Sony Unveils Playstation Home March 08, 2007

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The big online push for the PS3 was always on the cards, especially since the Xbox Live service is so massive, and yesterday Sony let the cat out of the bag.

It’s called Playstation Home and will be an online world, vaguely similar to Second Life, where PS3 users get to meet, greet, hang out, what high-def movie trailers and even create a little bit of world content. Players can create an highly customised avatar and they also get their own apartment [above] which they can decorate to their heart’s content.

Developments in the game world though – public spaces where people meet –will be controlled by Sony to ensure that it stays family-friendly. You can also expect to see ads. There will be places dedicated to different games, prizes for reaching certain levels in games, a Hall of Fame, places to shop and share things with others, and even show the content stored on their PS3 to others while in their apartments.

Home goes into closed Beta testing soon and will launch in the Autumn, which probably means Christmas. This is ambitious stuff and may finally provide Xbox Live with some real online competition. And it’s free, which is always good. -Martin Lynch

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