A first look at Playstation 3 Home
At the Gaming Developers Conference this wek, Sony announced their strategy for geting their PS3 out of 4th place (even the PS2 is beating them).
A key component is a new virtual world called PS3 Home. This is an ambitious jump ahead of XBox Live and Nintendo Miis. Read the competitions reaction here.
A key statement:
What about Microsoft’s take? Chris Satchell, general manager of Microsoft’s Game Developer Group, dismissed it to CVG, saying it was "not a very game-centric approach."
"I think they’ve definitely taken some concepts that we originated like achievements, but I think they’re pushing in a different direction and we’ve sort of fundamentally got two different approaches going on here. I think theres is very much a vision that people see it and it looks cool but it’s fundamentally separate from the games – or at least what they’ve shown so far," Satchell continued. "It’s a cool world but it’s like a little game by itself. Our approach is the other way around; it’s that games are the center and that’s the star of the show, that’s what people buy the console for."
Personally, there are two things I think are cool about it. First, this is the best looking online virual world out there. As you can see by the video, it is heads and shoulders above There or Second Life for looks.
The second cool thing is something I have been asking for for a few years now: The ability to form groups in social game space, and move as a group to another online game. Hanging with a group of friends and sick of talking? Launch a golf game, and suddenly you are all playing a round.
This is one of two key ways to solve the "content problem" with social games. In the real world, people don’t just sit around and yak, they go do stuff and yak. PS3 games will act like a virtual holodeck, each game a different environment to tackle as a group, then back into Home and chat some more.
The second way to fix the "content problem" is player created content. This I see as the big negative of PS3 Home. From what I can tell the only thing you will be able to customize is your wall pictures, and what songs play on your virtual in game stereo (just load your songs onto your PS3 and they play). But clothing, furniture for your virtual house, wall and floor textures etc will be limited to what Sony provides. In this respect, PS3 Home has more in common with The Sims Online.
There are no doubt other negatives. The game does not come out till fall, and even then you will have to spend $600 to get a PS3 in order to play. I’m not entirely sure how playing with a game console controller will work either.
Just think, if you get a PS3, you may meet one of these girls there.
