We knew it was
coming this month, now we have the day: tomorrow. Yup,
PlayStation Home will launch globally on December 11th. The 3D virtual on-line community is like Second Life, only with the risk of
rootkit. Hot. All kidding aside, the new service gives PS3 owners a customizable place to chat (voice or text) and play games with other PlayStation Home users through personalized avatars. Just like real life except without acne and all your social shortcomings. Home will be available to download and "experience basic features" for free -- some services (like creating a "club") will require cash though, so be prepared.
Update: Added video of Red Bull's PlayStation Home Air Race game after the break. It's also worth noting that the US is positioning this as an "
open beta" whereas the
Japanese announcement seems to position this as full production launch.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Poom @ Dec 10th 2008 3:21AM
TOMORROW!? HOLY SH*T!
Dave Chappelle @ Dec 10th 2008 4:11AM
YES HOLY SHIT!!!
why isn't this all over the Engadget front page with countless stories some of them not even that relevant just with a pic of it?..
oh that's only for Apple products.
I think if the PS3 does well this gen (which we all sort of know it will, eventually) Home could potentially be the biggest 'second life' sort of game and Sony could be racking in some serious cash... maybe so popular that they will even port it over to PC or something.
Blastar @ Dec 10th 2008 4:31AM
Finally....
fenix @ Dec 10th 2008 4:35AM
@ Dave Chapelle
"I think if the PS3 does well this gen (which we all sort of know it will, eventually)"
No.
"Home could potentially be the biggest 'second life' sort of game and Sony could be racking in some serious cash"
No.
"maybe so popular that they will even port it over to PC or something."
And...no.
reisa @ Dec 10th 2008 12:36PM
Don't get too excited. The beta hasn't been much fun. There's nothing to do besides stand in line waiting to play a handful of crappy arcade games or bowling. Yes. Stand in line just like real life. There's the odd "running man" line dance in the glitchy areas (search YouTube) ... but that wears off quickly. It's easy to see the whole thing is just a way to get you to spend real cash on virtual stuff. Or you could run around and be trolled/spammed by every 12-year-old with a PS3.
Eventually there's supposed to be video/audio sharing, and you can launch online games with friends. Which will be fun. But PAYING for a club? Ridiculous. Just like paying for virtual shoes.
Jon Graft @ Dec 10th 2008 4:04PM
@ fenix
I guess us Playstation owners can only hope that Home will someday reach the superior level to that of NXE...
http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/20/nxe-hitting-360s-with-red-ring-freezing-and-sorta-sexy-avatar-i/
Deathalo @ Dec 10th 2008 3:21AM
Interesting, wonder what this will mean for current beta testers like myself.
Fade2blac @ Dec 10th 2008 3:32AM
Nothing?
razgriz417 @ Dec 10th 2008 3:40AM
There was a HOME sale a few days back where everything was free, a gift for beta testing I think...
Jakob @ Dec 10th 2008 4:54AM
You're probably being kicked Home (haha)
HyeWarrior @ Dec 10th 2008 3:22AM
Wait... It's ACTUALLY coming out? Weird
Fernando @ Dec 10th 2008 3:24AM
I want to get a virtual minimalist loft too.
Mungie3 @ Dec 10th 2008 3:24AM
OMGOMGOMG.......
I just hope I won't be disappointed like with LBP.
Fade2blac @ Dec 10th 2008 3:29AM
Care to explain why you were disappointed with LittleBigPlanet?
yoji @ Dec 10th 2008 3:32AM
You probably will be... because it seems you have impossibly high expectations-- LBP is AWESOME.
oGMo @ Dec 10th 2008 3:33AM
How could you possibly be disappointed with LBP? Sure the servers were crazy for a few days, and likely Home will be slammed utterly for a week as well, but hey. All's well that ends well.
Mungie3 @ Dec 10th 2008 4:19AM
Granted, it's a good game, it's just that I expected it to keep my attention for a bit longer than a couple of weeks. I guess it's just a preference thing, but I just can't spend hours playing other users' levels. The concept is great, it just didn't meet my expectations (possibly because of the 2 year wait time and excess of hype).
absinthe party @ Dec 10th 2008 7:33AM
LBP definitely lived up to its (my) expectations. On the other hand, Spore did not.
kyle allen @ Dec 10th 2008 3:25AM
does anyone else find this whole idea creepy?
redringofdeath @ Dec 10th 2008 3:42AM
Yes. Other human beings are downright frightening.
Mike @ Dec 10th 2008 3:42AM
Errm do you find facebook creepy? If not, then this is no different, just a 3D version of it, with much more media based social interaction.
I'm in the closed beta, and frankly I think Home is awesome, it's going to revolutionise social networking for consoles. It's not a agme per-se, infact it's very tricky to clarify what home is, like trying to explain what the internet was to someone back in 1990.
phobic99 @ Dec 10th 2008 7:12AM
Yes, a 3D version of Facebook... with a lot more dudes.
ZeroCorpse @ Dec 10th 2008 10:42AM
Yeah. They might as well call it "Home: Sausagefest Edition" or "Home: Loyal Order of The No Girls Allowed Club" for all the actual females I've seen in the Beta.
Sure, I've got a cool apartment in Home, but I'm not into inviting the guys I see ALL OVER THE PLACE to visit my home in Home. Savvy?
They need to do more to bring in the chicks!
Galley @ Dec 10th 2008 1:31PM
It's sure to be a real sausage fest.
kyle allen @ Dec 11th 2008 1:29AM
facebook is like email, this is like tron
Fade2blac @ Dec 10th 2008 3:27AM
In the press release it said something about paying to be a clubhouse owner. What is a clubhouse?!
razgirz417 @ Dec 10th 2008 3:37AM
Think Clans but they have a physical meeting place that they have access to. I read somewhere that there is a limit to the size of clubs and you can only be apart of 4 at a time and be the head of 1 at a time.
NHAnimator @ Dec 10th 2008 7:55AM
"they have a physical meeting place that they have access to"
...uh...physical? As is an actual building?
Ehed13 @ Dec 10th 2008 1:46PM
it's a virtual-physical meeting place...
Nixter @ Dec 10th 2008 3:31AM
Tomorrow!, Globally!!!
That's ALL hope it lives up to the wait
who says it will be down again by the weekend?
LOL
Mike @ Dec 10th 2008 3:38AM
Rootkits? Come on grow up. Is this blog written by schoolkids? If you want to be taken as a credible source you need to sort your act out. Until then, anything I read here is just laughable nonsense.
CamryFan @ Dec 10th 2008 3:46AM
I was under the impression the Engadget was meant to be a humorous website, so their immature (but funny) comment is fine.
Jakob @ Dec 10th 2008 3:55AM
Agree with both of you. Engadget is becoming more like Gizmodo, while I like both sites, I think Engadget should keep the "serious" blog-style, and let Gizmodo keep their way. No harm with an interposed sentence once in a while, but to me it seems like Engadget keeps doing it with pretty much every post.
Eleazar @ Dec 13th 2008 4:14AM
I thought gizmodo was the boring one
reader @ Dec 10th 2008 4:00AM
"...is like Second Life, only with the risk of rootkit."
Sony already has root on your PS3.
Blastar @ Dec 10th 2008 6:48AM
I think you missed something... Sony is ALL ABOUT Rookits !!, long time now...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Sony_BMG_CD_copy_protection_scandal
WickedEast @ Dec 10th 2008 11:26AM
I know it's a scandal turned popular joke but I think we should give it a rest already and move along. Besides, what does Sony BMG has anything to do with SCE? Some 'tards at Sony BMG fucked up but that doesn't mean everyone working for Sony are assholes.
digitallysick @ Dec 10th 2008 4:14AM
I believe this will be an epic failure, i think second life is a failure as well. Its pointless , i can't personally see this ever becoming the future of our internets. I am very open minded but its pointless, you walk around and do what? talk to people , and get rigged into buying things with real money to have in the "fake" world. Fail
slickhenry @ Dec 10th 2008 5:02AM
Did you say the same thing about the internet back in '93?
MS @ Dec 10th 2008 7:57AM
You may think SecondLife is pointless, and I might agree, but millions of people disagree with us, so that doesn't make it a failure...
Dave Chappelle @ Dec 10th 2008 4:15AM
its better is it?
even though it could not even get over 100kb/s when loading when I momentarily went on the site, looking for a flaw that I could swear at you for. But I could not even get that far, so plain and simple I hope you die in a fire.
Dave Chappelle @ Dec 10th 2008 4:19AM
wtf? i just got off the phone with a piece of shit nagging telemarketer from India and now you post this?
"Yaa . Its Great news .
I will Siting on my sheet"
fucking predictable complete lack of grammar trying to con people into going onto his site.
Skribble26 @ Dec 10th 2008 4:36AM
merry christmas.
absinthe party @ Dec 10th 2008 7:35AM
Thanks! Same to you!
AlDeezy @ Dec 10th 2008 4:51AM
I am in the beta, and this is a cool free gift for all the ps3 owners out there. I will see you there( yes all of you), inquiring about your ownership of a 360, which for some reason is blasphemy among the people I have talked with on home, and also trying to think about something to talk about that won't end in awkward silences. lol
TubeTop100.com @ Dec 10th 2008 5:19AM
Finally, you can play yourself sitting at home watching television, in your home on your PS3 connected to your television. Amazing!
Reminds me of that Xzibit pic
http://bum.net/pics/xzibit.jpg
AlDeezy @ Dec 10th 2008 5:40AM
Epic, lol
CBus @ Jan 3rd 2009 1:32PM
More like WoWoW (World of World of Warcraft)
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/warcraft_sequel_lets_gamers_play
Marc22 @ Dec 10th 2008 6:20AM
I know the psp has it's limited resources but anybody know about how the psp is going to get in on this action?
w4rh34rt @ Dec 10th 2008 6:54AM
Please say it's released in Europe tomorrow aswell. I'll die if we get left behind again lol. Hate living in the UK sometimes you know =] Well, even if I can't download it tomorrow.. Hope you all have a fun time!!! =]