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Home to launch by end of the year?

Published on 22nd September 2008 by Joe Martin

Sony has indicated that Home may be out by the end of the year, possibly as early as October.

Sony's Home project, which will provide a fully 3D and interactive community hub for the PlayStation 3, as well as showcase for the PlayStation 3 trophy system, has enjoyed a turbulent history with multiple delays - but the end may finally be near.

Reports from PS3 Fanboy indicate that the game could be out by the end of the year.

A forum post on the Home Beta message board from the community manager has said that the current network and freezing issues being experienced by those in the Home Beta program should be fixed soon and that the system would then be ready to go online - which is planned to coincide with the 2.50 firmware update.

"2.5 is what we're waiting for and 'October' is what I've heard, later October is my guess," he said.

Sony has been funnelling resources into Home for a long time now, even though the system should be free to all those with a PlayStation 3, but the company has drawn plenty of flak for repeatedly delaying the non-game.

Microsoft in particular has been unsurprisingly critical, saying that they too looked at the possibility of creating a Home-like service for the original Xbox, but eventually backed away from the plan because they thought it would be too complicated to create. Microsoft has repeatedly accused Sony of underestimating the project.

Will Sony have the last laugh though? Tell us what you think in the forums.

8 Comments

Discuss in the forums Reply

[USRF]Obiwan 22nd September 2008, 11:50

Ok... Sounds all very boring and the usual "secondlife clone" stuff to me.

Flibblebot 22nd September 2008, 11:51

It'll be kind of a "meh" moment, really.

I bought my PS3 to play games on, not to pretend that I have a life.

Hg 22nd September 2008, 11:51

I have my doubts about this still, to me i just want to play games on my console and not have to meet up in virtual space or have to go to my house etc to view my trophies or play my arcade games.
If i wanted anything like this i would use second life, but i don't as RL is enough without pretending to be someone else.
If Sony put as much resources into making decent games and improving playstation network etc then i would prefer this, instead of being forced to use 'Home' to get more features which are already on xbox live or coming via the new XBOX Experience update

Veles 22nd September 2008, 12:21

TBH I don't see the point, but then I didn't really see the point in achievements and now look at me.

Hugo 22nd September 2008, 12:47

I'm thinking I should make a "Sony Time" look-up table, like Valve's (http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Valve_Time). Home had better be worth the wait or I'll be mildly irritated.

devdevil85 22nd September 2008, 17:15

Of course, there are those who haven't heard/seen very much about Home and will just sum it up as a Second Life clone. And from what I've seen, it makes sense why they say that. I still see it as a neat way to show off what you've accomplished in games and to be able to have your own condo is pretty sweet, but yeah I don't see myself really using it a whole lot since I barely have time in RL to actually game, though there will always be those who do have time and don't have a RL worth living and would rather spend it on Home. I just want it to come out so I can see for myself whether it was worth the wait/resources, and so FW 2.50 w/ the in-game XMB chat ability can finally make it appearance and my friends can stop saying 'XBL is worth the money because PS3 doesn't have it'.....

themax 22nd September 2008, 17:37

Home is not designed to replace the entire XMB. Sony has said numerous times that will be an alternative form of accessing features found in the XMB with added bells and whistles. The most I will find myself using Home for, and I hope others will use this is a way of doing so, is during press events. If EA, Activition, and other publishers could set up Home spaces during times like E3, GDC, or TGS It could be an excellent way of feeling like you are apart of the whole thing. Accessing trailors, gameplay footage, and possibly catching an entire press conference via Home/PSN would be really cool and I hope that is the direction they take Home in multimedia wise. Perhaps visiting an Activition Home space during an E3 Activition press conference could enter you in a chance to beta test, or unlock a new home theme, or enable new DLC for a game available only during that time. Things like that which will foster the community feel Home is suppose to provide.

I am a Beta tester for Home, so I feel I speak from experience and use that Home does have the potential; it's up to Sony which direction they want to take it in. And from the sounds of it (and if Peter Moore is any gauge in developer/publisher interest) it would work out well.

devdevil85 22nd September 2008, 20:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by themax
Home is not designed to replace the entire XMB. Sony has said numerous times that will be an alternative form of accessing features found in the XMB with added bells and whistles. The most I will find myself using Home for, and I hope others will use this is a way of doing so, is during press events. If EA, Activation, and other publishers could set up Home spaces during times like E3, GDC, or TGS It could be an excellent way of feeling like you are apart of the whole thing. Accessing trailors, gameplay footage, and possibly catching an entire press conference via Home/PSN would be really cool and I hope that is the directly they take Home in multimedia wise. Perhaps visiting an Activition Home space during an E3 Activition press conference could enter you in a chance to beta test, or unlock a new home theme, or enable new DLC for a game available only during that time. Things like that which will foster the community feel Home is suppose to provide.

I am a Beta tester for Home, so I feel I speak from experience and use that Home does have the potential, it's up to Sony which direction they want to take it in. And from the sounds of it (and if Peter Moore is any gauge in developer/publisher interest) it would work out well.

I totally agree. Home has a lot of potential to be something cool, it's just up to Sony to see it through. I never really thought about the virtual E3/Leipzig/etc. That would be awesome.