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Live Watchmen director Q&A coming Home this month
European Home-goers will no doubt have noticed the virtual world's Theater is plastered with Watchmen posters. Back when the partnership between online marketing company PPC and Sony was first announced there were hints of more Watchmen related content coming to Home. Today PPC has announced that a live Q&A between ten specially invited guests and the film's director and the artist behind the original graphic novel, Zack Snyder and Dave Gibbons, will be taking place on February 23. While the ten-person guest list may seem impossibly exclusive, everyone will be able to participate thanks to an online live stream and a specially edited version coming later. This will include footage from the movie and from the red carpet of the film's London premiere. On February 27 more Watchmen content will be available in Home, including t-shirts, full costumes and a Doomsday clock, in order to further promote the movie, which debuts in the US and Europe on March 6th.
Helghast invade Home armed with Killzone 2 demo keys
American PS3 owners who fancy getting their hands on the Killzone 2 demo will get an opportunity to try it out tonight, when the Helghast invasion of Home begins. If you're not into pre-ordering or setting up a European PSN account, you'll want to be wandering around Home from 9pm EST onwards. At that time, the Helghast soldiers will appear, brandishing demo codes for all who request them. Use the code to redeem the demo from the PlayStation Store. This may be the last chance to get hold of the demo before it finally releases to everyone on February 26th, a day before the game's actual release. It's not clear how long the Home invasion will last, so procrastinators beware.
PlayStation Home dev support expands
PlayStation Home continues to expand, with 24 companies now on board supporting Sony's online platform. We already know of EA and Capcom's plans, but we're curious to see what Atlus, Q? Entertainment, Sega, Konami, Tecmo and Namco Bandai have in store.[Via Siliconera]
PlayStation Home patch 1.10 coming soon [Update]
Update: The patch has been delayed. "A problem with the patch was discovered at the last minute so although the maintenance window went ahead the patch will not be available today. Once we have a date for this we'll let you know." [Thanks, Bearskopff!]PlayStation Home will experience some down time starting at 3AM EST on Thursday, February 5th. Afterwards, patch 1.10 will be available for all users of Home. The patch will fix a number of bugs and promises to make the experience much more enjoyable. Avatar loading is promised to be faster, something we'd love to see in action. Here are the notes from the PlayStation Forums: New features We have added a new "Remove Player" function that allows the creator to remove people from a Game Launching session. This is complemented by the Block Player function, accessible via the Safe Screen, which can be used to stop people rejoining. Changes and Improvements The speed of the initial log-on process has been improved and a progress bar has been added to provide you with more information about what is happening. Items that you have already purchased will now be loaded when you first log-in, reducing the loading time when you enter stores in the Mall. Other players' avatars will now load faster when you enter a space.
Home cookin': PlayStation Home adding 'cafe' space
click to enlarge A new space for PlayStation Home has been revealed on the official PlayStation forums. The "cafe" space looks just like this one place we decided to try last week: it's empty and there's no service. We're sure that it will be packed with patrons once it opens on a yet-to-be-determined date, all of whom will surely be engaged in witty, intellectual discourse. Also, there appears to be no need to wait in line for food. Phew!%Gallery-43009%[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Cafe coming to PlayStation Home
Click for high-resolution image. It looks like PlayStation Home will be expanding soon, with a brand new Home Space. This cafe was introduced on the PlayStation Boards by Home Manager Locust_Star. Apparently, this space already exists in the Asian versions of Home. From the looks of things, this is just a lounge where people can gather and chat.Check out the images in our gallery:%Gallery-42987%[Thanks, Omni_Noesis!]
EA Sports sets up shop on PS Home
EA Sports will be the first Electronic Arts property on PlayStation Home, according to a statement from EA Sports President, Stephen Moore, earlier this month. The Home space will feature online poker and a racing game alongside EA content.The real-time sports information that dedicated fans crave will be available via in-game video walls. There will also be the inevitable ads and trailers. Does anyone else think it's a little "we're at 'now' now" to watch ads for video games on virtual televisions from our televisions using a video game console?
Anti-Aliased: See the griefing, taste the griefing pt. 2
Problem number two is Sony's lack of action. Moderators are few and far between, the automated system in place doesn't work too well, and people feel that they can get away with whatever they want. There's no sense of authority or control in Home, and that's a detriment. Now, I'm not pushing for everyone to be horribly oppressed, but there needs to be some sense of order and control that's apparent to the players. When word spreads that you can't get away with certain behaviors, the behavior begins to diminish over time.And, finally, problem number three -- there are avatars involved. Even if your turn off their voice chat and visual text chat, you still have a crazy annoying avatar chasing after you, clipping your torso when you go to bowl that next frame. The answer to this problem is to simply ignore him, as he will probably go away, but this phenomenon is still annoying and not fun for any user. You just want to play your game sans problems, right?Xbox Live seems to have have found the solution to these problems by sheer accident. Then answer is simply to avoid these problems by not doing them. It doesn't over-promise content, it does provide control for the users, and it avoids visual avatars in most games. (Except in the case of the Xbox Live vision camera; we're just going to temporarily forget about that. Especially as it only works with a few games.)The success comes from the fact that if you mute someone and report them for harassment, Xbox Live makes sure you avoid that player in your online play. If the automatic matchmaking has a choice between game A and game B, and game A has a person you hate in it, you'll be placed in game B without noticing it. Home does not have that luxury because the entire world is linked together. You mute someone and there's no guarantee that you'll never see him again.So what can Home do? I say introduce the ultimate ban -- avatar removal. You mute someone and it removes their avatar from on screen for you. You don't see them, you don't hear them, you don't worry about them. Sure, you might end up banning half of the Home community, but now you have control over what you see and do in Home.In the end, that's what it all comes down to -- user control. Let the user determine their own experience; don't force it on them. Colin Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who really likes all of the controls that Xbox Live provides, even if he can't buy a virtual couch for his Xbox Dashboard. When he's not writing here for Massively, he's over running Epic Loot For All! with his insane friends. If you want to message him, send him an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com.
Anti-Aliased: See the griefing, taste the griefing
If home is where the heart is, then PlayStation 3 users have some pretty cold, racist, and sexually demeaning hearts. Hearts that make Halo 3 players look like cute puppies in comparison. Now I'm not saying that PlayStation Home is not a great idea -- in theory it's a brilliant idea. Play in a world like Second Life, meet other users, play mini games, launch into full PS3 games, what's not to love about any of that?Well, it seems Sony forgot about the precedents of other virtual worlds. Second Life, while nice, can have the uncanny ability to resemble slums in certain areas thanks to the scary nature of some of the creators. Xbox Live sports some of the most offensive users (NSFW) around. So how exactly was Home suppose to avoid the travesties that affect other worlds?Sony has already stated that "user behavior and feedback" will shape where they go with the Home beta. If that's the case, where are they going to go? Totalitarian state, anyone?
Sony gives away money in PlayStation Home ... in Hong Kong
This is a promo we'd love to see in our region. Sony Computer Entertainment Asia is giving away HK$10 (about $1.30) in PlayStation Network credit to those that are able to find a "mysterious avatar" in Sony's virtual world. Clues can be found on posters in the service.The money certainly isn't enough to buy anything significant, but it is enough to buy a trinket from the PlayStation Home's in-world store. Participate in a game and win free virtual pants? We like the sound of that. Hopefully, SCEA or SCEE will do something similar in the future.[Via Siliconera]
The Daily Grind: Are you online with PlayStation Home?
PlayStation Home. Never will you find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.Well, that's what we're told, anyway. Especially when other parts of our blog network are running around and causing havoc themselves. But this isn't a story about the other parts of our blog network, it's a story about you. Today's grind wishes to ask you if you're enjoying the virtual world of PlayStation Home. Or, perhaps not enjoying it, as the case could be.We want to hear your experiences with the software -- good, bad, and even the ugly Quincys. Is the world living up to all of the hype that surrounded it, or was it indeed released too early and in need of more work in order to live up to its potential? Let the comment box ring with your opinions!
One million dollars worth of goods sold in Home so far
Looks like this "Home" thing is working out for Sony. It's only been a month since the online service launched, and Sony has already sold a million bucks worth of virtual goods. Seems the bite-sized prices of the various online products have tempted quite a number of Home users. Products go for as low as $.49, but some can get quite expensive.Sony is also looking into the value of user-generated content in Home. However, allowing users to create their own objects in Home will not only cut into Sony's bottom-line, but it will undoubtedly cause moderation migraines. Let's not forget that Second Life was once filled with flying penises.[Via Joystiq]
EA Sports coming to PlayStation Home with dedicated space, games
Electronic Arts has announced its first foray into PlayStation Home with a dedicated EA Sports label game space, the EA Sports Complex. Set to appear in the Home open beta this spring, the space will contain live leaderboards for all of the EA Sports label's titles, along with games designed specifically for the space (multiplayer poker and an arcade-style Formula 1 racer have been revealed thus far).EA Sports president Peter Moore said in a press release, "As part of our continued commitment to the connected experience and the digitization of our business, the EA SPORTS Complex is a rich new online environment that presents a compelling and immersive social gaming experience for the global sports audience." Come again, Peter? English.As you can see in the first released image of the space, there will be ads aplenty. In addition to banners and other signage, the space will feature multiple video walls displaying ads trailers for upcoming EA Sports titles. EA has confirmed that it is working with SCEA on additional Home spaces for its Games and Casual labels. Check out a video walkthrough of the EA Sports Complex after the break.
CES 2009: PlayStation Home to receive EA SPORTS Complex
Click for high-resolution image. Sony and Electronic Arts have just announced a partnership to provide the EA SPORTS Complex within PS3's PlayStation Home community. In this exclusive game space, gamers will be able to play new EA SPORTS multiplayer games, view leaderboards and interact with other fans while watching trailers and content from EA SPORTS games."We're proud to support the PlayStation Home Beta with a very robust offering from EA SPORTS," said Peter Moore, president of EA SPORTS. "As part of our continued commitment to the connected experience and the digitization of our business, the EA SPORTS Complex is a rich new online environment that presents a compelling and immersive social gaming experience for the global sports audience."EA also announced plans to introduce other EA brands to PlayStation Home in the future. This announcement, in conjunction with today's Red Bull space, shows that Home is rapidly becoming a much more engaging experience than what it was at launch.Update: Video trailer, after the break.
Microsoft won't use PlayStation Home, will keep meetings boring
Despite taking part in a cost-saving virtual conferencing initiative, Microsoft has told CVG that it will not be using PlayStation Home to facilitate cheaper, virtual meetings. The company insisted that it had access to everything -- including Live Meeting and Xbox Live's party system -- needed to "host a virtual meeting in-house" ... and not in Home. It's probably best not to indirectly endorse your competitor's efforts, but just think of how excruciatingly boring meetings will be without Sony's eccentric virtual haven:"And that's why, by altering our predicted life-to-date replacement ratio matrix, our profits will positively sway our exponential yield curve. Joan, do you understand?""Mark, I've got some curves for you right here. They're swaying.""And so ... spontaneously at that. Why do I have the sudden urge to start gyrating in rhythm to non-existent music?""Come on, do the robot with me!""Oh yeah, doin' the robot! Damn, Joan, how big are your measurements, 'cos they do not compute.""Ugh ... why do men become cretins in Home? Also, it's not Joan. It's Joe.""As in Joe-Ann or OH CRAP YOU'VE SUDDENLY BECOME A HIDEOUS AND UNDESIRABLE MAN!"
Kotaku outlines differences between PlayStation Home and Second Life
There has been plenty of speculation on PlayStation Home and how it compares and contrasts with Second Life as a virtual world. Heck, the creative director spoke about it months ago stating that Second Life players would probably not find much of interest in PS Home. Well, Kotaku has stepped in to explore just that subject.For those not wanting to get too down and dirty with the full tale, Second Life has much more personal customization. Everything from outfits to dance moves to land masses can be user-generated and added to the world. On the other hand, PlayStation Home allows for minimal add-ons, focusing on creating rich, stable environments - even if that means sacrificing little things like avatar diversity. But with much more content promised, PS Home may well become a better contender for virtual world time.
Revolutionary: It Ain't Mii
As the New Year approaches and some of you are making your resolutions, it's a natural time to reflect on who you are and who you would like to be. Two years ago when I brought home my Wii and was sculpting a likeness of myself in Mii form, I was doing just that sort of reflecting. Recently, Sony opened up their new Playstation Home service to public beta and Microsoft unrolled the New Xbox Experience. With these additions, it has become possible to create an effigy of ourselves across each platform, so I'd like to give you my impressions of my own three representations. I can tell you right now, a couple of these ain't pretty.
PlayStation Home full of immature jokers, unlike other virtual communities
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...
Home's zero tolerance chat censorship policy criticized
We trust the collective PlayStation Home-playing community about as far as we can throw them, but we can't help but agree with a recent San Francisco Chronicle article that criticizes the "game's" ridiculously strict chat censorship policy. The article explores the case of Michael Marsh, who attempted to start a gay/straight alliance club, only to find that the words gay, lesbian and bisexual (all "preferred terms" in the gay community) were being blocked by the profanity filter; a policy Marsh worries could encourage players to think of them as pejorative terms.The filter doesn't just apply an unflinching amount of restriction to terms describing sexual preference -- "Christ" and "Jew" are also given the asterisk treatment, and even "Hello" gets blocked for its implementation of the dreaded "h-e-double-hockey-sticks". An SCEA spokesperson responded by saying that "user behavior and feedback" will help guide their changes during the beta process. What do you guys think? Can Home users be trusted to utter the names of religious figures and issue polite salutations to one another? [Via Kotaku]
Voice chat returns on PlayStation Home
PlayStation Home has been patched (yet again!), this time restoring voice chat. Update 1.05, available now, adds voice chat to personal spaces and clubhouses. This means you foul-mouthed pirates can chat with each other in the privacy of your own virtual-homes. However, expect public spaces to be as quiet as Sunday mass.[Thanks, heavenssniper!]
