You know. Saying shit before they can prove it.

And what hasn't Microsoft been sued for. Lawsuits against Microsoft are like the village hookers, everyone tries to get a piece.


Here goes the Sony PR Machine again....
By 05SilverGT on 3/9/2007 3:56:55 PM , Rating: 2
As a wii60 owner and former PS3 owner Home interests me a little bit since it will be free. However, I think for the purpose of playing games Live will still be superior. Home is more for those who want a deep social component. Honestly I'd rather show movies in my own home to friends. If I want social interaction I actually have a life and will leave the house. I just want to get online, talk some trash, and have a good time playing games now and then.




RE: Here goes the Sony PR Machine again....
By SunAngel on 3/9/07, Rating: -1
RE: Here goes the Sony PR Machine again....
By Griswold on 3/9/2007 4:39:24 PM , Rating: 3
As of late, I've been thinking of Sony's PR department as a clown brigade, not bad mofos. :P


RE: Here goes the Sony PR Machine again....
By Hypernova on 3/9/2007 5:02:04 PM , Rating: 2
True, they do provide quality entertainment.


By TSS on 3/10/2007 6:22:57 PM , Rating: 2
though this time, i do belive it was intended as not the street cred " bad mofo cool guy" but the more "incompetent sleepers with mothers" direction.


RE: Here goes the Sony PR Machine again....
By FITCamaro on 3/9/2007 4:15:47 PM , Rating: 2
What is this life you speak of?

You mean Second Life right?


RE: Here goes the Sony PR Machine again....
By 05SilverGT on 3/9/07, Rating: 0
By FITCamaro on 3/9/2007 5:31:59 PM , Rating: 2
Sarcasm....


RE: Here goes the Sony PR Machine again....
By Kanti on 3/9/2007 5:42:38 PM , Rating: 2
Now, when you're out at 'clubs', do you ever get the same feeling? Next time your at one, take a look around. Take in the horrible music, the desperate singles, and the watered down drinks, and ask yourself, is this any less phony and pathetic than online socializing?

Not that I'm sticking up for online 'socializing' (if it can be so called), it's just sad, but if there's one thing sadder, it's the club scene.


RE: Here goes the Sony PR Machine again....
By Gatt on 3/9/2007 6:05:33 PM , Rating: 2
I don't know what clubs you've been at, but I can safely say at the ones I've gone to, when I think I'm talking to a hot 20 year old girl it won't turn out to be a 300lb 40 year old guy.

Online "Socializing" is a joke. Always has been, always will be, because it's utterly fake and filled with lies.


By Kanti on 3/9/2007 6:19:19 PM , Rating: 2
I grew up in Brazil, and Miami, so I know clubs, and I can safely say your description of online socializing fits the club scene perfectly. Party with 'the beautiful people' if want to see what fake.

But yes, online socializing is an oxymoron.


By rykerabel on 3/12/2007 2:39:25 PM , Rating: 2
Of course the 20 yo's STD is so much better.


Sony, please stop
By TechLuster on 3/9/2007 5:00:59 PM , Rating: 5
Dear Sony,

I sincerely hope you're listening; if so, I have some advice for you.

Stop. Stop adding crap to the PS3. Right now, just stop. Put out a press release tomorrow saying that PlayStation Home was a stupid idea which you're immediately canning. Then immediately drop the price of the PS3 by even just $10, and people will start to hate you less.

I'm hesitant to explain to you why you should do the above, since if you haven't "gotten it" by now, you're probably not going to. But here are a few points to ponder:

Right now, the 360 and the Wii are completely kicking your collective a**. Hence, you should realize that whatever you're doing, you're doing wrong, and you need to change now. When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

I've already told you what's so wrong about the PS3, namely all the crap (Cell, BluRay, and now PlayStation Home) which adds cost and complexity and doesn't give users what they really want, the thing that the 360 and Wii are doing so well right now: gaming. The 360 has nailed the advanced, graphically-impressive, immersive, online, next-gen gaming experience. The Wii has nailed the inexpensive, fun, funky, unique-gameplay category.

If you had taken a path similar to the 360 with your PS3 (by refining and perfecting the last-gen experience and arriving at the party a year earlier at, say, a $350 price point), you could have ridden the momentum of the PS2 and coasted past Microsoft. But instead you decided to give us a bunch of crap, and then insult us with outrageous claims about how your crap makes your system superior, e.g.
quote:
Xbox Live is a static, 2D, text-heavy environment that can’t match the rich community features found in Home. Xbox Live community interaction is much more passive and limited to the members on that friend’s list.

Sorry, but if given a choice between chainsawing our friends in Gears using the "static, 2D, text-heavy environment" that is Xbox Live, or moving an avatar around the "rich, user friendly experience" that is PlayStation Home, we will almost always choose the former.

But all is not lost for you Sony; there are still a few things you can do. First, either can PS Home, or add some chainsaws and sniper rifles. Second, fire your entire marketing department, and spend the money saved cost-reducing the PS3 and developing some solid competition for Gears of War.

Best of luck,
TL




RE: Sony, please stop
By ObscureCaucasian on 3/9/2007 5:30:05 PM , Rating: 2
Amen brother!


RE: Sony, please stop
By FITCamaro on 3/9/2007 5:35:29 PM , Rating: 5
Hmm....Playstation Home....with chainsaws.....NOW THAT I'D DO!!!


RE: Sony, please stop
By javiergf on 3/9/2007 6:32:52 PM , Rating: 2
Amen!


RE: Sony, please stop
By doctor sam adams on 3/10/07, Rating: 0
RE: Sony, please stop
By KaiserCSS on 3/10/2007 2:50:00 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Second, fire your entire marketing department...


When I read that, I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably.


RE: Sony, please stop
By Death on 3/10/07, Rating: -1
RE: Sony, please stop
By Timeless on 3/13/07, Rating: 0
snore
By 457R4LDR34DKN07 on 3/9/07, Rating: 0
RE: snore
By robertgu on 3/9/2007 8:09:33 PM , Rating: 2
Why do you consider the Xbox Live system flawed? Please tell me what major flaws do you see in the system?

If there are flaws in it, it hasn't been obvious to me. For me it works much more effectively, easily, and reliably than other game AND media oriented online service I've used so far.

The online gaming network performance has been much better and reliable than the avg PC based online gaming network performance. The service provides a nice way to stay in touch with other gamers with video and voice. It has a nice achievement system. It has a slew of media features (such as TV shows and Movies) and it provides a good system to deliver expansions to games or demos for gamers to try.

Again, I've never been on the Xbox Live service thinking "Man this sh!t sucks, the interface is horrible, the performance is wretched, and the content Spartan." So please enlighten me as to some of the flaws that should be corrected (not flaming, just wanting to know what I'm missing).


RE: snore
By 457R4LDR34DKN07 on 3/9/2007 8:21:39 PM , Rating: 2
the notifications during dvd playback, having to sign in to live every time you need to load up a save game. there are several and If you want more critisism i'm sure you can find it in other places. It is not that bad and is vastly superior to any of the competition but there is a ways to go.


RE: snore
By theways on 3/11/2007 5:02:42 PM , Rating: 2
Hah! I've yet to have to sign in to xbl to load a saved game, perhaps I'm not playing the wrong games tho. And if you don't want to be notified when a a friend signs in, wants to chat, etc during dvd playback theres a solution. Sign Out. Yanno, kinda like turning off your cell phone when you go to a theater.

Virtually everything you can attain from XBL is standalone on your console harddrive. Arcade games, demos, game updates, etc.

On another note, however, probably one of the most used aspects of my Xbox 360 is the ability to stream media from my computer to my bedroom television. hundreds of movies and thousands of songs at my disposal without having to get out of bed is a very nice feature. Being able to chat with friends, anytime is also very nice (even during dvd playback and gaming without interruption).


RE: snore
By ObscureCaucasian on 3/14/2007 10:12:30 AM , Rating: 2
You can turn off notifications, just go into the guide and click on your gamercard. Scroll down to notifcations and you can change them.


I like the unbiased commenting here...
By psychobriggsy on 3/10/2007 9:40:23 AM , Rating: 5
Never seen so many Sony haters in one place, all feeding off each other. It's pitiful. Is the average DailyTech reader 14 years old? Arguments like "I hate Sony, therefore this social interface is crap!" haven't been heard since primary school. Is there no ability to rationally argue for or against this software, the PS3 and Sony?

We will see what this Playstation Home virtual world is like when it is in the hands of users and reviewers. It could be an interesting interface for what Sony is trying to achieve, as long as it has all the necessary features and you don't have to walk 5 virtual miles just to get a movie download. I'm sure there'll be a teleport function.

Sony are certainly trying to achieve something different to XBox Live here. Whether or not it is better as Sony claim remains to be seen. But it does have background downloading!




RE: I like the unbiased commenting here...
By walk2k on 3/10/2007 2:50:03 PM , Rating: 1
It's obvious the reason is DT is heavily sponsored by Microsoft. Witness the huge banners at the top, and the side, AND the bottom of the page (and yes I know they rotate, sometimes it's Google Adwords, so spare me your "OLLO NO ITS NOT ITS GOGGLE PWWWWDD!!111" or whatever moronic 3rd-grade level witticisms your small brains can manage, thanks anyway).


By Aikouka on 3/12/2007 7:49:56 AM , Rating: 2
How would DailyTech being sponsored in any way by Microsoft affect their readership's opinions? Is it just more likely that Sony is in a bad position with quite a bit of people because of their recent issues over the past year and there are quite a few people who grow dissident almost seemingly too easily?

You complain about people being "fanbois", yet you make brash and baseless comments about why DailyTech's "sponsors" (according to you, Microsoft) are brainwashing the populace that reads these articles. C'mon, that's pure hogwash and practically hypocritical with the statements you made earlier in the comment about them being drones, because you were quick to lay the blame on the competitor with absolutely 0 evidence toward anything other than conspiracy theories.

All in all, just stop caring about the crap. Let the people who make brainless posts be (hopefully) modded down regardless of their stance. Hopefully then, DailyTech's system will have a feature like Slashdot where you can hide or abbreviate articles depending on what levels you'd like to see :).


Bring on ....
By krichmond on 3/9/07, Rating: 0
RE: Bring on ....
By SunAngel on 3/9/07, Rating: 0
RE: Bring on ....
By thebrown13 on 3/10/07, Rating: -1
RE: Bring on ....
By Death on 3/10/2007 6:12:01 AM , Rating: 2
Uh, for one, I like CDs, which Sony co-developed. CDs led the way to DVDs... Now BD and HD DVD... Seems like a good reason to like Sony to me. Also, your whole argument about Microsoft is just stupid. I have been a programmer/developer since the early 80s. All MS has ever done, is ripped off other languages. Even the OS is ripped off from Xerox...


RE: Bring on ....
By psychobriggsy on 3/10/2007 9:51:10 AM , Rating: 5
"Their products are shiz"

Tell that to the 360 owners who are on the third 360 because they brick themselves so often.

"Microsoft pushes compatability and interoperability"

WTF! What reality are you living in?

Even restricting ourselves to the PS3 and 360, we immediately see Sony offering HDMI, a standard SATA port, the installation of Linux, ... Microsoft offer an proprietary $100 20GB hard drive and a proprietary $50 wireless card. Sony use standard Bluetooth for their controllers, Microsoft won't allow third party controllers because of their proprietary protocol. Sony use the open standard Java for BluRay. .NET is certainly not 'open'. Development tools are Microsoft's strength admittedly, but that doesn't lead to fun games on its own.

Being a Microsoft fanboy is like being proud of your stupidity.

Actually being a fanboy of any sort is rather idiotic (but perhaps it is human nature). Better than being a brainless 'hater' though, they're the worst sort. Although Sony deserve hate for the spyware CD thing, I haven't seen a reason to hate the PS3, only reasons to pass it by.


Sims
By OrSin on 3/9/2007 3:53:44 PM , Rating: 2
Not a big sony fan but I'm alsa not a bigger fan of Sim type environments. I perfer to talk to my buddy (list) and get into games. I dont want to wander a virtual world just to get into a game. But hey Sims is the number one selling game of all times so who am I to judge what people want.




RE: Sims
By rbowling on 3/9/2007 4:17:48 PM , Rating: 2
I agree. I think some people are underestimating the popularity of the virtual community sort of thing. On the flip side, I'm not sure anyone is going to spend money to get that sort of thing on a PS3 when they could just use their computer. Anything that gives them more buyers who are currently on the margin is a good thing I guess.


RE: Sims
By ObscureCaucasian on 3/9/2007 4:30:48 PM , Rating: 2
But the people who play the Sims aren't typically the type of people who get a PS3, and Home isn't going to change their minds


Hey!
By Nekrik on 3/9/2007 4:15:33 PM , Rating: 2
They finally found something to do with that cell processor :).




RE: Hey!
By ObscureCaucasian on 3/9/2007 4:35:16 PM , Rating: 3
What ever happened to the massive mesh network of PS3's they used to talk about?


Sony is going with what it knows best...
By Magius on 3/14/2007 11:23:02 AM , Rating: 2
Fluff... eye candy...

Until I see how the interaction is done inside this world and how I can jump into games from there, this is just pretty lights.

Live is designed in a way so that you can quickly jump into a game, which is the main reason why the console gets turned on.

Not bashing Sony intentionally as the concept is interesting and it kinda looks cool. However it is not the first time Sony pulls the pretty smoke and mirrors in order to dazzle everyone, only to deliver something passable (aka. meh) in the end.




By gr8ezekiel on 3/14/2007 2:12:59 PM , Rating: 2
Actually your avatar can access evrything within Home from his or her psp, including joining games and lobby's. that is one way you can navigate through Home or you can vavigate your avatar personelly, but while using the while your avatar uses the psp in Home you simply click on where you want to go and u are instantly teleported there. of course there is a loading time, but wat doesnt have a loading time?


vs the NEW xbl?
By livelouddiefast on 3/9/2007 3:50:27 PM , Rating: 1
i don't know how sony is expecting to compete with microsoft's pitting console against pc, and as of late their track record has not been impressive.

Here's to hoping something good happens to them that they can genuinely take credit for.

And here's to hoping they crash and burn so that this flame war can keep going!




RE: vs the NEW xbl?
By SunAngel on 3/9/07, Rating: -1
RE: vs the NEW xbl?
By ObscureCaucasian on 3/9/2007 4:33:33 PM , Rating: 2
Dell is selling notebooks w/ linux because many people don't want to have to pay the windows fee when they have many copies already. Linux isn't anywhere near being ready for the public.


RE: vs the NEW xbl?
By SunAngel on 3/9/07, Rating: -1
RE: vs the NEW xbl?
By Nekrik on 3/10/2007 5:49:58 PM , Rating: 2
"go somewhere where the game creator doesn't care about money but your happy experience. This is why ps3 online is free."

Holy shit can't believe you actually posted that. Sony doesn't care about money, they're there for you, the consumer. I just don't understand why their TVs and consoles aren't free too. Did you get a Sony lobotomy at sometime in your life?


A little bit of history for Sony
By kukumjacka on 3/10/2007 8:47:56 PM , Rating: 3
The HOME idea isn't a new one... back in '95 Microsoft experimented with BOB. It was supposed to be some sort of a simplified OS on top of Win95 to help ignorants who couldn't click on the Start button. The idea involved a virtual world with things you could click on that resembled their equivalents of real life, like a check book, or a door, or a calendar... and yea, this whole thing was set in a home :). To this day this is the product Microsoft is most embarraced about.

A little later in the mid-late '90s this same very PS3 Home idea came to be in the form of chat sites. Plenty of chat sites back then, the only IM client was ICQ and to most it was confusing. So people would go in these html chat sites to talk to their friends or whatever... anyway, some company decided to create some online environment for an online hangout place. Figurines of people, with a little bubble on top of their head, walking about and speaking. you could click on one of these people to have a private conversation. there were different settings, the beach, the store, the street, the house, the workplace, the whatever and more whatever. All in all a very good idea for an online hangout... but it failed. Didn't go anywhere.

Now SONY in all their splendor has decided to resurrect this old and proven dead in the water idea to promote one of their flagship products... Well maybe where the others failed Sony will succeed, but it is HIGHLY IMPROBABLE.

So I say to Sony; do what you do best, HARDWARE! Leave the software creation to others. Besides, other companies have already hired all indian software engineers :)




Dateline NBC - To Catch a Sony PS3 Home Predator
By dewfman on 3/11/2007 11:17:35 AM , Rating: 2
I can see it now. Hi I'm Chris Hanson from Sony PS3 Home and we're doing stories on adults preying on children on PS3 Home.

Or better yet, Someone develops a P2P service that runs over Home.




By SunAngel on 3/11/2007 11:43:00 AM , Rating: 1
WTF is your comment about? Geez!


Novel Idea?
By bldckstark on 3/9/2007 5:39:49 PM , Rating: 2
I've seen something like this before. It is Toontown, run by Disney. My kids play on it a lot. Even they often find it annoying to have to waste their time walking to one place or another just to buy something with their points. There are hundreds of kids walking around, none talking to each other. There is really very little "community" type activity going on, other than when a toon is attacked and each kid in the area jumps in to kick his behind. Then they all quickly scatter to wherever they were going before, and don't even say hi.




By nightdagger on 3/9/2007 6:27:41 PM , Rating: 2
XBL doesn't have to match PS3 Live. PS3 Live, as the newer service trying to introduce consumers to something completely different than the typical console online gaming crowd (read: Xbox and 360 owners) is used to.

On a side note, this seems like an online version of Nintendo's Mii system.




PS Home . I've seen this before.
By ceman on 3/9/2007 11:23:34 PM , Rating: 2
Let me preface this for the fanboys. I own an Xbox and Xbox 360 and I have used the Live service since 2004. That being said I also own a PS1 ,PS2,PSP, sega saturn and Dreamcast . Have owned a sega genisis and SNES. So I'm a gamer but not a fanboy.

The interface described and shown for the 3d environment looks a hell of a lot like the 3d lobby for a game that came toward the end of the life of one of my favourite console the Sega Dreamcast. The game was the first Phantasy Star Online . I wish I could find a screen grab to link to but the interface is the same concept.
I would also like to add... This fanboy flame thing is childish. Both company's want our money. I hope sony can execute the idea better than sega did 8 or 9 years ago.

P.S..Either way... It is just a GUI. Content is what will sell consoles. Console sales is what will drive developers to platforms. I hope Sony wins the HD format wars and hopefully puts out a cheaper PS3 without the BlueRay player.




IS there a reason
By scrapsma54 on 3/10/2007 11:41:34 AM , Rating: 2
When a Representative of Sony speaks, its like he is trying to
say "our console is very good, you buy console for 600 dollar, we put good money into blu-ray movie and make game later." In reality, ken Kutagari really messed up the lines of playstation and every Rep is doing a CHA (cover his...you get the idea).
XBL cannot simply be compared to a rip of second life or sims.
Besides, what is the point of this if there are barely any games?




Good idea
By shaw on 3/10/2007 8:11:51 PM , Rating: 2
But it's too late unless Sony is aggressive with it. Had this been around since the beginning of PS3 then it would have worked, but now I think you'll have this seperation between PS3 games that support home's interface for invites and PS3 games that don't support home. Unlike X360 that the Live portion was there right from the beginning soe very game make use of it.




Sony News
By crystal clear on 3/10/2007 3:09:26 AM , Rating: 1
This is not for those Sony haters, rather for people like me
who keep away from the Fanboyism Addiction.

Who prefer to know whats NEW!!!

Read on-
Quote-

In an unusually low-key announcement on Mar. 8, the Tokyo technology and entertainment giant posted details about the new portable video player on its Japanese-language Web site, eschewing the usual over-the-top glitz of a major product launch.

The new A-series—which comes in 2, 4, or 8 GB models—has just three buttons, a departure from the buttons galore of the company's legacy products. What's more, their 2-in. liquid-crystal-display color screens are rectangular, so you can choose to watch videos either vertically or horizontally, a standard feature of the best-selling Sony-Ericsson phones available in Japan.
The Walkman's price, between $175 and $280, might not seem much cheaper than Apple's $249 30-GB video iPod and $349 80-GB version. But remember that the Walkman relies on NAND flash memory, which means it's less vulnerable than the iPod's hard disk drive to skipping or breakage when dropped or bumped.

Sony's decision to go with less memory suggests it's betting that young hipsters will download and watch short clips from YouTube, music videos, and home videos instead of full-length feature films or TV shows. And while a growing number of consumers are viewing videos online from a PC, fewer than 10% of U.S. households download video content, according to a recent study published by the NPD Group. Most consumers who buy portable video players end up using them primarily to listen to music and podcasts, analysts say.

Still the move to less memory is a bizarre one for a company that has its own Hollywood studio and a massive library of TV shows. Sony is expected to shed more light on the subject in the next few days.

In other news-

Sony was named among seven computer and electronics makers sued by 3M (MMM) for alleged patent infringement on rechargeable lithium-ion battery technology. The lawsuit was filed overnight at a district court in Minnesota
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/mar2...




PS3 Rules
By juggalo0707 on 3/10/07, Rating: 0
From the compnay that brought us RootKits
By buzzfriendly on 3/10/07, Rating: -1
RE: From the compnay that brought us RootKits
By Death on 3/10/07, Rating: 0
RE: From the compnay that brought us RootKits
By buzzfriendly on 3/10/2007 6:57:28 AM , Rating: 1
Ahhh the sheep speakith. I suppose you don't mind Sony rootkitting your PC. No problem neither does Sony.
But as most sheep do, they miss the ENTIRE point. Nothing of what you said changes the fact of what Sony did, so Mr Sheep the only dumb comment would be yours. And get you facts correct, I am not a Sony hater I am a bad business practices hater and Sony just happens to have bad business practices. Sony is a bad company with bad business practices, so is Microsoft and Nintendo could be as well, however I have yet to see the same questionable business practices from them.
I am sure you can get just a little more of the Sony Wang down the throat if you try and you get the added pleasure of paying a premium price to do so.


RE: From the compnay that brought us RootKits
By SunAngel on 3/10/07, Rating: 0
By walk2k on 3/10/2007 2:42:49 PM , Rating: 2
That was done by BMG anyway (British Music Group) which is only a subsidiary of Sony.

That would be like blaming Boeing because the peanuts you had on the flight to Chicago were too salty.


ARGH!!!
By Alexstarfire on 3/9/07, Rating: -1
RE: ARGH!!!
By Dg01 on 3/9/07, Rating: 0
RE: ARGH!!!
By Scrogneugneu on 3/10/2007 12:42:40 AM , Rating: 3
You obviously don't know anything about programming. The language in which the OS is written has absolutely no impact on what software it can run.

If you need to convert and recompile an application made for Windows to run it on Linux, it's simply because the inner workings of the 2 OS differ. Microsoft created libraries, which help programmers use the system. As an example, you can create a file on the disk, located on C:\Program Files\, with the Windows API.

However, on Linux, there is no such thing as a C:\Program Files\ folder. The philosophy behind is different. The function library to write on disk is different. The visual library is different, works different, and functions have different names. Not because they want it to be different just for fun, but because it's the way they believe it should be implemented.

Sure, everyone could create a giant virtual interface, where any function call would be remapped to the right one under the hood, depending on the OS. However this won't ever happen, since it would require Microsoft to rewrite their OS following that interface, AND Apple to rewrite their OS following that interface, AND every Linux distro to be rewritten to use that interface, AND every software rewritten to use that interface. So basically, we'd need to rewrite everything.

And all that is IF we can agree on an interface, which is even less probable than Sony PR saying something which makes sense.


RE: ARGH!!!
By Death on 3/10/2007 7:41:27 AM , Rating: 2
Seems someone attempted to learn a new word today... homogenize...

ho·mog·e·nize (h?-moj'?-niz', ho-) pronunciation

v., -nized, -niz·ing, -niz·es.

v.tr.

1. To make homogeneous.
2.
1. To reduce to particles and disperse throughout a fluid.
2. To make uniform in consistency, especially to render (milk) uniform in consistency by emulsifying the fat content.


RE: ARGH!!!
By crystal clear on 3/10/2007 8:56:29 AM , Rating: 1
Maybe the guy implied-(I am guessing)

homogeneous Show phonetics
adjective (ALSO homogenous)
consisting of parts or people which are similar to each other or are of the same type:
a homogeneous group/society
The population of the village has remained remarkably homogeneous.
Compare heterogeneous.

homogeneity Show phonetics
noun [U]
cultural/racial homogeneity

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=377...


RE: ARGH!!!
By Locutus465 on 3/10/2007 9:32:46 AM , Rating: 2
The reason why you can't just install your F.E.A.R straight on to Linux has less to do with programming languages and more to do with execution engines and Operating System API's (the core libraries that let an OS and it's applications functions). For instance, Linux doesn't nativly support DirectX, so even if Linux used the windows execution engine instead of their own (still a.out?) you still couldn't run F.E.A.R.

Funny that you should mention Languages that can run on any platform.... It should be noted that this idea has not been lost on "computer people". Ever hear of Java, how about .Net (before I get flamed by Linux people please google "Mono" before claiming it's propriatary ms $h...). The reason you didn't see technologies like this earlier in PC history? Well take in consideration how heavy the task of executing your application as byte code to be converted into machine code on the fly is. This is the kind of stuff that just started getting practical with PII class hardware, not not for major applications until we had PIII's.


By thebrown13 on 3/10/2007 2:07:54 AM , Rating: 2
Maybe let's see how many bricked PS3s we have in a year before we talk.


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