Playstation Home - LOTS of new stuff! - Leaving BETA?

Jan 29, 2009
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PlayStation Home (also marketed and referred to as Home) is a community-based service developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's London and Cambridge studios for the PlayStation 3 on the PlayStation Network. It is available directly from the PlayStation 3 XrossMediaBar. Home has been in development since early 2005 and started an open public beta test in December 2008. Home allows users to create an avatar on their PlayStation 3 console and explore an online world. This avatar gets its own virtual apartment space or "HomeSpace", which can be adorned with items that users can obtain in several different ways. In a 2007 keynote speech, Phil Harrison used the term "Game 3.0" to describe the service.

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Batcave coming to Home, and more updates

The PlayStation Home is getting some serious updates soon, giving fans of Batman, MotorStorm, and zombies something to look forward to.

Perhaps the biggest update comes with the release of Eidos’ Batman: Arkham Asylum. When you purchase Batman next week, the game will unlock a special Batcave Outpost personal space for Home. The game is set to release on August 25.

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Racing fans should mark their calendars for next Monday between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. (PT) for the MotorStorm: Pacific Rift game launching party. The space marks the first ever “Globe of Death” in Home, and it will highlight MotorStorm footage. It will serve as a hub for the racing fan community. The space launches in conjunction with a host of MotorStorm clothes that will be available for a limited time.

Several areas of Home will see content updates this week, including new songs loaded into the Listen@Home kiosk, new threads at the Mall, and new videos screenings in the Theater.

Finally, there are some updates scheduled for the EA SPORTS Complex and the Burn Zombie Burn game space. Now seems like the perfect time to launch Home if you’ve never tried it, or if you have, you certainly have a lot of content coming in the next few days.
 
Universal game launching coming to Home in September

Sony is trying to place an even stronger emphasis on its Home project. We now know that perhaps the most requested feature is coming soon. PlayStation Home v1.3 will launch in September, and one of the biggest additions is universal game launching, allowing you to launch into any PlayStation 3 game directly from Home.

Over at the PlayStation Blog, there’s quite a bit of information about the updates coming to Home. A simplified game launching system will bring you from Home to the start menu of your favorite game, meaning you no longer have to sign out of Home to play a game. All you have to do is insert your game disc while in Home and follow the on-screen directions.

Other additions include an in-store item previewing option, and additional portable objects. Everyone will get a free camera so you can take and share photos, which will be saved to the Photo section of your XMB. You’ll get some new emotes, new poses, new clothing categories, a new queuing system, and a new optimized targeting system.

Look for all these updates, and more, coming with Home v1.3 this September.
 
Home getting massive update

We learned today that PlayStation Home is getting more than 100 new pieces of content this Thursday, making it the biggest virtual item content release since launch. Some of the biggest additions include the new Killzone 2 Visari Throne Room, a Post-Apocalyptic Apartment, and animated T-shirts that show-off your hometown.

The KZ2 Visari Throne Room is based on the final stage in the popular PlayStation 3 shooter. Releasing with the space are a variety of virtual items including the Helghan Defense Painting.

The new Post-Apocalyptic Apartment will launch with a bundle of furniture. There are roughly 70 items that will be released with this personal space alone.

Finally, one of the more intriguing updates is the addition of new animated T-shirts that broadcast your hometown pride. Look for these updates and more this Thursday for the PlayStation Home.
 
Universal game launching coming to Home this Thursday

Fans of PlayStation Home will have something new and exciting to look forward to this Thursday. The all new Home v1.3 is set to go live Thursday, and with it comes a host of new features, including universal game launching.

You may recall our article back in August, detailing the updates to Home. In addition to universal game launching, the update will include in-store item previewing, new emotes, more items, and new categories of clothing.

Sony will also release an updated Central Plaza along with v1.3. The World Map Travel Center is also getting a bit of a makeover.

Check out the video below from the PlayStation Blog for more on the Home update. We've also included a video showcasing the new Neptune Suite personal space.

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New UC2 and Ratchet & Clank spaces coming to Home

PlayStation Home will soon get two new virtual spaces for the upcoming titles Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time along with associated apartments. Both spaces will feature their own unique looks and themes, along with mini games, and a giant interactive board game.

The Uncharted 2 space features temples in the background and a huge interactive board game, called “Fortune Thieves,” in the town square. The board features changing terrain spaces and hidden treasure in certain tiles. This competitive game gives players various cards that will change the various terrain tiles, essentially allowing players to setback opponents by creating different disasters. The space is Nepal, and will also feature prayer flags.

As for the Ratchet & Clank space, it will showcase many mini-games that include find-the-sheep, and a firing range game. The apartment features three levels and a massive view of space. It is not the same apartment from Ratchet’s apartment in the game. You’ll also be able to get a Ratchet costume.

Look for these updates coming about the time both games are launched.
 
Europe: Get your Wolverine on in PlayStation Home

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Europe: Get your Wolverine on in PlayStation Home

Today, Home users can get some Wolverine claws.

Twentieth Century Fox and SCEA are giving away free upgrades to Home users to celebrate the European release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine on DVD and Blu-ray.

These upgrades are the already mentioned claws and what we call a “wife-beater” t-shirt here in America.

To get your Wolverine on, all you have to do is visit the Threads Store after you watch a preview of the movie in the Home Theatre.

Hell yeah.

More via Kotaku
 
[UPDATE] Massive Home update tomorrow; UC2, Tekken 6, and more

UPDATE: Due to technical issues, this update will likely not go live until Friday. It should also be noted that Europe will receive the Uncharted 2: Among Thieves space, but not the Tekken 6 or Street Fighter IV updates.

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE: PlayStation Home is getting a massive update this Thursday with some help from Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. The new space, which is being dubbed a mini-MMO, is filled with supplementary Uncharted 2 content and the update also includes exclusive items that can only be procured on opening day.

The space is set inside Nepalese village with assets pulled directly from the UC2, and it includes three unique Uncharted 2-themed mini games. The games include a treasure hunting mini-game called Mask Mayhem. In this mini-game, you’ll have to search throughout the entire village to assemble the scattered remnants of an ancient Ganesh mask. Once you’ve assembled the mask, it will appear in your Wardrobe.

Another mini-game includes the Torch Race, which includes a leaderboard. But the biggest addition comes in the way of a full-on game called Fortunate Thieves. This card battle game pins players against one another as they seek treasures on a fully dynamic map.

Also launching this Thursday are the Tekken 6 and Street Fighter IV spaces. Sony is calling these the perfect spaces to launch tournaments. You’ll also be able to pickup 25 alternate SFIV costumes at the Mall.

The new Penthouse personal space will also be released Thursday, giving “high rollers, big ballers, shot caller, and those of you that simply have a taste for the finer things in life,” a place to hang out. This luxury urban condo, and tons of new virtual items, will all be released this week.

Finally, Home is getting updated to version 1.32, which is said to address issues reported since version 1.3. The biggest fix is giving gamers easier access to the Home service.
 
Special Thanksgiving Event in PlayStation Home + UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Fortune Hunter Edition Contest
Posted by Locust_Star // PlayStation Home Online

This Thanksgiving, you’ll want to spend every spare moment in the ever-evolving world of PlayStation Home. Starting this week, a new mini-game will appear in Central Plaza, occupying the space generally reserved for Saucer Pop. This Thanksgiving-themed game will only be live for a limited time and will prove to be one of the most addictive, action-packed, and ridiculously fun activities going on in PlayStation Home.

The premise is simple: in celebration of the impending Turkey Day, users will approach the giant stone turkey in Central Plaza and, of course, pledge their allegiance to the almighty Meleagris Gallopavo by stating “Gobble gobble” and/or other assorted turkey-isms. If your homage pleases your turkey overlord, you will be given a chance to chase a bunch of wily turkeys around Central Plaza (word to the wise: these turkeys are quite cunning and as such get progressively more difficult to catch as the game goes on, so you’d better bring appropriate footwear). If you can manage to catch them all, you will unlock some truly hilarious rewards that are sure to make you an object of envy amongst your peers. Sound borderline insane? Of course it does – which is exactly why we are doing it! Check the video below for a look at what we have in store for you.

Also, in celebration of the release of Assassin’s Creed 2, new AC2-themed virtual goods will be released this week. Hardcore fans of the franchise are sure to find these items to be true must-haves (and we bet they’ll geek out hard over the full Ezio costumes set to release in PlayStation Home come next week). Any way you cut it, if you “Live by the Creed” then PlayStation Home is the place to be (when you aren’t sneaking up behind enemies and performing other stealthy maneuvers in various Italian locales, of course).

In other PlayStation Home-related news: We’re pleased to announce another opportunity for you, the PlayStation Home community, to win a copy of the super-limited UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Fortune Hunter Edition. Here’s how this contest works: PlayStation Home community members should enter the new UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves game space in PlayStation Home between the hours of 8:00am PT on Friday, November 20th and 12:00pm PT on Saturday, November 21st to play the Fortunate Thieves mini-game. The user that secures the #1 slot of the game’s leaderboard will win a copy of the UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Fortune Hunter Edition. Included in this prize package is a Phurba Dagger ornamental replica (plus stand), a special “book case” with art book autographed by the Naughty Dog team, a ton of downloads, and the UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Strategy Guide. This is arguably the most sought-after prize we are giving away all year, so read the official rules and regulations below and then head into PlayStation Home right at 8:00am PT on Friday, November 20th (this is when we will wipe the leaderboards) and get that first place slot.

Click for turkey mini-game video, Assassin's Creed costume pics and Fortune Hunter's contest rules
 
PlayStation Home Director Wants "Mini-MMOs" On The Service

http://kotaku.com/5423761/playstation-home-director-wants-mini+mmos-on-the-service

Having been presented for its first year of public existence as a social platform, PlayStation Home is about to be pushed in a new way: As a social gaming platform.

"We have developed a forum for developers to come in and develop 3D social games," Buser told Kotaku during a Sony Playstation 3 showcase in New York. The goal is to spawn the development in Home of what Buser calls "mini-MMOs."

PlayStation Home has primarily been shaped as a social space up until now, enabling online-connected PS3 users to interact with each other in virtual movie theaters, courtyards, malls, houses and game-themed spaces. Users in Home chat together, dance together and flirt together — any quick visit to Home will verify that that last activity is quite popular.

Some of the spaces in Home have allowed PS3 users to play. There is a hedge maze in one space, a poker table in another. Ratchet & Clank's Home space includes a scavenger hunt and shooting game (pictured above); Uncharted 2's has a multiplayer modification of Risk. Those latter spaces, Buser said, are hints of where this could be going.

You would go to Home not just to hang out, but to play 3D "casual" games.

Buser had no mini-MMOs quite ready to announce yet, but was confident that the gaming expansion of Home is underway. The service turns one year old tomorrow, but Buser was cagey about how, if at all, that anniversary would be celebrated. Time, if not to launch mini-MMOs, to drop the "beta" tag from the project's status? Not something he could talk about now, he said.
 
Sony introduces Home MMO Space

If you are one of the many PlayStation 3 owners who thinks Home needs even more social gaming aspects, then you’ll want to try out the new Sodium One massively multiplayer online game space. This ground-breaking 3D gaming community offers Home users an assortment of mini-games to share with in-game friends. Sony dubs Sodium One as Home’s first MMO space.

All you have to do is step into the Sodium “Teleporter” in the Central Plaza to be transported to the futuristic, action-packed social gaming environment. Sodium provides a new technological era that brings about interstellar travel, rapid colonization of the galaxy, inexhaustible energy, advanced Artificial Intelligent, and the power to travel between quantum realities. The new age also makes players battle for harmony with their environment.

"The launch of PlayStation Home in 2008 pioneered new ground in interactive entertainment and, since then, increasing support and enthusiasm from our PS3 user and game publisher communities have helped to make this a tremendous first year for the platform," said Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing and PlayStation Network, SCEA. "Today we further push the envelope with the launch of PlayStation Home's Sodium -- an evolving space that leverages the incredible computing power of PS3 to deliver truly unique, and visually stunning social gaming experiences that you won't find on any other platform."

Sodium is developed by Outso and published by Lockwood Publishing. This space puts players in a social hub located in the Nevada desert. You must check in with “VICKIE,” the space’s A.I. life-force, to obtain objects, then battle through various levels to get on the leader board in several categories.

The space features objective-based meta-games, full arcade-style games and community events. The first section, “Salt Shooter,” requires players to hunt self-replacing robots with tanks to control their population. The first five levels of “Salt Shooter” is free, and you can unlock additional levels ranging from $0.99 USD to $4.99 USD.

Some of the more MMO aspects of the game include allowing players to communicate and share the experience. For instance, you can become a bartender and serve virtual drinks to friends, or you can compete with friends in the mini games. You can also further customize your Home avatar with Sodium gear.

See below for a video from the PlayStation Blog about this new feature.

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This Week in PlayStation Home: Villain’s Lair Personal Space, Super Bowl Events & Tons of New Virtual Items!

This week brings a massive update to the ever-expanding world of PlayStation Home, with a mountain of virtual items and an awe-inspiring personal space (complete with built-in mini-games) being released just this Thursday alone. It’s an update that Home fanatics absolutely cannot miss out on, which is why I’m dropping in to invite each and every one of you to come check out the veritable boatload of new content we have in store for you, the PlayStation Home community.

To start, let’s look at the brand new Villain’s Lair personal space – one of the most highly interactive personal spaces to ever be published on the PlayStation Home platform. The perfect spot to indulge in your nefarious tendencies, the Villain’s Lair is an enormous environment that includes everything from a shark-infested aquarium (because even the most scoundrelly of scoundrels needs a little companionship from time to time) to a laser-guarded private museum where you can display the fruits of your detestable labor (such as all the treasure you are planning to plunder from the vaults of private collectors from across the globe).

The most intriguing aspects of the Villain’s Lair are the TWO games that are baked in to the space, available to you for no additional cost. From the deliciously ignoble strategy game (where you can plot the course for total world domination and subvert, divert, and destroy the forces of good one movement at a time) to the hilariously heinous village ruination game (where you can call upon various forces of nature to wreak havoc on the poor citizens that dwell therein), the Villain’s Lair is the place to be if you like to partake in your fair share of iniquity. Check out the video below for a thorough fly-through of this awesome new personal space.

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As mentioned earlier, we will be releasing a heap of new virtual items in PlayStation Home this Thursday. From the slew of Villain’s Lair items that will aid you in constructing an appropriately evil atmosphere in your new abode to Samurai wigs and bundles of the ever-popular animated items, there’s truly something new for everyone this week in PlayStation Home. Check the Latest Updates tab (accessible while in-world via your PDA by pressing Start > Community > Latest Updates) for a list of all new items and other new content each Thursday.

In terms of weekend events, I want to invite all of you out for three nights of pure football fan boy-ism. We’ll be devoting this entire weekend – from Friday, February 5th through Super Bowl Sunday, February 7th – to playing Madden NFL 10 during our nightly Featured Game parties. So come out to Central Plaza between the hours of 6:00PM and 10:00PM PT (9:00PM and 1:00AM EST) and join up with your fellow Colts and Saints fans to launch into our own private Super Bowls. Be sure to don the corresponding team and player jerseys, available from the EA SPORTS Complex and the PlayStation Home Mall, so friends and foes know which team you are on. One word of warning: It’s sure to be intense, so you best bring your A-game….
 
This Week in PlayStation Home: Valentine’s Day Events Galore, Warhawk Apartment, Mardi Gras Items & More!

There’s always at least one event going on in PlayStation Home, no matter what day it is. But this week we ratchet it up about ten notches. In addition to our daily Featured Game parties, we’re bringing you an exclusive Valentine’s event (complete with tons of rewards), a special SingStar V-Day-themed shindig, a SOCOM virtual item giveaway in the PlayStation Home Theater (because there’s no better way to celebrate the release of the new SOCOM: Fire Team Bravo 3), Mardi Gras content (so you and your krewe can hit Central Plaza in style), and a super secret event taking place in the Central Plaza that you’ll simply have to experience firsthand to believe.

But before we dig deep into the details surrounding these incredible events, let’s first look at a new personal space crafted specifically for all of you loyal Eucadian and Chernovan troopers that gather with your clans in clubhouses throughout PlayStation Home. We heard you loud and clear when you told us that you wanted private Sand Tables from which to strategize and formulate a plan of attack when launching into the world of endless battles known as Warhawk. A testament to our mission to expand your favorite PS3 games by offering unique supplementary content in PlayStation Home, the Warhawk personal space delivers a dedicated environment that hosts not only the aforementioned Sand Table but also a full-on Warhawk-themed multiplayer mini-game, all while offering the perfect launch point for your next mission. See the video below for a fly-through of this excellent new personal space.

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It isn’t easy playing matchmaker, which is why we here on the PlayStation Home team don’t envy our friend Jerry. See, Jerry currently holds the position of Associate Cherub at Global Holiday Industries, Cupid Division…and he isn’t exactly what you would call an overachiever when it comes to his occupation. Jerry is in an especially tight situation given that the top brass at GHI has been looking to cut back on its workforce due to the poor state of the global economy. To determine who stays and who goes, upper management has put all employees under review, which means Jerry could lose his gig at any time. That’s why we’re calling on you, the PlayStation Home community, to play matchmaker this Valentine’s Day and help our buddy Jerry out. First, find the letters written to Jerry from lonely hearts all across PlayStation Home (these will be posted in the PlayStation Home Mall).

Then, recruit a partner to help match the pairs described in the letters, adorning your avatar with virtual items from your inventory so that you closely resemble the matches these lovelorn people are so desperately searching for. Finally, snap a picture of the two of you in the Photo Booth (coming this Thursday to the PlayStation Home Mall), and you’ll not only save Jerry’s job but you and your partner will earn honorary Cupid status yourselves (in the form of some super exclusive rewards). Check out the video below and then visit www.cupidonnotice.com for more info. And be sure to head into PlayStation Home this Thursday to start playing matchmaker. Jerry’s livelihood (and the livelihood of his wonderful girlfriend, Sandy, and his adorable pooch) depends on you!

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In further celebration of the impending holiday, we’re inviting you all out to the main SingStar Room to partake in some uniquely PlayStation Home festivities. We’ll be rolling out a limited time only mini-game in the re-skinned SingStar space, (in) appropriately titled Stupid Cupid. Pick a partner, hit the animated dance floor, and try to sync up your moves so as to unlock a special Valentine’s Day-themed animated virtual item. We’re not allowed to show you too much this early, but we did manage to sneak a quick shot of the special SingStar V-Day room. Check it out!

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As mentioned before, we’ll be giving out free SOCOM: Fire Team Bravo 3 shirts to all community members that come out to the PlayStation Home Theater to view the trailer for SOCOM: Fire Team Bravo 3 trailer, available Feb 16th for your PSP. In fact, we’ll be giving 6 SOCOM shirts away in the Theater over the next two weeks (3 male/ 3 female), with batch #1 being available from February 12th – 15th, batch #2 being available from February 16th – 18th, and batch #3 being available from February 19th – 23rd. So be sure to visit the PlayStation Home Theater often in the coming weeks and watch the SOCOM footage. It’s the only way you can collect them all, and once these items are gone they are gone forever.

Special Mardi Gras virtual items will be available this week in the PlayStation Home Mall, so all of you party animals can celebrate this world-famous festival of excess properly. I’m betting that Listen@Home will be giving Bourbon St. a run for its money this weekend, so I fully expect each and every one of you to come out. Peep these pics for a taste of what is soon to be unleashed in terms of Mardi Gras-appropriate threads.

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LucasArts bringing Star Wars gear to PlayStation Home

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Sony America has revealed that the folks over at LucasArts will be bringing heaps of Star Wars content to PlayStation Home at some point later this year.

As you’d expect, users will be able to fork out for costumes, fancy lightsabres, apartment spaces and heaps more, such as some Yoda water features for your virtual abode. In addition, Indiana Jones gear will also be available for Home when the LucasArts storefront sets up shop in the mall.

No word on a release date as of yet.