Engadget

PlayStation Home lets friends watch free movies together now, UStream and radio next month

Richard Lawler — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 12:43:00 EST

Sony's recently redesigned PlayStation Home project has always been about bringing online social experiences to the PS3 that mirror their real-world counterparts: hanging out in your apartment with friends, window shopping at the mall, Quincying. Now it can add one more notch to its virtual world experience belt by offering the ability to view full length movies for free, streamed by Sony's Crackle network. If you're a frequent user of Xbox Live's Netflix Movie Parties this may sound like old hat (were we the only ones using that feature?), but now all PS Home users -- in North America -- can do social viewing with up to 60 users or private parties with up to 11 at a time. Crackle's selection of movies and TV shows are available today, while live broadcast UStream events (Engadget podcast party anyone?) and musical stations provided by RadioIO are scheduled to debut in December. Press play on the video above for a quick preview or check after the break for a celebratory press release.

Continue reading PlayStation Home lets friends watch free movies together now, UStream and radio next month

PlayStation Home lets friends watch free movies together now, UStream and radio next month originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Nov 2011 12:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony to intro refreshed PlayStation Home tomorrow, tosses in free titles to celebrate (video)

Joseph Volpe — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 19:24:00 EST

SCEA's cleaning up its virtual house and introducing a new design for PlayStation Home. The newly redecorated Hub is set to hit PS3 consoles in North America tomorrow, bringing with it "genre-based districts" split into Action for core gamers, Sportswalk for related scores, news and titles, Adventure which'll extend the Uncharted 3 experience, Pier Park that plays host to arcade games, PlayStation Home Theater for media content and, lastly, PlayStation Home Mall where you can purchase DLC. A spate of "freemium" titles is also on deck for the refresh, offering users access to a handful of mini-games like the first-person shooter Bootleggers '29, poker-based PlayStation Home Hold 'Em, PlayStation Home Sport Trivia, racer RC Rally and 3D puzzle game Cogs. If you're aching for a sneak peek, just click on past the break for a video tease.

Continue reading Sony to intro refreshed PlayStation Home tomorrow, tosses in free titles to celebrate (video)

Sony to intro refreshed PlayStation Home tomorrow, tosses in free titles to celebrate (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony redesigns PlayStation Home, makes it the game outside the game

Michael Gorman — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:49:00 EST

Sony updated PlayStation Home in the spring of this year, and gave its virtual world multiplayer support and better graphics. Evidently that update wasn't quite what Sony wanted, so the company will roll out a complete redesign of the community this autumn to make it easier for folks to connect with desired content. The revamped Home lets users find games by exploring several themed districts (Action, Adventure, Sportswalk and Pier Park) with their digital doppelgängers. Sony's saying the changes will make PlayStation Home itself a game, so maybe it's time for Second Life to start shaking in its boots. Denizens of Sony's digital world can get more details in the PR below.

Continue reading Sony redesigns PlayStation Home, makes it the game outside the game

Sony redesigns PlayStation Home, makes it the game outside the game originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony PSN 'Welcome Back' promotion extended... for one more day

Zach Honig — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EST

Welcome back. Again. Chances are, anyone planning to grab those PSN freebies took their share when the promotion launched last month, but just in case you've been holding out, Sony's giving you another 24 hours (from now) to download your pair of free PS3 and PSP games, 100 virtual items from PlayStation Home, and 30 days of PlayStation Plus. After then, you better be prepared to pay up for your copy of Dead Nation or LittleBigPlanet. The whole gratis shebang goes offline for good at 9AM Pacific Time tomorrow -- just before the PlayStation Store is set to open for business in Japan.

Sony PSN 'Welcome Back' promotion extended... for one more day originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony rolls up the PSN 'Welcome Back' mat this Sunday, takes free entertainment with it

Zach Honig — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:07:00 EST

Four weeks ago today, Sony announced its 'Welcome Back' campaign following the weeks-long PSN outage that began in April. Now, the program is entering its final weekend, giving you just two more days to download your pair of free PS3 or PSP games, along with 100 virtual items from PlayStation Home and 30 days of PlayStation Plus. To claim your gratis package from the PlayStation Store, click on the "Welcome Back" tab and make your pick. Sure, a few handouts may not make up for those countless days you spent offline, contemplating a switch to other networks, but free stuff is free stuff, so head over to PSN to claim what's rightfully yours before the clock strikes midnight on July 3rd.

Sony rolls up the PSN 'Welcome Back' mat this Sunday, takes free entertainment with it originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony rolling out PlayStation Home 1.5 update with real-time multiplayer support

Zach Honig — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 13:49:00 EST

Earlier this morning, Sony lifted the floodgates on its 1.5 update for PlayStation Home, bringing with it real-time multiplayer support, improved physics and more realistic graphics, among other goodies and graphical tweaks that we're slightly less excited about (like, umm, "better furniture management"). Also hitting the PlayStation Home Mall this week is Sodium Blaster's Paradise personal space and TankTop 1.0, a mini-game which appears to take advantage of the improved graphics promised in Home 1.5. Of course, the big news here is the real-time multiplayer support, which Sony says will pave the way for first-person shooter and racing games, making it even easier to terrorize other players from the safety of mom's basement. So, what are you waiting for? Hit the source link for all the saucy details.

Sony rolling out PlayStation Home 1.5 update with real-time multiplayer support originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 13:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony announces Move.me application for researchers and hobbyists, promises improvements to PlayStation Home

Donald Melanson — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:18:00 EST

The PlayStation Move may not have proven to be as instantly hackable as Microsoft's Kinect, but it looks like Sony is now trying to change that -- it's just announced its new Move.me server application that promises to let researchers, hobbyists and others use the Move as a controller for a PC, with the PlayStation 3 handling all the work in between. It will be available for download from the PlayStation Network this spring, although you can also try your luck with Sony's early-product seeding program if you'd like to get it sooner -- no PS3 SDK or licensing agreement is required. In other PlayStation news, Sony's also confirmed that it's now working on version 1.5 of PlayStation Home, which promises to add real-time multiplayer gaming functionality to the virtual world, along with improved physics and refined graphics. Details on it are otherwise still fairly light, but it's also slated for a public release sometime this spring. Head on past the break for the official word on both announcements from Sony.

Continue reading Sony announces Move.me application for researchers and hobbyists, promises improvements to PlayStation Home

Sony announces Move.me application for researchers and hobbyists, promises improvements to PlayStation Home originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Home 'not a priority right now' for Sony, most people seem to feel the same way (update: misquote)

Paul Miller — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:20:00 EST

Just earlier this month we'd been hearing word from Sony that it was seeing PlayStation Home as more of a "social game platform" than a "social network," and now we're hearing that Sony might not be seeing it as much of anything. Peter Edward, the director of Home for Sony, says that the service is "not a priority right now." Kind of at odds with his other statement that it's "proved there is a market out there and we've got a lot of people that spend a lot of time in [Home]," but we'll let is slide. So, is this a roundabout way of saying Home hasn't been as great as Sony thought it would be, or just a different way of saying the emphasis is changing? We've never minded Sony's Home efforts on their own, but in the context of an also-ran multiplayer platform, it's easy to see why the company should be focusing on other aspects of the gaming experience.

Update: Sony has gone on record saying that this statement as reported by T3 from a talk at the London Games Conference is a misquote, instead saying that Peter was talking about how monetizing Home was not as big a priority as building the platform -- which others have confirmed.

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PlayStation Home 'not a priority right now' for Sony, most people seem to feel the same way (update: misquote) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Home 1.3 will let you launch any game from inside the metaverse

Ross Miller — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:55:00 EST

Frankly, you've probably had enough PlayStation news to last you a bit, but just in case the PS3 Slim, firmware 3.0, and PSP Minis weren't enough, the company revealed today an update to Home. Like everything else it seems, version 1.3 is also due out in September, and in addition to things like in-store item previews, cameras, and other new objects, you'll now have the option to launch any game from inside Home itself. Some titles like MotorStorm and Far Cry 2 that fully support the universal game launching have their own special icons and multiplayer functionality, while others will simply open up to the main menu. We're interested in what integration those fully supported games might enable, but either way, that's still one less excuse for avoiding Home. Now if they could only do something about all those annoying avatars...

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PlayStation Home 1.3 will let you launch any game from inside the metaverse originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Home full of immature jokers, unlike other virtual communities

Joseph L. Flatley — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:59:00 EST

It's not been a good month for Sony. Layoffs, poor holiday sales for the PS3 and a wee bit of hacking over at PlayStation Home surely have the electronics giant hungry for some good press, which has made the newest PR kerfuffle over at the nascent online service quite unfortunate. According to Ars Technica, Home has become something akin to the nightmare futurescape of The Warriors, a service "incredibly unwelcoming to women, with female players quickly mobbed as players dance around them or type sexual come-ons... a disturbing look at the worst part of human nature." This is heady stuff, but as the company is quick to point out, the thing is still in Beta, and it's still evolving -- hopefully, as it becomes more popular the free service will move itself out of the adolescent ghetto. In the mean time, they've been rocking a bit of good old fashioned censorship, banning words like "gay," "Jew," and "Hell" -- perfectly understandishable if you've ever spent a minute on any online gaming service, but highly uncool if you're trying to build any sort of inclusive social network. In the meantime, what's a homosexual Jewish Satanist to do? There's always Second Life...

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PlayStation Home full of immature jokers, unlike other virtual communities originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Home already hacked?

Ross Miller — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 19:49:00 EST

Well, that was fast. A poster by the name of StreetskaterFU has outlined what he claims is a method of hacking into PlayStation Home's servers for download, uploading and deleting files. We're not able to verify his directions, but if true it would be a potentially calamitous oversight on Sony's part. Additionally, a PS3hax forum poster claims to have used StreeskaterFU's method and changed the movie posters and trailers (looks like it only affects what he sees locally; video embedded after the break). We haven't seen any signs of hacker malfeasance during our time with Home, but let us know if your virtual moviegoing experience has been drastically altered.

Read - HOME vulnerabilities disclosure
Read - How to mod Home with your own posters and movies

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PlayStation Home already hacked? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Dec 2008 19:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Home launching globally tomorrow, December 11th

Thomas Ricker — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 03:14:00 EST

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.

Gallery: PlayStation Home (Japan)

Continue reading PlayStation Home launching globally tomorrow, December 11th

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PlayStation Home launching globally tomorrow, December 11th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 03:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SCEA confirms: PlayStation Home launch coming this month in US

Darren Murph — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 05:39:00 EST

We know you aren't going to believe it 'til you see it, but SCEA has confirmed to our brethren at Joystiq that PlayStation Home will hit the US market before 2009 dawns. In the words of PS Home director Jack Buser: "We've been saying it will launch by the end of calendar year 2008, and that's getting very, very close." He continued by affirming that "launch is imminent," but stopped short of giving us a date to mark down in our calendars. Tick, tock.

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SCEA confirms: PlayStation Home launch coming this month in US originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 05:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Home hacked, the search for backup exploits begins

Samuel Axon — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:09:00 EST

Hackers, like life, will find a way. Sony knows that all too well thanks to the PSP, but so far the PlayStation 3 has stood strong in the face of legions of nerds trying to find a way to exploit it. A potentially major breakthrough may have been made, though, as well-known PS3 hacker StreetskaterFU (we've no idea what he's going for with that name -- really) has managed to decrypt the beta client for Sony's PlayStation Home service. Curious devs can now poke around in the files looking for a way to exploit the newish in-game XMB functionality, potentially allowing homebrew apps and game backups without hard drive swapping. There's no guarantee it will lead anywhere in the end, but you don't care either way, right? Our upstanding readership would never participate in such heinously illegal activities.

[Thanks, James]

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PlayStation Home hacked, the search for backup exploits begins originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony's PlayStation Home gets seriously previewed

Darren Murph — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 06:21:00 EST

We've been intrigued by Sony's PlayStation Home concept for, like, ever now, but considering just how long the thing has been delayed, we're trying to avoid any contact with pre-launch fodder in order to keep our hopes low. That being the case, we realize not all of you care to safeguard your hearts in the way we have ours, so we felt it prudent -- nay, necessary -- to pass along PS3 Fanboy's in-depth walkthrough of the service. SCEA's Jack Buser recently took the time to sit down and open up for a marvelous preview of the Plaza, Game Space and lots of other nooks and crannies we're sure you're interested in venturing into. To the read link, we send you. Try not to get lost, okay?

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Sony's PlayStation Home gets seriously previewed originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Sep 2008 06:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How to apply for the US and European PlayStation Home betas

Thomas Ricker — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 02:02:00 EST

Simple, really. In the US (and yes, Canada), download the PlayStation Home theme from the PlayStation Store and you're essentially submitting your application to be an early tester for PlayStation Home's closed beta set to kick off at the end of the month. In Europe, the PlayStation Home beta selects you. Er, we mean that there's nothing extra for you to do since you've done it already -- SCEE will be selecting (check your eMail) its most active users on the PlayStation Network and PlayStation Store. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

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How to apply for the US and European PlayStation Home betas originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Aug 2008 02:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony begins accepting PlayStation Home beta applications

Thomas Ricker — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:51:00 EST

After a long long delay from that March 2007 announcement, Sony Japan just opened its doors to applications for the closed beta testing of PlayStation Home. Sony expects to drop 10,000 gamers (18 years old and up) into the virtual world when it launches in beta sometime in late August. Closed beta tests are due in other markets (er hem, the US) at about the same time with an open beta coming sometime later in the year. Lucky beta testers will be able to explore the 3D world and play games like PacMan in the Namco Museum, both of which are pictured after the break.

[Via Impress]

Continue reading Sony begins accepting PlayStation Home beta applications

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Sony begins accepting PlayStation Home beta applications originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Home beta adding more users this Fall -- in other words, delayed

Thomas Ricker — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:48:00 EST

After hitting delays already, we can't say that this was the PlayStation Home press release we've been expecting. Nevertheless, Sony just announced that it is expanding the closed PlayStation Home beta to more users in "Fall 2008." Kazuo Hirai, prez and ringmaster of Sony Computer Entertainment, said, "We understand that we are asking PS3 and prospective PS3 users to wait a bit longer, but we have come to the conclusion that we need more time to refine the service." Come on Mr Hirai, you can say it, PlayStation Home is delayed. See, that's wasn't so hard.

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PlayStation Home beta adding more users this Fall -- in other words, delayed originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Store heads to your PC -- Home delayed until 2008

Paul Miller — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 23:13:00 EST

We could get used to this new effort on Sony's part at "openness," and even if this one's just a new way to access Sony's closed ecosystem of PlayStation Store content, it's a start at least. You can now use your humdrum, maybe-not-even-Sony-built PC to purchase and download PlayStation Store content -- including PSOne games -- and transfer it to your PSP, instead of relying on a 'spensive PS3 to do the trick. Sony has been promising this function for a few months now, but they've finally delivered, and apparently you can get in on the action today, at least in Japan. Also announced at TGS07 is future PSP Remote Play functionality (pictured) that allows you to turn on and off your PS3, and the ability to use your PS3 as a hub while PSPs act as a second screen, extra controllers and offer other networked functionality. No word on when these fanboy dreams will see light as a true-life firmware update. Oh, and before you get to thinking that the PSP is getting all the love here, Sony also announced a new function for Home called "dress," with "everybody's fashion entertainment" for a tag line. Whatever that means, Sony's going to be delaying the launch of Home into 2008, so we can't say we're exactly stoked about the new feature.

Read - PSP Remote Play

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PlayStation Store heads to your PC -- Home delayed until 2008 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2007 23:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony now signing up PlayStation Home beta testers

Ryan Block — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 21:35:00 EST

PlayStation Network users, were you lucky enough to get in on the PlayStation Home Beta test invite yet? Apparently not everyone who applies will be accepted (shocker, right?), but it's good to know at least there's some movement in ~~PS3rd Life~~ Home process. Let us know if you get an invite, and definitely let us know if you get accepted.

P.S. -Sorry, we don't have a link to share at this time, the invites seem to be per-user.

[Thanks, Dustin]

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Sony now signing up PlayStation Home beta testers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2007 21:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo teams up with GameSpy again for multiplayer Wii

Paul Miller — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 12:53:00 EST

If you've participated in an online game with your Nintendo DS, you've already enjoyed the fruits of this partnership, since GameSpy powered Nintendo's first major foray into online matches, but it looks like Nintendo and GameSpy are about to take things up a notch with the Wii. The pair have just announced that GameSpy middleware will power the multiplayer aspects of online Wii games, with current Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection features at first, but eventually friend rosters, matchmaking and ranking at last. It ain't no PlayStation Home, but it looks like Nintendo is finally ready to start seriously chasing online gamers. Pokémon Battle Revolution will kick things off on June 25.

[Via Joystiq]

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Nintendo teams up with GameSpy again for multiplayer Wii originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Mar 2007 12:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Developer FAQ reveals PlayStation Home launch schedule

Evan Blass — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 12:14:00 EST

Those of you who spent the weekend eagerly anticipating the chance to ~~waste even more of your free time~~ immerse yourselves in the new virtual world that is PlayStation Home now have a solid launch window to look forward to, thanks to a FAQ uncovered by Gamesindustry on Sony's developer site; according to the ten-page document, a closed 15,000-user beta will run from April to August, followed by an open beta for 50,000 people until October, with the service going live sometime before Halloween. The FAQ also clarifies some details that were omitted or glossed over during Phil Harrison's GDC keynote, such as integration with cellphones (hopefully not just Sony Ericsson handsets) and PSPs, and the fact that launching multiplayer games from Home and so-called "environmental persistence" will not be ready at launch. Specifically, this means that avatars will not initially be able to segue into cooperative gaming mode from within the Home environment, nor will their digital swag like apartments and cars exist when they're offline. Finally, this fact sheet also shows Sony playing both sides of the fence when it comes to in-world ads and commerce: the company is quick to reassure gamers that Home is primarily focused on socialization and entertainment and that advertisements will be kept to "palatable" levels, while in the same breathe wink-wink-nudge-nudging advertisers and content providers that there will be significant opportunities for them to capture plenty of gamers' hard-earned euros, dollars, and yen. So in conclusion, Home-lovers should be breaking out the Sharpies right about now and drawing a big circle around the entire month of October in their calendars; Home-haters may actually want to do the same, but only so they have a timetable to prepare their inaugural grey-goo or flying Wiimote attacks. [Warning: PDF link]

[Via Gamesindustry]

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Developer FAQ reveals PlayStation Home launch schedule originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Mar 2007 12:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Home revealed

Paul Miller — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 13:30:00 EST

Good news for the PlayStation camp, full details of Sony's PlayStation Home have been revealed, and it ain't no slacker. Alongside those avatars and achievements we heard about earlier, the "service" seems to be a new-gen Second Life killer, with public hangouts, personal apartments (to show off those fancy prizes you've been racking up in recent frag fests) and voice chat. The seeming-MMO even includes casual games such as pool, bowling and arcade machines embedded into the world, but at any time you can invite a fellow resident to join in on any PlayStation Network-capable game. As for user-generated content, PS Home allows you to hang your own pictures on your apartment walls and share videos with friends. You can of course dress up your avatar in assorted virtual clothings -- for a price -- all while enjoying "dynamic advertising" of some sort. A large scale beta goes live in April, with the full product to be launched this fall. Make sure to hit up the read link for a gallery of the beautiful scenery and idiotic conversations you too can be enjoying in a few months.

Update: Added a video after the break with more info on the service. PlayStation Home will be a free download, and will eventually include a virtual cinema for watching movie downloads. You can also share videos and music directly out of your media library. Peep the vid for more info.

Continue reading PlayStation Home revealed

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PlayStation Home revealed originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony's "PlayStation Home" hitting the PS3 this Fall

Paul Miller — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 11:35:00 EST

The rumors were swirling, but the New York Times just confirmed that Phil Harrison is expected to announce the new PlayStation Home service at his GDC keynote, which takes place in San Francisco in a couple of hours. The service is supposed to take elements from Xbox Live and Nintendo's Mii avatars, along with tossing in virtual prizes -- a more tangible version of XBL's achievements -- to wag in the face of fellow fanboys. Phil Harrison also wants gamers to take part in YouTube and Flickr-esque content creation, but how that will tie directly to the PlayStation Home service is unclear at this point. What is clear is that Sony is in dire need of an answer to Xbox Live, which just hit the 6 million mark for subscribers, so we hope Phil has more than just avatars and prizes to show off when he gets on stage at 10:30 PST.

[Via Joystiq]

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Sony's "PlayStation Home" hitting the PS3 this Fall originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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