ps3- Home announced

[bad_calvin]

I know there is not much ps3 love here at the forums, but this little announcement made me wet my shorts. :) I can't wait !!!!

http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=2185

[Uprising]

People are gonna be using HOME more then the actual games I bet.

[bad_calvin]

It looks pretty cool man. I don't normally get into that sort of thing, but I think it will be pretty cool. Hopefully I can hook up with some Scapers there.

[johnny139]

What do you mean, that thing all of the other consoles had out of the box? :P

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[Annerios]

So, someone at Sony played The Sims Online? :P

[bad_calvin]

So, someone at Sony played The Sims Online? :P

It's more like second life on pc then sims. heh.
there is a chance that one can make money from their own "home".
There are people that make good money at second life just sitting around making stuff, selling saves, selling their own designs, selling their own movies, selling music, minigames, etc.

There is a lot planned for it man if you look at the big picture of what they are attempting to do with it.

I can't wait to get my box. I am still saving up for it. Almost there! :)

[Annerios]

It is definitely a nicer way to interact in a community setting.

It reminds me of all of those cool cyberpunk books from the 80's.

Now where the hell is my neural jack, so I don't have to use a controller or keyboard? :lol:

They still have not released a great game to win me over on that machine. Once they get a few games I must play, I guess I'll scrounge up the cash.

[bad_calvin]

IGN did a little write up already as well. Pretty cool.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/770/770998p1.html

I hear you. There will be games to win you over. :) There is not much right now, but release schedule for this year is already more then I can afford so i am happy.

[Dreaded Gazebo]

Home looks pretty interesting. Should certainly be a fun little "toy" for us PS3 owners and I can see some people really getting hooked on customizing their virtual spaces and characters.

Check out this trailer for Little Big Planet:

http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=4491

The game looks absolutely stunning. I want it now.

All this news makes me very happy as a PS3 owner :) I already love the system (just picked up Motorstorm today) but I think this was exactly the sort of big showing Sony needed to win people over.

[dragonfire]

so its second life big woop. What ever someone else makes Sony steals. Great company. Rumble,motion sensing, control stick. Everything sony does was ripped from something else.

[johnny139]

so its second life big woop. What ever someone else makes Sony steals. Great company. Rumble,motion sensing, control stick. Everything sony does was ripped from something else.

And there's a graph to prove it! Somewhere...

[dragonfire]

one system shall overcome all odds and destroy PS3 once and for all. The


\\`\//`\//`/..o....o
.\\_/\\_/..||.|..||.|

[vernz]

man this looks cool i cant wait to download it does any one know when its coming out

[bad_calvin]

one system shall overcome all odds and destroy PS3 once and for all. The


\\`\//`\//`/..o....o
.\\_/\\_/..||.|..||.|

Ok, had you said xbox, I would have perhaps said. sure they got a chance. But not Wii.

But can we use the other thread for bashing systems?
I would just like to keep this thread about the ps3.

[bad_calvin]

man this looks cool i cant wait to download it does any one know when its coming out

Fall

[yagyuninja]

This looks very cool. Lucky PS3 owners!

[kanegrundar]

Meh. I'm not really that excited about it. So they have a Second Life rip-off. How about achievements, background downloading, an online shop that doesn't suck? Until Sony gets those things added to their online service they'll still be behind XBOX Live in terms of having a good online presence. As of right now, the only thing Sony's online offering has over Microsoft is that it's free.

[bad_calvin]

Meh. I'm not really that excited about it. So they have a Second Life rip-off. How about achievements, background downloading, an online shop that doesn't suck? Until Sony gets those things added to their online service they'll still be behind XBOX Live in terms of having a good online presence. As of right now, the only thing Sony's online offering has over Microsoft is that it's free.

They are adding achievements (called milestones, you put the trophies in your home). You can add backgrounds to the ps3 right now. As far as the online shop.. I don't see what sucks about it. It is straight up currency, it has fast downloads, they have a fair amount of games (with an extensive back catalog coming), they also have some really good freebies right now.

Listen, I seriously don't want to turn this into a bash thread. I just thought I would show it to those that were interested. If you aren't interested.. then keep it to yourself.

I didn't start the thread with "xobx is crap, look what Sony is doing" now did I?

So knock it off.

to get back on subject... It appears they are finally putting a listening ear to the eager that want to make their own games and such as well. They have a lot coming down the pipeline, but I think this takes the cake. There is a lot of potential here. I am a member of the GAP (game advisory panel), so I am hoping I get selected for playtesting on this project. That would be sweet.

[kanegrundar]

They are adding achievements (called milestones, you put the trophies in your home).

Cool. It's been one of the best things that Microsoft has done. For Sony to ignore that would be a big mistake, glad to see their not.

You can add backgrounds to the ps3 right now.
That's not at all what I meant as background downloads. I mean purchasing something or downloading content while you play another game. That way you're not just sitting there waiting for something to download instead of playing a game.


As far as the online shop.. I don't see what sucks about it. It is straight up currency, it has fast downloads, they have a fair amount of games (with an extensive back catalog coming), they also have some really good freebies right now.

The system isn't very intuitive. You pay money into a bank (of sorts), then have to jump through a few hoops to actually buy what you want. Sure, it's nothing too terrible, but it could be better. This last point is minor compared to the other two admittedly.

Listen, I seriously don't want to turn this into a bash thread. I just thought I would show it to those that were interested. If you aren't interested.. then keep it to yourself.

I didn't start the thread with "xobx is crap, look what Sony is doing" now did I?

So knock it off.

So this is just a big "Sony Rocks" party? That makes for great conversation. :roll: Just so you know, tough guy, I'm very interested in what Sony is planning on doing with their online service, but I don't think that a knock-off of a crap online "game" is anywhere close to innovative. The simple fact is that Sony is fighting an uphill battle against an already established and well-regarded online system. I hope they succeed since the service is free, and that will be a HUGE boon to the PS3. I just don't see this as anything but a gimmick, when they could be beating Microsoft by simply copying and improving on what MS has already done.

Sorry to be a voice of dissent, but I honestly wasn't trying to be a prick.

[Havokscry]

Saw this on G4 tonight and it looks fun. I don't own a PS3, but its good that they are doing this. I subscribe to XBox Live and I'm not overly impressed so far with what it has to offer. Kudos to the PS3 for hopefully raising the bar.

[bad_calvin]

I deleted my long ass post, its not worth it. Sorry I tried to start a post to show off the new announcement. I asked already not to make it a bash post, but I should have known better. **** it.

There I swore now I can be done with these boards.

Maybe its me being arrogant, I don't care. I am tired of having these little pissing matches with people. I asked real nice to not make this a freakin bash thread.

anyway, bye

have a good one.

[kanegrundar]

I deleted my long *** post, its not worth it. Sorry I tried to start a post to show off the new announcement. I asked already not to make it a bash post, but I should have known better. frack it.

There I swore now I can be done with these boards.

Maybe its me being arrogant, I don't care. I am tired of having these little pissing matches with people. I asked real nice to not make this a freakin bash thread.

anyway, bye

have a good one.

:roll:

Good God. Get over yourself. Sorry for wanting to have a conversation. So I didn't drool all over the idea, and didn't mean that I was bashing Sony. In fact, if you'd actually READ my post, that I like some of the things that Sony is doing. I was honestly just trying to have a conversation.

[Havokscry]

Along with showing it on G4 tonight, they also showed Little Big Planet for the PS3 which looks incredible. I think its an online game.

[Dreaded Gazebo]

Here's the full 18 minute presentation of Little Big Planet:

http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/9860

It shows the level creation tools in action. This looks like the ultimately physics toy. You can get together with a few friends and just mess around with everything the game has to offer. The ability to upload and share your creations online is just icing on the cake.

For what it's worth my wife watched both the videos of the Home stuff and Little Big Planet and she thought both looked awesome. The character and home customization stuff had her sold on Home and she loved the entire look and concept of Little Big Planet. It's something I think the two of us could just have fun messing around with... no real goal other than to have fun and explore.

[InfinityMax]

Just so you know, tough guy, ...

but I honestly wasn't trying to be a prick.

This might be misconstrued as mixed signals. Of course, seeing as you have been posting a lot about lots of things for a long time, so that everyone knows you, we all know that you were actually complimenting BC for his ability to weather physical and emotional pain. Those who don't know you as well as we do, on the other hand, might accidentally assume that you were, in fact, being a 'prick,' and did not mean 'tough guy' as a compliment.

Good thing we know you so well, or this:

Good God. Get over yourself.

might also have resulted in your looking like the north end of a south-bound mule, and engendered some ill feelings from those of us who have enjoyed BC's contributions to this site for quite a long time now. If it were not for your long-standing contributions to this community, there might be a few people who would resent your bad-mouthing well-respected members when they ask for a little common courtesy.

[ninthdoc]

I'm beginning to think we need a corner and a dunce cap for members like kanegrundar. They are growing in number, much like those populating our welfare recipient rolls in the USA, and they are just about as productive.

What makes you think that anyone gives two craps about what you think? If you want to have a "conversation" try saying something that is worth reading.

It's one thing to have a dissenting opinion; it's quite another to be insulting to a very valued and productive member of the community. Fracktard.

[bad_calvin]

You are absolutely right, I am being a ****. I guess I like the site and the people so much I have been finding myself actually getting "angry" at some of the people that come in and mosh peoples posts. I don't start threads very often. When I do, I hope to have them stay on topic. I just need to step away for a little while and take a chill pill. I realize it is just a message board, but like I said I really like it and the people. I won't be helping much if I am being a ****, and by his response I was thinking I was the one out of line. I just wanted to stay on topic and see what people thought of the program "home" being integrated into the "free ps3 network" that just got announced at GDC yesterday. It would be like if you started a post, "Utgar announces new Unit", then someone comes in and says.. "yeah well Games Workshop already has flying units and they are soooo much better, they also use a tape measure instead of silly hexes". It has nothing to do with it. I asked him to knock it off, only because I asked on the page before to please not make it a VS posts.

You are right though, I need to suck it up and take a break. I apologize to you all. I guess I am just having a moment. I just need a break. Sorry for being out of line, and acting like a child.

Thanks to you all for being such a great community. I am just going to take a little break so I don't spaz out like that again

[bad_calvin]

sorry double post

[kanegrundar]

Look, my whole "tough guy" remark was lined at BC's whole "Knock if off." That got me riled up.

Now that I know the tenor of the site: the older members have run of the threads and if you don't have a higher post count, then don't bother disagreeing with them, I'll know what to post and when.

Seriously though, while I got riled in my second post, my first one wasn't meant to dump on BC or the thread.

Sure, I may not post that often, but I've been around through the various incarnations of the community. Well, it doesn't matter. Sorry to have been a bother.

[Grungebob]

Now that I know the tenor of the site: the older members have run of the threads and if you don't have a higher post count, then don't bother disagreeing with them, I'll know what to post and when.
You got this just a little wrong. These "older members" take care of their own. You start posting things that read jerky, and you can bet that these guys will post in retaliation. I read what you posted and although you didn't break any forum rules, you certainly crapped on a good guy's thread. There's ways to debate without being adversarial. :gb:

[InfinityMax]

the older members have run of the threads and if you don't have a higher post count, then don't bother disagreeing with them, I'll know what to post and when.

I think you missed on this one. Like GB said, we take care of our own. Right now, BadCalvin is one of our own. You're not. Post count has nothing to do with it. There are guys around here with post counts over 1000 who still don't warrant my stepping in, and guys with post counts under 300 who do. You crap on one of my friends, and I'll say something, and I don't care what your post count might be.

One more thing - no reason we all have to be at odds. Do something so we remember you for something besides that guy who crapped on BC. Doc may be harsh, but he's also one of ours, and he's got a point. Until you do something worth discussing, you're just going to look like a troll with no vested interest in the people here.

[kanegrundar]

80 some-odd posts and not a problem until now, and I'm a troll all of a sudden for a misconstrued post? OK.

Looking back on my post, it was worded a little harsher than I'd like. I'm sorry about that. Like I've said MANY times already, it wasn't my intent to crap on the thread and especially not on BC. However, the bile being spouted does appear to be over the top all over a misunderstanding of tone. I understand the desire to jump in and help a buddy out, but this is a little on the ridiculous side.

As for doing something to be noted for...well, all I can do is state opinions in threads as the only thing I really do in regards to HS is play the game and make the occasional homebrew, which I don't post since I don't make cards. Sorry that doesn't make me that worthy, but it's all I can do. :shrug:

Like I said though, this is a misunderstanding that's been blown WAY out of proportion on both my part and others. So let's just let this rest and go about with different conversations.

[chezious]

That's cool. I don't have a PS3 but I know who does and I will be sure to pass it on. Thanks for the info.

[Uprising]

Does anyone on the boards have PS3 yet? If I get a console again, it would be a PS3, but I'll probably wait for a couple of years to see how it develops.

[kanegrundar]

Does anyone on the boards have PS3 yet? If I get a console again, it would be a PS3, but I'll probably wait for a couple of years to see how it develops.
I ended up buying one a couple weeks ago. It's a nice system, but there's not a lot out there yet that really warrants getting one yet, but there are some good games on the horizon. (I'm waiting for FFXIII.) Other than Resistance, I've used it primarily to play my PS2 games on it. In all honesty, I wish I would have waited another 6 months or so, but I still don't feel like I wasted my money.

[Dreaded Gazebo]

Does anyone on the boards have PS3 yet? If I get a console again, it would be a PS3, but I'll probably wait for a couple of years to see how it develops.

Yeah, I've had a PS3 for a couple months now. Great system overall. To be honest I'm more impressed with it than I expected. It's a little large but it runs extremely quiet which I appreciate.

Resistance: Fall of Man is spectacular. It's the first FPS in a long time that I've actually felt compelled to finish. Multiplayer is great fun, reminds me a lot of Timesplitters: Future Perfect (which is one of my favorite multiplayer FPSs). The first couple levels of Resistance might not necessarily sell you on the game but keep playing and it just draws you in deeper. You'll keep seeing new locations, new bad guys, new weapons... good stuff straight through.

Motorstorm just released this week and the game is seriously fun and gorgeous to boot. If you like Rainbow's offroad games (ATV Offroad Fury, MX vs. ATV) then you'll enjoy Motorstorm. It has a very similar slightly exaggerated physics model that makes the game a blast to play. The whole package might be a little barebones but the computer AI is great fun and online seems solid so far.

Virtua Fighter 5 and Tekken: Dark Resurrection both are great fighters. Virtua Fighter 5 is another beautiful game. VF4 was easily my favorite fighter ever and while VF5 doesn't quite live up to its greatness it's still fantastic just the same. Tekken is quite good too, especially as a $20 download.

I've actually been pleased with the Playstation Store. Lemming, Gripshift, Tekken, Blast Factor... all fantastic games at a good price and there are more in the works. You actually get to see the cost in real dollar amounts and only pay what you need to purchase it, which I appreciate ;)

Unfortunately it looks like we might be in a bit of a drought for the PS3 for a bit. Outside of Calling All Cars (downloadable game) I'm not sure there's much in the foreseeable future that looks all that promising. Hopefully there'll be some good stuff this summer and fall or maybe some surprises here and there.

I only have two major complaints with the system overall. First, load times are longer than I had hoped. The Bluray drive reads slower than most DVD drives do these days, so that is somewhat of a bummer. Just like on the PS2, though, I have no doubt developers will get extremely good at streaming from the drive. Second, Bluetooth seems to be a little troublesome at times. It doesn't happen often, but every now and then the controller stops responding for a second or two and I'm assuming it has something to do with Bluetooth.

Other than that I love my PS3. The games have really filled areas that the 360 has been lacking and I expect they'll compliment each other nicely just like my PS2 and Xbox did. Backwards compatibility has also been rock solid for me, which is nice because there are still great PS2 games coming out. All this PS3 news from GDC really has me excited for the future of the system.

[Uprising]

I didn't know they had already released a Tekken for it!! I love the Tekken series.

[chezious]

Does anyone on the boards have PS3 yet? If I get a console again, it would be a PS3, but I'll probably wait for a couple of years to see how it develops.

Yeah, I've had a PS3 for a couple months now. Great system overall. To be honest I'm more impressed with it than I expected. It's a little large but it runs extremely quiet which I appreciate.

Resistance: Fall of Man is spectacular. It's the first FPS in a long time that I've actually felt compelled to finish. Multiplayer is great fun, reminds me a lot of Timesplitters: Future Perfect (which is one of my favorite multiplayer FPSs). The first couple levels of Resistance might not necessarily sell you on the game but keep playing and it just draws you in deeper. You'll keep seeing new locations, new bad guys, new weapons... good stuff straight through.

Motorstorm just released this week and the game is seriously fun and gorgeous to boot. If you like Rainbow's offroad games (ATV Offroad Fury, MX vs. ATV) then you'll enjoy Motorstorm. It has a very similar slightly exaggerated physics model that makes the game a blast to play. The whole package might be a little barebones but the computer AI is great fun and online seems solid so far.

Virtua Fighter 5 and Tekken: Dark Resurrection both are great fighters. Virtua Fighter 5 is another beautiful game. VF4 was easily my favorite fighter ever and while VF5 doesn't quite live up to its greatness it's still fantastic just the same. Tekken is quite good too, especially as a $20 download.

I've actually been pleased with the Playstation Store. Lemming, Gripshift, Tekken, Blast Factor... all fantastic games at a good price and there are more in the works. You actually get to see the cost in real dollar amounts and only pay what you need to purchase it, which I appreciate ;)

Unfortunately it looks like we might be in a bit of a drought for the PS3 for a bit. Outside of Calling All Cars (downloadable game) I'm not sure there's much in the foreseeable future that looks all that promising. Hopefully there'll be some good stuff this summer and fall or maybe some surprises here and there.

I only have two major complaints with the system overall. First, load times are longer than I had hoped. The Bluray drive reads slower than most DVD drives do these days, so that is somewhat of a bummer. Just like on the PS2, though, I have no doubt developers will get extremely good at streaming from the drive. Second, Bluetooth seems to be a little troublesome at times. It doesn't happen often, but every now and then the controller stops responding for a second or two and I'm assuming it has something to do with Bluetooth.

Other than that I love my PS3. The games have really filled areas that the 360 has been lacking and I expect they'll compliment each other nicely just like my PS2 and Xbox did. Backwards compatibility has also been rock solid for me, which is nice because there are still great PS2 games coming out. All this PS3 news from GDC really has me excited for the future of the system.

I have played Resistance. It's a great game. Graphics are good as well as the story line. Rumor has it that price wars will commence shortly between Microsoft and Sony. Hopefully that is true. I still favor the 360 for its online capabilities.

[Chameleon]

What's the big deal? PS3 Home looks a lot like Second Life. Second Life already has over 4 millions users, is free, and you don't need PS3 to use it.

[bad_calvin]

What's the big deal? PS3 Home looks a lot like Second Life. Second Life already has over 4 millions users, is free, and you don't need PS3 to use it.

From watching the full presentation, not just the clip it is apparent that it is not just "second life" for consoles. What it is is a 3-d interface to an online network to submerge the user. Instead of a static interface as seen on the web. Instead of a list of accomplishments, you get to see a 3-d trophy room with clips running of you "accomplishing" them. It could also be used by clans for a meeting room, memebers could chat and share the pictures of the maps, share videos of past games for training, etc. Game award shows could be done online where you go in and sit in the theatre and get to chat with other gamers in the world and watch the videos and vote in real time. You can go and visit Game developers "web sites" which are fully interactive 3-d worlds. For example if you were to go to EA's home you could take part in some 3 point shot contest, or check out the leaderboards, etc. There are a ton of possabilites, on what they are doing with it, and with a 10 year life cycle.. and this being the first year, I am sure that we are going to be seeing some very amazing things done with this.

Granted it looks like second life, it looks like sims, but it is not the same thing. It is basically a 3-d world that is user created instead of a static webpage type interface. Pretty cool in my book. The point to me is that they are shooting to provide a great online gaming network, with a 3-d sense of community.

There is more that could be said.. but it is not second life. I am sure it could evolve to include something like that, but that is not what they are attempting to do. They are just going forward to create a 3-d gameing network with real world attributes. Pretty classy if you ask me, and with Sony's hands in the entertainment industry the way it is, i am thinking it is going to be pretty darn successful.

[TyrionXavier]

Looks pretty neat.

The whole "share your music and movies with friends" bit, all while sitting in a virtual lounge - that's pretty neat.

I also like it that you can literally walk up to an arcade machine and play it, all in virtual space.

Oh, and Free, that's definately nice.

I still don't have a PS3. I spent my PS3 money on Heroscape a couple months ago. haha :D

[Chameleon]

From watching the full presentation, not just the clip it is apparent that it is not just "second life" for consoles. What it is is a 3-d interface to an online network to submerge the user. Instead of a static interface as seen on the web. Instead of a list of accomplishments, you get to see a 3-d trophy room with clips running of you "accomplishing" them. It could also be used by clans for a meeting room, memebers could chat and share the pictures of the maps, share videos of past games for training, etc. .

Chatting, downloading content, sharing images and videos, confernces - all in a 3D virtual word - these are things that you can do in Second Life. PS3 Home is clearly a Second Life clone for consoles.

Wired News: Sony Gives PS3 a Second Life
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72895-0.html

[yagyuninja]

The important difference between Second Life and PS3 home is the games.

In second life, all you can do is hang in second life.
In PS3 home, you can hang with people and then jump into motorstorm with them.

That's a HUGE difference for me.

[Chameleon]

The important difference between Second Life and PS3 home is the games.

In second life, all you can do is hang in second life.
In PS3 home, you can hang with people and then jump into motorstorm with them.


As I had already pointed out, PS3 Home is Second Life for consoles.

[Chameleon]

Does anyone on the boards have PS3 yet? If I get a console again, it would be a PS3, but I'll probably wait for a couple of years to see how it develops.
I ended up buying one a couple weeks ago. It's a nice system, but there's not a lot out there yet that really warrants getting one yet, but there are some good games on the horizon. (I'm waiting for FFXIII.) Other than Resistance, I've used it primarily to play my PS2 games on it.

I first played on a PS3 last fall, at a pre-screening event. The only game I liked was Motorstorm, which was just released this month. It didn't seem to warrant buying a $600 PS3 just for a single game. Maybe when Final Fantasy comes out. There aren't that many top-notch PS3 game out right now, and I already have a PS2. I just saw a PS3 console for sale in Walmart for the first time yesterday, but passed on buying it.

[Annerios]

I first played on a PS3 last fall, at a pre-screening event. The only game I liked was Motorstorm, which was just released this month. It didn't seem to warrant buying a $600 PS3 just for a single game. Maybe when Final Fantasy comes out. There aren't that many top-notch PS3 game out right now, and I already have a PS2. I just saw a PS3 console for sale in Walmart for the first time yesterday, but passed on buying it.

I saw six at a local Target and another 3 at Wal Mart. Try finding a Wii and that is a different story. I have never seen one of those in a store.

The Wii is a lot of fun, but I'm into the darker, edgier games I hope the PS3 will eventually deliver. I'd love to try out John Woo's Stranglehold. It looks like a Max Payne clone, but it is a sequel of sorts to Hard-Boiled and that is one of my favorite action flicks. :johnwoo:

For those that have the PS3: has anyone hooked it up and played Blu-ray DVDs on it on a 1080p TV? How well does it perform as a Blu-ray disc player?

[kanegrundar]

I saw six at a local Target and another 3 at Wal Mart. Try finding a Wii and that is a different story. I have never seen one of those in a store.

Same here. One of the Game Stops in town has 3 Wii boxes, but they are display only. They get them in on a regular basis, but are sold out within a day, sometimes two.

If I thought for a second that I could get Sony to pay up on Trent's (one of the Sony big dogs in the US) boast that he'd pay $1200 for any PS3 found on the store shelves, many of us would be very rich. (Check out the cover story in this month's EGM for the interview, if you're curious.)

For those that have the PS3: has anyone hooked it up and played Blu-ray DVDs on it on a 1080p TV? How well does it perform as a Blu-ray disc player?

While I don't have a 1080p TV, I've used it as a Blu-ray player. It works fine. I haven't had any problems, but without a nice HDTV there's not much point in me paying more for a BR disc over regular DVD.

[yagyuninja]

The important difference between Second Life and PS3 home is the games.

In second life, all you can do is hang in second life.
In PS3 home, you can hang with people and then jump into motorstorm with them.


As I had already pointed out, PS3 Home is Second Life for consoles.

You asked what the big deal is. That's the big deal.

[Doc_Savage]

I have read several reviews of the PS3 as a bluray player and they said it is the best one out there. And the cheapest. And it will play Motorstorm... And I can download games to my PSP... Can you tell I'm sold on the product???

There is also a "regular" bluetooth remote that is available that lets you use the bluray player like any other dvd player. A nice accessory for the wives who have no interest in video games.

I have been selling away on ebay to buy one of these. I have a 60" SXRD tv and I can't wait to watch "Bullitt" in HD on it...

[bad_calvin]

Just thought this might interest some of you.

Q: What is the timeline for rollout?
Closed Beta (appx. 15,000 users): April - August
Open Beta (appx. 50,000 users): August - October
Service Live (50,000+): October
Q: Will I be able to attend ticketed (paid-for) special events?
Yes, in time Home will play host to many types of event. Bespoke events such as exclusive game previews and developer interviews will be organised by Home and its affiliated content providers. Live events such as sports and concerts may also be broadcast within Home.
Q: Can Home users win non-purchased prizes and items?
Yes, it will be possible to give prizes to users.
Q: Home looks so great - how do publishers ensure that users continue to play their games rather than spending all their time in Home?
There is a huge scope for publishers and developers to promote their current and future IPs - as well as exploiting their back-catalogue. For example, it will be possible to develop small demo-areas within Home that promote new titles, or to re-publish an old IP as mini-game within their Home Space.
Q: Is Home a PS3 specific service? Will users be able to access Home through other devices?
Initially Home will only be accessible via that PLAYSTATION®3, although over time our intention is to enable users to interface certain Home features and services via other networked devices such as PlayStation®Portable (PSP®) and mobile phones.
Q: Can I launch and watch a BD movie from within Home?
Launch, yes. Watch, no.
Q: Will we be able to sell products (other than Home assets) online?
Eventually Home will not only support the merchandising of virtual assets, but also will provide cross-promotional opportunities for selling physical goods online.
Q: Could publishers sell tutorials to their games through Home?
Yes, the commercial services and features that publishers and developers will be able to support is extremely broad.
Q: How large is the download?
We're aiming for the initial download to be under 500MB. Subsequent downloads will hopefully integrate a streaming method that makes them negligible.
Q: How do users find friends and spaces within Home?
There is an integrated PSN Friends list, and search functionality for spaces.
Q: How many friends can I have?
As many as the PSN friends list allows, which is currently 50.
Q: How often is incremental content being created for Home?
Content for Home will be developed continually. In addition to an ever increasing variety of items to customize avatars and Home Spaces, there will be special events such as Halloween and Christmas where special content will be available for a limited time.
Currently Home is not a persistent world, so when you leave Home, all of your possessions go with you. For instance, it is not currently possible for other users to visit your apartment while you're not there. We are working on the persistent aspect of Home, and expect to implement it in the long term.
Q: Will there be a restriction to the age you'll be able to give your avatar?
Yes. We will not have avatars which resemble children. The avatars are adult in appearance.
Q: Can I create new items and content for Home myself?
This functionality is in the works for future release. We see user created
content as a very important element of Home's ongoing success.
Q: Will users be able to sell things to each other?
Ultimately, an auction service will be implemented that will allow users to sell
their Home assets and user-created content to other users.
Q: Can I earn money in Home?
As noted above, there will be eventually opportunities for user-to-user
auctions.


BTW: I got dibs on the Scapers Hangout. :) I will gladly build it. :)

[kanegrundar]

The more info that comes out the better this service sounds. Really, my only concern (now) is the download size. I'm not worried about the transfer rate, just that I don't want to not play games so it can download. I guess I can just let it DL while I'm at work or asleep though.

As for the Second Life comparisions, sure it's pretty obvious where the idea came from and some of the uses of Home will end up being similar, but the point of Home isn't to be a game in and of itself rather to be a graphical interface rather than a more bland regular internet explorer-like interface. Plus, it's exactly what Sony needs to differeciate their online service from Xbox Live.

[bad_calvin]

The more info that comes out the better this service sounds. Really, my only concern (now) is the download size. I'm not worried about the transfer rate, just that I don't want to not play games so it can download. I guess I can just let it DL while I'm at work or asleep though.

As for the Second Life comparisions, sure it's pretty obvious where the idea came from and some of the uses of Home will end up being similar, but the point of Home isn't to be a game in and of itself rather to be a graphical interface rather than a more bland regular internet explorer-like interface. Plus, it's exactly what Sony needs to differeciate their online service from Xbox Live.

It is a 500 MB download.

[kanegrundar]

It is a 500 MB download.

Yep, which isn't bad by any means, but if everyone else is downloading it at the same time the throughput could hurt. Like I said though, I could always set it to download while I'm alseep or gone. Plus, it may not be that big of an issue with a lot of people DL'ing it at the same time anyway. I'm sure Sony's got plenty of bandwidth. :)