March 9th 2007
(Source: GamesIndustry.biz)
PS3 Home - Sony enters the virtual community space.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. today announced their 3D online user community service for the PlayStation 3 at today's GDC keynote. The service, known as "Home," will enable users to create their own avatar and explore a real-time virtual community, as if they are playing a detailed 3D game for PS3. Home allows PS3 users to interact, communicate, join online games, shop, share private content and even build and show off their own personal spaces to others in real time.

With an avatar uniquely customized according to each user's preference, users can explore the 3D community that is Home – a sleek, modern environment featuring spacious common areas; custom spaces dedicated to specific games; and personal apartments. Each user is assigned an apartment in Home where they can invite others to join them as they show off their own style in an area they can personalize themselves with furniture, art and other items – even a different view from their windows. They can also show their personal video, pictures and other digital media content found on their PS3 hard drives in their apartments. Very rich interactive communication with others is achieved through built in text, audio and video chat, along with sophisticated emotional animations for each character.

Sharing continues in the "Hall of Fame," where users can display new 3D trophies that will be unlocked through in-game milestones for the games they own as well viewing the trophies of other users across the PlayStation Network and for other games they've yet to purchase.

The new service is said to launch later this year and will be a free download for all PS3 owners.

PS3 Home Quicktime Trailer (19mb)







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LittteBigPlanet

(Source: Gametrailers.com)
Create and play in your own game environments!

One of the most exciting games in development for the PlayStation 3 must be LittleBigPlanet, a game developed by Media Molecule.

LittleBigPlanet offers you a couple of tools to create your own entertainment. You start as a little brown creature, in a backyard like environment, where you have to work out how to interact with things. After you've sussed things out, the whole experience opens up, allowing you to place different objects in your world using a cut and paste type system.

Phil Harrison and Media Molecule reckon that there is no limit to what you can create, which was proven by a four-player demonstration at the GDC led by lead designer Chris Healy where the object of the game was to collect the sponge resource.

Players can, next to your ordinary running and jumping, use gadgets like jetpacks, and have to work together to overcome more difficult obstacles.

Watch the game's demonstration courtesy of Gametrailers.com. (HD file alert! 56k users beware!) - 95mb

Click here for Youtube 56k friendly link

The Home feature has a Second Life feeling to it, which is cool, but I wonder how it will turn out when put in the hands of consumers, as these community type software packages dont always go as planned.

LittleBigPlanet looks really cool a fully user created world is a pretty interesting concept :)

I think it'd be great as long as you have enough control over the PSHome environment. Like being able to invite your friends to your house directly and downloading furniture to show off your ideal lifestyle. It has the same element as 'The Sims Online' but hopefully it'll function a lot better. But then there's the problem with online connectivity, we all know the PS2 Broadband feature was pretty pathetic with constant server crashings like on Resident Evil: Outbreak. The main problem for the PS2 besides outdated features was the fact that the device was sold seperately and simply didn't spark enough interest to the public, furthermore hardly any games utilised it. But now with the PS3 they should be able to get the ball rolling

As for LitteBigPlanet (it frustrates me how the name sounds so copied from Twinsen's 'Little Big Adventure' PC game), the admiration really exposes itself on the HD movie link which I provided. Whilst 95mb does sound a bit steep to some people, I'd thoroughly recommend to watch the trailer, YouTube loses too much detail. At 4min2sec it's hardly a teaser trailer that you get from most recently announced games. The graphics are simply sublime, realistic yet cartoony at the same time with an upbeat soundtrack similar to Lumines. A definate workout display for anyone with a HD Widescreen TV.

Little Big Planet actually had me laughing and saying "wow"


The last game that made me do that was Wind Waker

LittleBigPlanet shot right up to near the top of my most anticipated list as soon as I saw it in action. I love different games like this and yeah, if that video is anything to go by then playing LittleBigPlanet (with friends no less) is absolutely going to kick arse.

As for Playstation Home, well what can I say about that? It is also going to be awesome. It will be especially cool to hang out in those lobbies or to invite some of your friends over to your apartment to hang out before you all decide on what you are going to play together. Obviously the show-off aspect of it will also be cool (expect my room/s to be showing off my racing game achievements ;)) but yeah, I am definitely more excited about just hanging out in this Home thing. I know I will certainly be using it as my 'cool-down' period thing, or 'warm up' thing. Awesome stuff from Sony at the GDC this year. :D

The real question will be whether or not Sony can maintain Home so it constantly offers a great experience. Yes, on paper, this is great, but in practice it could be rough. We'll see.