PSN Home Goes Live - inFAMOUS, Killzone 2 and SOCOM tomorrow

Looks like the folks in Sony's tech department have worked out the day's earlier issues and have managed to get Home out to the masses.

Home director Jack Buser is excited. "I am so very happy to announce that PlayStation Home has now officially entered into Open Beta. Restart your PlayStation 3, and you will see the PlayStation Home icon under the PlayStation Network column of the XMB. Click on the icon, and you are in."

Simple as that, though we're still hearing a few reports of dropped connections, probably because its being battered. Over the last few hours PSN's been up and down like a lift.

"Getting to this point has required a tremendous amount of participation, input, care, and passion from the thousands of beta testers who helped make PlayStation Home what it is today. So to all of you that have tested, from all of us on the PlayStation Home team here at Sony: 'Thank You!'"

Buser continued, "For those of you that are new to PlayStation Home, be sure to plug in a USB keyboard (or pair your Bluetooth headset) and start meeting your fellow PS3 owners.

"And remember, even with all the spaces, rewards, items, and activities available today, what you see now is just the beginning. Home will grow, change, and evolve very quickly - and it is all based on your feedback."

father fishmas wrote:I'm looking forward to trying it, as i'm seemingly the only PS3 owner who didn't get on the beta

1cmanny1 wrote:Homes quite good, you all should be excited.

And i heard it was the 17th or something

OnlyShallow wrote:

father fishmas wrote:I'm looking forward to trying it, as i'm seemingly the only PS3 owner who didn't get on the beta

I got a Beta code, but I didn't check my emails until after the expiry date.
"Wooohoooo, I have a home beta code...... that expired yesterday"

I really should check my yahoo account more often.

Rik wrote:I wasn't impressed, seem liked a lot of loading and another chunk of my HDD reserved for not a lot interesting

What does this actually do that improves PS3 can someone explain?

Rik wrote:I wasn't impressed, seem liked a lot of loading and another chunk of my HDD reserved for not a lot interesting

What does this actually do that improves PS3 can someone explain?

Sony wrote:10/12/2008 08:00
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 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.

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.”

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 [£1.30ish]. 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.

Brerlaplands Santa Hat wrote:Wait, thats today! I didnt realise it was the 10th already. I dunno about home, it seems kinda like the thing youd play for 20 minutes and go 'yeah, this is actually pretty cool!' and never touch it again.

PS Blog wrote:The day we’ve been waiting for is here! And this is just the beginning…

Today we announced that PlayStation Home will enter into open beta, and will be available to everyone tomorrow. This milestone represents the very beginning of a long journey together, as PlayStation Home is an ever evolving, always changing, organic experience — full of new friends to meet, new events to enjoy, and new content to explore.

If this will be your first time in PlayStation Home, be sure to talk to folks that have been around for a while, as they can show you the ropes. We also have a tutorial built in that will get you started with the controls, as well as help menus for you to reference in the Menu Pad. If you don’t have a USB keyboard or Bluetooth headset paired with your PlayStation 3, now is the time to do so – either option will allow you to easily talk and meet everyone.

One of the first things that you’ll notice that there are always things going on – parties, tournaments, events – some of which will be announced, and some of which that will just happen. You’ve got to be there to be a part of the party, so make sure to log in often to see what is going on.

If you want to know what’s coming up, check out the PlayStation Home forums, as we will be announcing events, tournaments, content updates, and feature revisions there, and by actively participating, you will be the first to know. You’ll also find that the PlayStation Home forums are alive with conversation from the PlayStation Home community discussing everything from feature requests to new clubs to join.

Many of you will have already seen the news regarding participation in PlayStation Home from your favorite game publishers and brands, including Activision, Disney, Eidos, Electronic Arts, Lucas Arts, THQ and UBISOFT as well as Sony Pictures, Paramount, Red Bull, Ligne Roset, and Diesel. As you can imagine, with this many partners already on board, PlayStation Home will grow rapidly, so you’ll need to check back often to see what is new. We’ll do our best to keep you informed on what is going on, but with so much happening in PlayStation Home, there will always be new surprises and secrets to discover. If we simply told you about everything, then it just wouldn’t be as fun for you to discover…

For those of you that have been in PlayStation Home for a while, I wanted to take a moment to discuss something very cool that you will notice right away. Once you get in, you’ll see that a redesigned Central Plaza is there to greet you - we’ve made major upgrades as a result of your community feedback. Thank you!

First of all, the Central Plaza now features a new 4 player mini-game called “Saucer Pop,” where each player launches a flying saucer from a take-off pad and flies around popping bubbles. These bubbles contain stars that have points attached, but watch out for the bubbles with bombs which will take you out if you’re not careful. You also must keep an eye on your saucer’s fuel gauge and collect bubbles with fuel cells or else you will quickly meet a watery fate. Success is all about the high scores, so good luck out there! I’ve been playing for a while now while we’ve been developing the game, so I’m getting pretty good…for those of you that know me, prepare to pop!

Secondly, you will also see some changes to Listen@Home. Now, you’ll be able to select from a number of songs and vote on your favorites. Which ever song gets the most votes plays for everyone, so be sure to get your voice heard and get down on the dance floor.

I could go on and on about all the cool new things you are going see and find in PlayStation Home, both on day one of open beta and beyond. The important thing to remember is that PlayStation Home will continue to evolve and change overtime, so be sure to get in often so you don’t miss out…

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

PS3 Fanboy wrote:"Home will live or die on the strength of its content." It was good to hear these words coming from Daniel Hill, Sony Europe's Director of Home, at a media day event in London. While Home's initial vision seemed ambitious and groundbreaking, what we've seen so far in the closed beta has been comparatively underwhelming. What was shown at the event, however, was some upcoming first- and third-party content that showed significant progress and potential.

Seeing as the media day event was hosted by SCEE there will be some info regarding Home spaces that might be correct only for Europe. The majority of info should, however, be universal for all regions.

The MotorStorm apartment, a premium customizable living space, is very different to the Harbour Studio and the Summer House that closed beta users have already seen. Based around the MotorStorm franchise it's set on a cliff shelf, overlooking the MotorStorm festival, complete with an animated race taking place below. The Home developers we spoke to hadn't yet decided how it would be distributed, but suggested it might be a contest prize or event-based item.

Speaking of events, we were shown the Events space, which has been around for a while now, reskinned for one of three upcoming events, which Sony promised us will be "coming shortly". The event demonstrated was a PSP-3000 treasure hunt, which asks Home users (Homers?) to find eight hidden numbers, strategically placed around the Events space. These numbers are plugged into an in-Home website and enter you into a prize draw for a real life PSP-3000 (pro tip: look closely at the Loco Roco fountain). Everyone who takes part will get a free in-Home PSP-3000 cap (pictured).

Two other events were mentioned, including a "design your own T-shirt" event, with the winner's design being made available for sale in the Home shopping centre. There will also be a "MotorStorm VIP" event, with some sort of developer interaction. These events look like great fun and, if they happen regularly, could be reason enough to come back into Home every so often.

Red Bull has recently been revealed as the first third-party partner to have their own Home environment. This Red Bull Air Race space was available to play with and includes a 3D plane-flying minigame. Players race through a set of rings in the fastest time possible. Times will then be placed on a universal Home leaderboard, allowing you to see how rank against your friends. Seeing full 3D minigames like this inside Home makes the service's potential a lot more exciting than we previously thought.

While all of the above content was shown live, there were also some pieces of concept art on show. These were for upcoming first-party game spaces, such as the Buzz! space which includes a multiplayer minigame called the "Buzz! Runaround." The concept art showed a top-down view of the environment, which looks like a Buzz! controller. Questions are pumped through from MyBuzz! and players must stand on the correct colored button to rack up points. Everyone in the room can play the game simultaneously, which means up to 32 people can be running around this virtual Buzz! controller at a time. This will also have a leaderboard, much like the Red Bull Air Race game.

Concept art for the MotorStorm space, complete with "MotorKartStorm" minigame and merchandise counter where you can buy such things as MotorStorm branded ripped festival jeans, were also shown. Finally, the Resistance 2 space concept art was revealed. The developers will be playing on the "Twisted History" aspect of the franchise by transforming the Home central plaza into a Chimeran infested invasion site. There was also talk of a team-based minigame requiring people to fight back a horde of Chimera, though that wasn't shown in the concept artwork.

A lot of interesting tid bits were also revealed. The Trophy room, long assumed dead, has been placed on hold. Though Daniel Hill did assure us that 3D Trophies would happen in the future. Speaking of Trophies, it has been confirmed that Home will be able to read what Trophies you have and unlock content appropriately. Not only that, but Home will also be able to dish out its own Trophies, though there is no indication how those will work.

It's possible for future games to have this functionality built in, so that when you acquire a Trophy a message will pop up telling you what you've unlocked in Home. There's also the potential for in-game menus, taking you straight to a game's Home space. It seems that integrating the entire PS3 platform in this way is a large aspect of Home.

There are hopes to develop further PSN Store integration, such as being able to download a game's demo or downloadable content simply by approaching an in-Home advertisement. Cross-game invites are possible by pulling people through Home, thanks to the party system, though it won't be available immediately.

Other updates, like bigger clubs, cross-Home game launching and extended profiles, are already planned. This interesting content should start to drop immediately, with more coming fairly regularly. If that happens, Home could definitely be a worthwhile addition to the PS3's feature list.

Cross-game invites are possible by pulling people through Home, thanks to the party system, though it won't be available immediately.