PlayStation Home - The Deep Throat Report

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

US, August 27, 2007 - In Sony's move to bolster the success of its online presence with the PlayStation 3, it decided not to simply copy Xbox Live's Achievement Point or GamerCard system, but rather take the online space in a new direction with PlayStation Home. The concept is simple: You log in, create a character and roam about the world, interacting with other users and various entertainment outlets (movie screens, arcade games, etc.)

While the concept is simple, the implementation is anything but that, and so a short while back Sony opened up PlayStation Home to a select group of beta testers. The number of testers is small, keeping the flow of inside information to a minimum.

Though we don't have direct access to it ourselves outside of controlled event showings, one lucky insider (who shall remain anonymous for fear of losing his or her access to the beta), gave us just that.

IGN Video

What areas do you have access to within the beta, and how large are they? i.e. is the movie theater sizable or only a few rooms?

There are 4 areas, all of which were shown at GDC.

1. Your apartment. There is only one apartment available right now. I'd say it's about 15ft x 40ft.

2. The Lobby. It's the same area that was first shown at GDC. This area is quite large, about the size of a football field. There are places to sit and chat, and large screens to watch.

3. Movie Theatre. This is the same area shown at GDC. When you walk in there is a large screen playing a Spider-Man 3 trailer. There are 10 theatre rooms which currently show a variety of game and movie trailers.

4. The Game Room. The game room is about half the size of the lobby, which is more than big enough. It's easily the most popular room. There are 6 pool tables, 4 bowling lanes, and 10 arcade machines.

How easy is it to invite friends and transition into games? Are you receiving pop up notices while you're playing games from other home beta users?

This feature has not been implemented yet. None of the new features or areas outlined at E3 have made it into the beta. None. There is no support for in-home parties.

How many options do you have for customizing your avatar within home? Are you relatively restricted or is there a lot of flexibility?

The face creation system is very detailed. It's sorted by things like: eyes, nose, etc. and goes all the way down to things like: Upper face symmetry, lower face symmetry. These facial features are adjusted by a slider that can be moved in both the x and y axis. For example, while adjusting "eye location" the y axis controls the height of your eyes, and the x axis controls their distance from the centre of your face. There are about 20 of these sliders, which give you about 40 different ways to adjust your face alone.

The hair and clothing is still limited in selection. Body shape (which was added in a recent update) only has one adjustment slider.

Is the functionality of wallpaper, music, photos and video playback in your apartment working as of now?

The ability to play back content from your HDD has not been included. You are restricted to pre-set photos for picture frames. The ability to play back video and audio of any type has also not yet been included. TVs or Stereos do not appear in the list of available types of furniture.

Speaking of apartments, how easy is it to move between yours and another player's place? Can you walk there, or do you have to warp over there?

You can walk into your own apartment, but have to be invited and then warp to get into a friends apartment.

Can you go into someone else's apartment when they're not there, or do they have to invite you in?

The only way to get into is for them to invite you while they are in their apartment.

Have you seen some of the arcade games or other features that were touted, like adding or removing objects from your personal space?

Barring certain areas and apartment audio/video playback, everything from GDC is in the home beta right now. This includes arcade games, bowling, pool, furniture placement, character customization, etc. The features that are in home do work well. All the games are fun to play, and promote communication. Placing furniture is relatively painless and there is a good assortment of furniture to choose from. The physics work as promised.

Have you seen the "Trophy room" that we were shown earlier this year? If so, is it as large as was initially shown, and have you seen any titles you've played suddenly generate awards in the trophy room?

There is currently no trophy room.

How's the communication in Home working? Have they implemented the voice chat and keyboard support, or are you stuck with predictive text? Is it supporting Bluetooth yet?

Communication works very well. It supports Bluetooth headsets as well as keyboards. These were both day 1 features. You hold R2 to speak. The audio volume depends on the proximity of your character to the source. This works well in allowing you to have one-on-one conversations while still being able to hear people chatter around you.

Is there anything you can think of that's cool or that sucks that we didn't ask you about the beta?

I'll start with what's uncool. Some features that they've showed us since GDC are still not there, and nothing from E3 is. Sony also had a monthly roadmap of improvements/features/places they were going to implement but have not followed it. Home has had one update since launch. For example the roadmap said that more games were coming, pointing to chess as an example.

Also, for some strange reason, my hair changes color for no reason as I walk in and out of locations.

What's cool? Home works. What I mean by that is it's easy to go in and socialize and have a fun time doing it. People generally have a good time. It has a very open atmosphere, so you can pretty much walk up to anyone and start chatting with them. I've made friends in Home that I play online games such as Resistance or MotorStorm with. The Home beta has left me very excited about the final product, as it should be even more enjoyable when everyone I know has access to it.

Source: http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/816/816186p2.html

Well it looks like a lot of the stuff Sony have shown us in presentations hasn't trickled down to beta users as of yet! Hopefully once the open beta hits they have.

Thing is Home is just one big WIP. What get's released once its "out" finally will not be the same in one month, 4 months or a years time. That for me shows potential no matter how many people hate on it - So much stuff can be tweaked/added at a later date :yes:

[Minifig]

Sony creates Second Life with Achievement Points from the 360.

Woo.

Sorry. :no:, not interested.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Sony creates Second Life with Achievement Points from the 360.

Woo.

Sorry. :no:, not interested.

I laugh if you really think it's that simple to sum up Home. Second Life with Achievement points... :rolleyes:

Home is tailored for the PS3 and is made for the gaming/multimedia community. It's not second life at all :no: Graphically its similar, albeit a lot better, but it will be much different.

Games will be able to interact in lots of different ways with Home. Lot's of developers have said this already with games including LBP, GT 5, ect.

I for one find nothing wrong with 3D trophies/the Trophy room/ w/e it works out to be/include. All it does is add extra benefits for the PS3 owner. Not a bad feature at all.

It's ok to have opinions at this stage, but remember we haven't seen much. Keep an open mind to see what it evolves into :yes:

For a couple of examples of what I deem potential...

We've already been told developers can pimp out their own "area"/"arena" whatever you want to call it to showcase all their games/upcoming games. What happens if next year for example all the gamer shows (E3, GC, ect) can have a virtual "floor" or area. So you can watch E3 through your PS3 whilst it happens with lots of others. Then afterwards this floor could have EVERYTHING in relation to E3 in the one area. Game info/trailers/demos/ect. I would find that pretty sweet rather than having to wade through the internet to topics of my choice, and visit countless sites just to see every trailer. Not to mention being able to discuss everything as it happens with other viewers.

Secondly I think the social aspects contain lots of potential. Lots of people like to visualize a virtual picture of their oponents/buddies. Have you ever played CS online and seen lots of people running around saying pwn'd, noob, swearing, getting angry ect... you immediately think 14 yr old, no gf, spotty and fat (well maybe not that harsh :p) People like to associate with others in a visual way and through audio obviously as well... both present in home. Let's not forget the e-penis thats connected to many gamers, they will want the coolest home pads, the best trophies, most unlocked content, coolest looking characters - eg maybe through unique unlocked clothing thats obtained through beating aspects of a game.

I just think there is tons of potential and 99% of the things in Home will only add to a PS3 owners enjoyment :yes:

Edited August 28, 2007 by Audioboxer

[.KICK]

So I see alot of girls in those pictures, that mean loads of males are gonna choose to be a female in the game?

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

So I see alot of girls in those pictures, that mean loads of males are gonna choose to be a female in the game?

Well its bound to your PSN signup (main account).

For legal reasons I doubt a lot of people would lie about their gender if they are inputing credit cards/switch cards for the PSN store.

It's not WoW here where you can select to be anything you want :p

[.KICK]

Well its bound to your PSN signup (main account).

For legal reasons I doubt a lot of people would lie about their gender if they are inputing credit cards/switch cards for the PSN store.

It's not WoW here where you can select to be anything you want :p

Of course its not WoW but I just can't see this going well.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Of course its not WoW but I just can't see this going well.

Care to elaborate? I love discussions :p

As I've said when you signup for PSN you have to give out a lot of details about yourself/where you live/contact numbers and also if you want to buy things credit card #'s.

There really is no "safe way" to lie about that. I doubt anyone who's using PSN will have put their gender as the opposite :/

As it will also be no doubt bound to your main PSN account, people will fake accounts in different regions will have no chance to exploit.

In an enviroment such as WoW it's "legally" fine to be a female character. Guys can be females if they want... it's not against the T&C. In Home I doubt Sony would give this sorta leway.

The community will also be moderated as well and Sony have already said consistent offenders can have their PS3 completely banned from Home/PSN.

Edited August 28, 2007 by Audioboxer

[iconboy]

looks good, cant wait til the public beta, as u all know this was a major factor in my purchase of a ps3 ;)

[Julius Caro]

They could release the damn thing already ... !

[KoL Veteran]

They could release the damn thing already ... !

hehehe yeah, I want to use this.

[spacer]

It looks dumb honestly. Too much going on for such a simple concept.

[TDQuiksilver]

Thanks for the article. (Y) Those of you outside the beta will be pleasantly surprised this fall. :yes:

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Sounds like it's pretty restricted so far for beta testers. Hope it livens up a bit with the public beta though. Will be interesting to see how it evolves over time.

[sn00pie]

It looks interesting, I doubt I'll use it.

[spenser.d]

Sounds like Sony's doing their usual underdelivering on their promises. I hesitate to think that Home will be nearly as feature complete as they promised when they decide to release it to the public. Nice thing is they can keep adding to it. But it still reminds me of the saying, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." Sony promised a lot of stuff, and while it may have been hard for any company to deliver on all those promises at once, maybe Sony should make less of them.

-Spenser

[Glassed Silver]

the thread title is.... :ninja:

Glassed Silver:mac

[Master Ryu]

I must say that I'm getting pretty excited about this. I've always felt that Sony's online community is pretty disjointed as Sony's been leaving it off to the game creators to manager it. Here, we finally get to be in a cohesive world, interact, play games, and be silly all in a fully 3d environment. I'm sure Sony can think of things beyond achievements and simple gamer profiles. PS Home truly looks like it will outdo Live in every single way, and it's free!

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Thanks for the article. (Y) Those of you outside the beta will be pleasantly surprised this fall. :yes:

Are you in it?

/jealous

:( haha

[Glassed Silver]

the thread title is.... :ninja:

Glassed Silver:mac

no one getting it?! :p xD

Glassed Silver:mac

[Ironman273]

I laugh if you really think it's that simple to sum up Home. Second Life with Achievement points... :rolleyes:

Home is tailored for the PS3 and is made for the gaming/multimedia community. It's not second life at all :no: Graphically its similar, albeit a lot better, but it will be much different.

Games will be able to interact in lots of different ways with Home. Lot's of developers have said this already with games including LBP, GT 5, ect.

I for one find nothing wrong with 3D trophies/the Trophy room/ w/e it works out to be/include. All it does is add extra benefits for the PS3 owner. Not a bad feature at all.

It's ok to have opinions at this stage, but remember we haven't seen much. Keep an open mind to see what it evolves into :yes:

For a couple of examples of what I deem potential...

We've already been told developers can pimp out their own "area"/"arena" whatever you want to call it to showcase all their games/upcoming games. What happens if next year for example all the gamer shows (E3, GC, ect) can have a virtual "floor" or area. So you can watch E3 through your PS3 whilst it happens with lots of others. Then afterwards this floor could have EVERYTHING in relation to E3 in the one area. Game info/trailers/demos/ect. I would find that pretty sweet rather than having to wade through the internet to topics of my choice, and visit countless sites just to see every trailer. Not to mention being able to discuss everything as it happens with other viewers.

Secondly I think the social aspects contain lots of potential. Lots of people like to visualize a virtual picture of their oponents/buddies. Have you ever played CS online and seen lots of people running around saying pwn'd, noob, swearing, getting angry ect... you immediately think 14 yr old, no gf, spotty and fat (well maybe not that harsh :p ) People like to associate with others in a visual way and through audio obviously as well... both present in home. Let's not forget the e-penis thats connected to many gamers, they will want the coolest home pads, the best trophies, most unlocked content, coolest looking characters - eg maybe through unique unlocked clothing thats obtained through beating aspects of a game.

I just think there is tons of potential and 99% of the things in Home will only add to a PS3 owners enjoyment :yes:

Well, while the trophy room looks cool it's still just a mockup image since it's not in Home yet.

Also, while it sounds cool to have all this content from developers, remember that they will need to spend time away from their game development to make these areas. The payoff will have to be palpable for them to do this. I guess they could offer stuff for sale but I think it's something that needs to work out of the box for someone like EA, let's say, so other developers see the potential and join in.

Anyways, it's all conjecture, as this interview points out, since most of the stuff is not even in Home yet. We'll see when the final comes out.

[PL_ Veteran]

no one getting it?! :p xD

Glassed Silver:mac

The view count speaks for itself :p