Sony claims PlayStation Home will connect gamers like arcades did in the 80s

by Samuel Axon Oct 7th 2008 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Betas, New titles, Consoles, Virtual worlds, Home

MTV Multiplayer blog contributor Stephen Totilo took a second look at Sony's Home -- a virtual world community for PlayStation 3 users. He had previously previewed the service at Kotaku and given it low marks. This time, though, he seemed a little more impressed. We're not really sure why he flipped, though. He wasn't very clear about it.

Home features several instanced locations where PS3 users may converse and play minigames such as bowling. There are game specific rooms, like, say, for Warhawk, where users can get tips and such. It's a virtual world, not an MMORPG, but there's something interesting stuff in that preview. Obviously, it's most pertinent if you're a PS3 owner.

During the demo, director Jack Buser suggested that the developers might eventually add non-human character models if the community demands it (but it's not part of the plan at the moment). Most of the preview is about how Home differs from its non-virtual-world competitor: Xbox Live. Buser said he hopes that Home will give users a place to meet other gamers in an environment that's more social than the games themselves. According to him, there hasn't been a good way to do that since the arcades of the 80s.

Tags: arcade, arcades, home, impressions, jack-buser, playstation-3, playstation-home, preview, ps3, sony, warhawk, xbox-live

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Lemmo said on 3:32PM 10-09-2008

I just got a PS3, and I'm looking forward to checking out Home. But unless some genuine functionality comes with the virtual world, its novelty will wear off quickly and people won't bother with it.

In an arcade, you can watch your friend play a game over their shoulder. Now if Home could somehow deliver the functionality to watch someone play a single player game (like, in their virtual livingroom), I'll take back any criticism. But if this is just an avatar-based menu, people won't hang out and chat. Like a mall where all the stores have closed down, it'll be an empty shell of a place.

I do think the Trophy system will be kinda neat, though. Especially if some trophies come in the form of decorative art.

Jason Davis said on 5:05AM 11-15-2008

Hi i have just got my ps3 how do i get connected into the virtua world of playstaion home. step by step guide would be helpfull as not sure how to get connected i have an online account but dont know how to get into that virtua world