[Tejstar]

Press release says it all!

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.




“PlayStation Home is truly a promising network community service on the PlayStation platform, made possible with the powerful combination of PS3's overwhelming computational power and PlayStation Network that covers many countries around the globe,” said Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO, SCE. “We are committed to providing PS3 users with exciting gaming experiences with PlayStation Home and together with our partners and users, expand the new world of interactive entertainment as we move forward.”

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.”

SCEE today also announced the first partnerships with some of the world’s most respected lifestyle brands for the Open Beta. Fashion leader Diesel, contemporary furniture designers Ligne Roset, energy drink Red Bull, film studio Paramount Pictures and video content providers Hexus TV and Eurogamer are the first on board. They will offer resident’s virtual clothing for their avatar, virtual furniture for their PlayStation Home apartments, exclusive video content and a virtual flying challenge: the Red Bull Air Race.

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. 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.

[Zeromajor]

Imo the 'closed' beta was just a marketing ploy to get people more interested in HOME than they would've normally been.

By people thinking that they're part of an select club, more people are bound to want to be in it by word of mouth/internet - you can't buy that type of advertising.

My opinion at the moment is that HOME is a pretty toy, and serves little function in my living room. I hope they can cut the loading times to integrate it a little more seamlessly - and I hope they give it enough content for me to bother firing it up again.

[Shaunio]

Great news! I hope everyone enjoys it!!

I also hope they have fixed the bugs from the beta. I'm sure they have but if not then a million people will be complaining about it all over the place.

When I decorate my summer house with furniture/ornaments it's all gone when I come back another day - as if my place has been burgled

Hope they have fixed that one!

See you guys on there!

[Mickus]

Don't **** it up Sony!

Great news.

[Darkstomper]

Here we go.... cool.

I am so ready for some new stuff in Home, I quickly tired of the new stuff the other day and as Shaunio said I am sick of decorating my Summer House only for the stuff to have vanished on next reload.

I like the sound of the Farcry space. I suppose we will need to download a new version tomorrow, lets see what we are able to keep for free from the Closed Beta. It does sound like there will be a lot of new stuff to get hold of, my thinking though is that much of it will be 'coming soon' and perhaps the Open Beta will initially be very similar to the Closed one.

In any event tomorrow should be good!

See you at Home dear.....

[phillg1981]

Great news, looking forward to this.

[Pincho Paxton]

Just heard about home. Do you have to download anything, or is it already part of the PS3?

[Zeromajor]

Originally Posted by Pincho Paxton

Just heard about home. Do you have to download anything, or is it already part of the PS3?

You will have to download it from the store. Maybe in the future they'll force it as part of a firmware update.

[Tokoloshe Man]

You will have to download it tomorrow.

[danmc_82]

Do you have to pay or is it free to download?

[Shaunio]

It's free

Sony also said that all you have to do is restart your PS3 and it will appear. Not sure how that works as those of us already using it had to download it (77MB)

[danmc_82]

Not very big file. So does that mean it will automaticaly be on the system then?

[Robothamster]

The 77mb gets you into Home, but each time to enter a new area the 1st time you have to download extra, all free so far btw. I think typical additional areas are around the 25mb size so again, not too big.

[danmc_82]

Originally Posted by Robothamster

The 77mb gets you into Home, but each time to enter a new area the 1st time you have to download extra, all free so far btw. I think typical additional areas are around the 25mb size so again, not too big.

Thanks for that, its been along time coming so at least the downloads will be quick.

[Shaunio]

When you have downloaded Home and installed it then it will "reserve" around 1.3GB of space on your hard drive (it will tell you it's going to do this).

Also, while in Home you can queue up your downloads, so you can be wandering around your apartment while it downloads the other areas in the background (it pops up and tells you when they're finished and asks if you want to go there)

[Robothamster]

Hello Shaunio mate, bumped into you in the square the other day! Very strange, it's full of foreigners chatting away in german, french etc yet in the space of 10 mins I bump into 2 blokes from AVF!

[Darkstomper]

Originally Posted by Robothamster

Hello Shaunio mate, bumped into you in the square the other day! Very strange, it's full of foreigners chatting away in german, french etc yet in the space of 10 mins I bump into 2 blokes from AVF!

Why does my brain insist on reading your username as Robert the Hamster???

[danvitale]

Originally Posted by Shaunio

I also hope they have fixed the bugs from the beta. I'm sure they have but if not then a million people will be complaining about it all over the place.

Its still a Beta. Its just open to everyone. Its likely they may delete everything and start from a clean slate when they decide to go live.

[Shaunio]

Originally Posted by Robothamster

Hello Shaunio mate, bumped into you in the square the other day! Very strange, it's full of foreigners chatting away in german, french etc yet in the space of 10 mins I bump into 2 blokes from AVF!

Hello mate! Recognised your name and followed you around for a bit while trying to type "are you from AVF" on my little keyboard

[Robothamster]

Originally Posted by Darkstomper

Why does my brain insist on reading your username as Robert the Hamster???

Maybe you're psychic, my real name is Robert Thomas and Robothamster is an anagram.

Originally Posted by Shaunio

Hello mate! Recognised your name and followed you around for a bit while trying to type "are you from AVF" on my little keyboard

Yeah, and when I finally noticed you, you kept walking off while I tried to type!

[Darkstomper]

[quote=Robothamster;8321955]Maybe you're psychic, my real name is Robert Thomas and Robothamster is an anagram.

Oooh smashin, I just love a similarity!
My Username is 2 letters changed from my real name.. Mark Stamper..

When I got married we had one of those boards out in the reception area of the foyer. It had stick on letters with my name and my wife's etc. Next time I saw it during the day one of my mates had 'amended' my name...Voila 'Dakstomper' (online username problems solved forever). He had also amended my wifes, but I can't post that on here!!

Have I perhaps strayed from the relevance of the topic here?? mmmm

[Robothamster]

Did you watch 'kicking Bishop Brenan up the arse' the other day mate?

We must watch the full boxset once every 6 months, never gets old. Watched the one with the Zombie old ladies last night....

[Darkstomper]

Originally Posted by Robothamster

Did you watch 'kicking Bishop Brenan up the arse' the other day mate?

We must watch the full boxset once every 6 months, never gets old. Watched the one with the Zombie old ladies last night....

Teeheee yes was very good!

Zombie ladies! watched that too...

Eoin McLove.. 'I can smell wee'.

[Robothamster]

[jonas000]

What time is Home available to download then??????

[hondavee4]

Originally Posted by jonas000

What time is Home available to download then??????

hopefully in 90 mins

[cashmc]

Still no home

[AndyLFC5]

What time do Sony usually do updates, isn't it later, like 6pm onwards ?????

[ciderspace]

I read on another site that Home will be available "tonight"....

[Tigerblade]

It has already been said it'll be available when the store updates, the store updates mid afternoon time.

EDIT - looks like I'm wrong, from info knocking about at the mo it seems it is already on everyones PS3, they just activate it and it appears