I read an article the other day on the beta version of Home, Sony's upcoming attempt of creating an online community. I will attempt to remember most of what I read. Could not find the my magazine, the their web site only mentions the article is in the magazine, so I could not copy and paste or provide a link for it.
So again, this is from my memory as best as I can remember. Let's start with a side bar to the article. It mentions Sony will create a "Gamer Card". An attempt to emulate the success of Microsoft's Gamertag. Sony will also create support for trophies, their answer to Xbox 360's achievements.
Ok, now onto Sony's Home. It is now being tested in beta, with a release for later this fall. First, Sony's Home will be a community. You will create a character, sort of like Nitendo's Mii's, but from description not so cartoonish as a Mii. The author of the article says Sony has promised unlimited custominzation of this character with sliders controls to shape and manipulate the character. The author stated that he did not see much difference when using these controls, but that may be due to it being a beta version. You will then send this character into the community, where you can secure an apartment. You can buy furniture and decorations for this apartment. Including big screen TV's.(will come back to this later.) From here you can take your character out into the community. There will be malls and stores to shop in. Clubs to go to. Some other crazy things of this sort. Sony is trying to give the gamer a chance to go and meet other gamers without having to meet through gaming only.
This all sounds like a little overkill to me, but wait, theres more. 
You can through a party at your apartment, invite your friends over. Sony has even programmed dance moves into your character. Though the author said there was no music actually playing, all the characters were dancing. Sony has urban dance moves, casual dance moves, even some latin dance moves all programmed into the characters.
Just when you thought it could get no better, it does!! Remember the big screen TV you bought for your apartment, well just invite some of your buddies to your crib, turn the TV on, and download a movie from Sony. All your characters can sit around and watch the movie. Now the author does not make it clear, not sure if you watch your character watch a movie, or say Green Guy, Wobbly, Greyfox and I can all watch a movie on our TV's at the same time, with only one person requiring to download it. It sounded like you would watch your character and your buddies characters watch a movie.
Now I know there is more to it than I just mentioned, but I read the article a couple of weeks ago. If I had the magazine in front on me, I would have just type it word for word. But that is the jest of it.
Oh, and about the trophies. Sony admits that Microsoft's achievement points have been a huge success with gamers. They will create support for it, but unlike Microsoft, will not require game developers to include the code for the trophies. Sony feels the code is so simple, and achievement points so successful, that all game developers will include the code.
Oh, and no price was mentioned, I think Sony will try to keep it free. But as far as renting your apartment, and buying stuff in the community, that may be how Sony plans on funding this. Again, lost the mag, or could provide better information.
I will check this out when released, but not so sure how much time I will want to spend in a community, cause that is time I have for gaming.
Should be interesting.
Sony's Home, their attempt to compete with Live.
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Re: Sony's Home, their attempt to compete with Live.
Re: Sony's Home, their attempt to compete with Live.
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