Home and Second Life not the same thing - Harrison

By Tom Bramwell Published 10 April, 2007

Simpleton!

Sony's Phil Harrison has denied that PlayStation Home and Second Life are basically the same thing, claiming it's "way oversimplifying" to make the suggestion.

"In Home, you get a character and a 3D world, and that's where the similarity ends," he told semi-official Sony blog ThreeSpeech. "Second Life does some brilliant things but with Home, we're providing a service. Therefore, the tone of voice is what will differentiate it - Home is about entertainment, it has a game focus, and it's about sharing with a like-minded community."

Observers have been drawing the comparison ever since Harrison unveiled Home - an online universe where PS3 users can set up a home and interact with friends and services - at the Game Developers Conference last month.

"We don't give users the level of influence over the environment, behaviour and object definitions that Second Life does - it's as secure as any other PS3 game," Harrison continued. "With some of the operating system protocols that are built into the Cell chip, it's about as secure as you can be on a consumer device."

That's not to say you won't be able to customise your surroundings though, as Harrison explained: "We were discussing how, if you had a great view from the back of your apartment - the perfect sunset across a lake, say - you could get all your friends around, and buy a premium item - a perfect V of ducks flying in front of the sun. So while your view would be the same as your friends', you could customise it in some unique and charming ways."

PlayStation Home will launch in October. You can read more about it in our PlayStation Home preview from GDC.

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About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000. Follow him on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (35) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Kengro #1 5 years ago

    Of course there isn't any user code running, Sony won't make money on user code...
    I hope there is a way to awoid Home, if i got to have it my Ps3 is done online.
    There's no way i'm using this
    Edited by Kengro at 10/04/07 @ 08:23

  • Scimarad #2 5 years ago

    Yes, but why does my avatar have to be a boring old human?

    Moogles FTW!

  • BartonFink #3 5 years ago

    Sounds like this is going to take the whole horse armour thing to whole new levels.

  • MikeP #4 5 years ago

    "We were discussing how, if you had a great view from the back of your apartment - the perfect sunset across a lake, say - you could get all your friends around, and buy a premium item - a perfect V of ducks flying in front of the sun."

    And then you could go to your garage, drive down to Shell in your favourite GT5 car and fill it with petrol. Petrol is premium content, paid for in Sony Dollars.
    Edited by MikeP at 10/04/07 @ 08:46

  • Ciaran #5 5 years ago

    Sounds like this is going to take the whole horse armour thing to whole new levels.

    Quite. *Buying* a V of ducks? I mean whatdahell!?

  • SeesThroughAll #6 5 years ago

    Most of the added features should become available on the XMB as well... or so I hope.

  • moggsy #7 5 years ago

    Instead of looking at virtual sunsets, I'd rather just play a game - m'kay.

    If I wanted to look at a sunset I'd go for for a walk in the real world - call me old fashioned...
    Edited by moggsy at 10/04/07 @ 09:19

  • sanctusmortis #8 5 years ago

    If he expected us to see this as a GOOD thing, he on crack. He's basically said "this isn't like Second Life - they don't CHARGE you to change the world"...

  • Jo0j #9 5 years ago

    a premium item? Wow. (hopefully they're not the rubber ones from those old tech demos, rendered dual screen at 1080p-120fps, no doubt)
    Those ducks better have real time weapon change or else.
    Wait...''a perfect V''? A 4d feature, only available through the power of teh Cell, surely.
    Home- ready to strike your wallet's weak point for massive damage.

    sorry, couldn't help myself.
    Edited by Jo0j at 10/04/07 @ 09:56

  • bivith #10 5 years ago

    Yes, but will it have Marillion?

  • Quine #11 5 years ago

    I, for one, would like to be the first to welcome our new Animated PNG Room Texture Buffer Overrun Exploiting Script Kiddy overlords to our virtual Homes.

  • LOLLERS #12 5 years ago

    "you could get all your friends around, and buy a premium item - a perfect V of ducks flying in front of the sun. "


    FUCK THAT SHIT.

  • Gurgeh #13 5 years ago

    I don't want ducks I want giant enemy crabs.

  • Nikanoru #14 5 years ago

    We were discussing how, if you had a great view from the back of your apartment - the perfect sunset across a lake, say - you could get all your friends around, and buy a premium item - a perfect V of ducks flying in front of the sun.


    HAHAHA!!

    Oh wow.

    When I saw some people quote this in the comments up there, there was no doubt in my mind that this was just a sarcastic post someone else made. There was no question. It was too ridiculous to actually be a real comment.

    Then I read the article.


    I wonder how the sony fanbots are going to put a positive spin on this. In fact, I can't wait to see it.

  • Salvia #15 5 years ago

    "wonder how the sony fanbots are going to put a positive spin on this"

    How about; "You're an idiot." ?

    What's so preposterous about Harrison's comment that spin is needed?

  • bonker #16 5 years ago

    Could this all possibly be any gayer?!

  • JediMasterMalik #17 5 years ago

    Firstly, since Home is completely free, and you don't know how much the ducks will cost, you have no argument. For all you know it could be 10 pence for the birds.

    Sorry to piss on you bash-parade, but how can you complain about something which is essentially free?

  • NthSimulachum #18 5 years ago

    Sorry, If its free, why does he talk of paying for premium content?

    Clearly, some content isn't free.

  • Nikanoru #19 5 years ago

    What's so preposterous about Harrison's comment that spin is needed?

    lol

    Thank you.

  • NthSimulachum #20 5 years ago

    Cancer is free. Lots of people complain about that.

  • JediMasterMalik #21 5 years ago

    Some content which isn't necessary to use the program isn't free, correct. You know what they say though don't you? If you don't like it, don't buy it. Home and premium content has been talked about from the very beginning.

    I understand complaining about paid content when you have paid 50 quid for a game, but not when it starts off free.

  • Salvia #22 5 years ago

    "What's so preposterous about Harrison's comment that spin is needed?

    lol

    Thank you."

    So what you're saying is providing a service that is customisable is laughable and needs positive spin?

  • Shrui #23 5 years ago

    Geeze, chill out people!

    If Home and the services it will provide aren't your thing (and I doubt the Xbox owners will be making use of it!) then move on. I seriously doubt that they will make this a necessary component of PS3 online content. Not that any of us can comment considering none of us will know for a few months. Personally I doubt I'll use it much when it becomes available, just doesn't appeal to me. Moving on.

    However...

    Positive spin on his comments? - I'd be surprised if you could. His comments are a touch on the side of daft. Think about what he has to get across: That Home is like Second Life in the whole online community thing except that you don't have the same creative freedom as Second Life.

    So basically he has to get across the differences without admitting that the Home service is the lesser product creatively speaking but as with anyone in PR he can't talk down his own product. He screwed it up though, all he really needed to say was that it's a different market/product and walk away. There was no need (as with any Sony/MS rep) for the bullshit.

  • Salvia #24 5 years ago

    ""wonder how the sony fanbots are going to put a positive spin on this"
    How about; "You're an idiot." ?
    What's so preposterous about Harrison's comment that spin is needed?

    you're not even providing a question or an answer that matches that sentence you're replying to
    Harrison's comments are completely valid
    if you're a SOCIOPATHIC DEMENTED MARKETING PSYCHOPATH "

    Pointing out the idiocy of requiring spin on Harrison's comment is all the spin that is needed. Quite simple really.

    Again; What is so awful about providing customisable services?
    Did anyone crow about this when MS offers pictures and themes for the 360?

  • -TKF- #25 5 years ago

    Home will be good

  • 3william56 #26 5 years ago

    I hear M$ is charging for Xbox faceplates to customise the 360! The b*stards! Totally ghey, etc. etc. And Ninty, actually expect us to PAY for games on the Wii console? WTF?

    Dear Haters...

    1) It's free.
    2) It's not essential, and you never need download it to play games
    3) You don't have to buy the bling
    4) It's still free

    So what's the problem again? Nasty $ony offering to sell you stuff if you happen to want to buy it? F*ck, no way I'm buying a gheystation now...

    >sigh

  • aldo_14 #27 5 years ago

    I'm not sure how the concept of buying a V of ducks is any more reprehensible than (as was pointed out) paying for gamerpics on Xbox live... don't get me wrong, I heavily disagree with the notion of paying for something so trivial in either case (it's simple profiteering, a bit like selling a newspaper then charging for optional staples), but highlighting it as 'another great Sony sin' seems rather redundant and done for the point of scoring cheap points. Yes, large multinationals like to fuck you in the wallet - surely we can put it in perspective and moan about the principles now being applied to DLC rather than whatever company we dislike?

    (anyways, if you want a pop at sony, just look at their piss-yourself/molestation themed PSP ad ;) )

  • Moz #28 5 years ago

    "Again; What is so awful about providing customisable services?
    Did anyone crow about this when MS offers pictures and themes for the 360?
    "

    They've already said in the first press release about this that you will be able to use your own pictures as pictures on the walls, or your own videos on the virtual TV in your room.

    What your not going to be able to do is custom models for your avatar, which on the whole is a good thing as long as the available avatars can be customised enough. They haven't said there wont be moogle or fury avatars available in the future.

    The other main difference I can see between this and Second life is there wont be an "internal" economy, in second life you have to earn imaginary money in order to "buy" content from other users. While everything is free in terms of real world money, you still have to earn customisations within the second life world.

    Where as Home is nothing more then a different way to deliver content, news, demo and chat to PS3 users. As long as you can do most things through XMB (admitedly we don't know that you can, but they have suggested that HOME is optional) then every thing will be good.

  • LOLLERS #29 5 years ago

    I would care less if Sony's online service had been proven to be good, but the fact that it hasn't and they're putting so much effort into this rubbish makes me think it will always be a poor second place for playing games online.

    If it turns out to be great for having a little virtual life where everything is happy and you can buy ducks and mingle with furries and paedophiles, then great, I hope the demographic that it's aimed at enjoy it. Unfortunately, I imagine the demographic that the PS3 is aimed at right now (People with at least £425 spare to blow on a games console) are too busy with the stress of buying or renting a place to live in real-life or buying real furniture to give a shit about this. Although this HOMO stuff won't be here till christmas, so I guess they're really setting this up for the chav-market...

    And also, it's clearly not free, it's a bit like the recent budget: Cut tax a bit so it all looks attractive, then put on a huge price-tag on and call it next-gen...You can probably buy 2 years worth of Live for the price difference between PS3 and 360..



    Edited by LOLLERS at 10/04/07 @ 14:08

  • SeesThroughAll #30 5 years ago

    LOLLERS said:
    I would care less if Sony's online service had been proven to be good, but the fact that it hasn't and they're putting so much effort into this rubbish makes me think it will always be a poor second place for playing games online.

    Do you have one? How sure are you?

    And the chavs don't care about Home either, they already have a 360.

  • Moz #31 5 years ago

    "You can probably buy 2 years worth of Live for the price difference between PS3 and 360..
    "

    Surely your just highlighting here that the 360 isn't as cheap in campirson to the PS3 as people are trying to make out.

  • LOLLERS #32 5 years ago

    "Do you have one? How sure are you?"

    no I don't, but i'm pretty sure based on the fact that I haven't heard anybody saying that the PS3 service is significantly better in terms of playing games online and that the fetures listed don't sem as good in comparison.

    Are you saying it is good and solid and works in all games seamlessly?


    "And the chavs don't care about Home either, they already have a 360."

    So.....does anybody care?
    Edited by LOLLERS at 10/04/07 @ 15:02

  • SeesThroughAll #33 5 years ago

    I'd rather think of it this way: how does it compare to XBL Silver?

  • mattigan #34 5 years ago

    Now I loathe all things Sony, but if you want this "content" or even think it's cool then fair play to you, the problem with this article is that PH has come up with the lamest fucking description of an online service that I've ever heard.

    A perfect V of ducks? Customising the view from your virtual apartment THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR!!!!

    I'm not even interested in the perfect fucking V of REAL ducks going past my REAL window let alone buying virtual ones.

    Guaranteed, 1 million+ people worldwide have read that quote and have had exactly the same thought - "Ducks? Fuck that for a laugh" the man is Microsoft's best friend, really.

    If PH carries on making quotes like this then home is doomed, unless of course he starts talking in ways that excite people about Sony's products and online service.

    IMHO.

  • AOFanboi #35 5 years ago

    Home is not Second Life, so we won't get furries having cybersex. I, for one, am glad we won't.