PS Home open to everyone this year

By Robert Purchese Published 27 November, 2008

Closed beta to finish soon, says Sony.

PlayStation Home director Jack Buser has reassured gamers that the PS3 virtual world will be open to everybody this year.

"Like we've said, we're excited about moving PlayStation Home into its open beta stage this year. Once we make the move to open beta, everyone will have access to PlayStation Home," Jack Buser told IGN.

Hundreds of thousands of people were invited inside the closed PlayStation Home beta last week, and an even larger number are expecting invites today.

So far only "loyal" members of the PS3 community are being offered places, but Jack Buser said the closed phase is, well, closing.

"PlayStation Home is nearing the final stages of our closed beta. Last week we successfully moved to our 1.0 client, which places us on schedule for the launch of open beta this year," he said.

The ambitious and free virtual world was unveiled alongside LittleBigPlanet at GDC back in March 2007.

Since then, the online service has been delayed on numerous occasions, as Sony puts its features to the test.

So far, the results are promising, as our hands-on impressions of PlayStation Home pointed out.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (50) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Chrono-Kun #1 3 years ago

    First...

    And whee, time to pretend to be 12 and chat up the girls ;)

  • DFawkes #2 3 years ago

    Still want it, but apparently I'm not loyal enough. I know I'm impatient, but I think I have the right to be given the delays.

  • SpyroViper #3 3 years ago

    I'm totally fed up with this. It's been so long being O it's this year.. DELAYED.. O it's this year, I really don't care anymore.
    Edited by 1 at 27/11/08 @ 15:22

  • mazzl #4 3 years ago

    will be interesting to see for how long home will be beta, maybe just like gmail ;)

  • jonbwfc #5 3 years ago

    The 'loyal user' thing is total bull. Mate of mine bought a launch PS3, kept it for about three weeks then sold it on eBay. He's had absolutely noting to do with any form of playstation since. Last week, he got a Home beta invite..

    No, you can't have it.

    Jon

  • Vanmunt #6 3 years ago

    Home is very good, bit odd wandering around when none of your friends on on but it has sooooo much potential.... see you online later for stress test if you get beta!!!

    I know you will be looking at this Lizer, so yes... I have posted a comment.

    Oh, and playstaion love me more than you.

  • DFawkes #7 3 years ago

    It is about loyalty. If you were loyal enough to get randomly picked when they pressed their Random Choice button, you got in. Have to be hyper loyal to have the power to change probability to get in!
    Edited by 1 at 27/11/08 @ 15:39

  • RexRunti #8 3 years ago

    Reading through the spin, it says "open beta this year". Still no indication when the actual finished project will be released. (Though to be fair there isn't much difference between something working that everyone can get for free and has the word beta written somewhere and something working which everyone can get for free and hasn't.)

  • Widge #9 3 years ago

    They said its not going to be "finished" as such, just eternally added to and improved upon.

  • drumbaby #10 3 years ago

    Not caring anymore because of the wait and then being one of the first to download and use Home once it's out...two totally different things.

    But I bet they'll go hand in hand with 99% of the whiners here ;)

  • mkreku #11 3 years ago

    Uhm.. if it was revealed only last year, why are people whining about it being delayed and stuff? Since when has ANY ambitious project taken less than a year to complete? I mean, a normal game takes 2-3 years to make, why would this be any different? I know it's not actually a game, but I would guess its complexity rivals that of any game.

  • captainrentboy #12 3 years ago

    J1GSAW, that's a clever comment there son, well done!
    I'm guessing fannying about playing dress up in a virtual world is waaaay cooler, and somehow less camp then? Silly bugger.

  • mkreku #13 3 years ago

    And I must say that NickJC is a great symbol of why Xbox Live sucks.

    Homophobic and idiotic in one go! Great work!

  • LazyDan #14 3 years ago

    Hurf durf, yeah alright we'll see it this year. BETTER GET A SKATE ON HUH

  • andijames #15 3 years ago

    NickJC

    What?? I mean.... what??? Dear god man grow up. There's plenty of room in this world for more than one dash and more than one console. If you don't like it then why comment about it?

  • DFawkes #16 3 years ago

    In my opinions, I love Miis, avatars and whatever the Home people are called. I'll call them Homies. Sure, they sometimes look silly, but I still like them.

  • Vanmunt #17 3 years ago

    @NickJ

    Sweet, one less asshole on home then.

  • ps3owner #18 3 years ago

    I already have a home, granted it's a rented flat only... still it's a home.

    anyway, looking forward to this home then. whenever it comes out. regarding the "open-beta" thing... most of google's stuff is still BETA... so, who cares?

    it's free anyway, chill ppl

  • oreillymj #19 3 years ago

    Despite never buying anything with my US account from the US PSN store or adding any posts to the US forums, my US PSN account got an invite last night.

    So how's the whole loyalty working?

    Anyway, I spent about a hour downloading the bowling alley (which is amusing), the mall (which has empty shops) and the movie theatre.

    Where's the fabled "Uncharted" bar and the Warhawk strategy room?

    There's not much else for me to do except talk to randomers and change my avatar. I now look like Djibriel Cisse. I have a red afro and white eyebrows with an explorers moustache.

  • Doctor_What #20 3 years ago

    @ NickJC, you've always come across as a complete twat, but that's standard for both sides of Teh Console Wars (TM); however, with that comment you've just entered the realm of utter ignorant c**t. Homophobic rants like that one seriously worry me. Someday you are going to have gay friends, or some of the people you know now are gay and are too scared to tell you because of how they think you'll react. You really should feel ashamed of yourself. We're edging towards the second decade of this millennium and you're still trying to continue that kind of out-dated tripe? Pitiful, for both you and us as a species that we tolerate people like you.

    Then again, the universe usually has the last laugh. Everyone I've known who has felt the need to publically say 'Me I'm straight, I like girls' have turned out to be raging queens and a lot happier for it in the end. Funnily enough it also happened the opposite way arond with a gay friend who kept insisting how repulsed he was by women and then got a girlfriend. It's a weird world. NickJC, I hope you get what's coming to you if you keep up that attitude.

  • robg #21 3 years ago

    Does anyone else genuinely think that NickJC was serious? It reads like a tongue-in-cheek rant, but perhaps I'm missing something.

  • andijames #22 3 years ago

    Tongue in who's cheek though that is the question? :)

    Even if it was it's not necessarily called for is it?

    Back on topic though i'm still intrigued by home and looking forward to seeing how it works once it's fully populated

  • groovychainsaw #23 3 years ago

    I don't see how home improves the PS3 in any way really - apart from presumably meaning it takes about 2 minutes to start playing a game (if you log into home to do it) instead of 5 seconds after booting up the PS3? What is the point? Can someone explain to me, I must be missing something. If you just want to play games, sometimes with someone on your friends list, and bnuy things from the store, how does home help? Where's the benefit. This is such a waste of sony's time/money. No wonder there's no bloody games for the PS3. They could have at least made a mmorpg and released it for free, surely?
    Edited by 1 at 27/11/08 @ 16:25

  • Whatsfor #24 3 years ago

    When January 1st comes and its still not year we will get a new statement... "We meant financial year" ... "2009/2010".

  • VicViper #25 3 years ago

    I saw some videos of the beta recently on youtube, the running man lines ones, and it does look interesting but sadly very second life like. I gather they have started the game specific areas? that sounded pretty awsome but untill they get something concrete going I think I hold off on buying a PS3 for it (well until KH3/ZOE 3 comes out anway)

  • DanC89 #26 3 years ago

    I got the beta, I'll tell you how (may or may not be suprising)..

    My main a/c which I've used 3 or 4 times a week on average most weeks since I got it on launch wasn't invited. Yet, my sub US account which I made in August and have used maybe once or twice a month for five minutes was!

    Thought it was okay mind, not a lot to do yet.

  • kangarootoo #27 3 years ago

    "Me I'm straight, I like girls so I will not be going to the gay orgy house you call home."

    ^ gay as a daffodil.

  • chessboxer #28 3 years ago

    @ mkreku

    Home started development in 2005 but the idea was first talked about in 2003 (possibly 2002) I believe, during an interview with some magazine.

  • Widge #29 3 years ago

    Thread contents:

    * talk about Home
    * people calling NickJC a cock

    good shit.

    I'm glad he keeps getting banned and coming back so we have someone to ridicule. Although its a bit easy at times.

  • Benno #30 3 years ago

    Does anyone actually care about Home anymore?

  • TheBoyChris #31 3 years ago

    At first I read that "Jack Bauer" - thought Sony were pulling out the big guns.

  • layleeloo #32 3 years ago

    no BENNO. I couldnt give a flying fuck about it since it was first unveiled - and even less now.

  • penhalion #33 3 years ago

    So the PS3 is going to be even less about games soon. May as well just hand 360 and Wii the gaming thrones and wait for PS4.

  • PanStre #34 3 years ago

    Day, month, and year, or STFU Sony.

  • Widge #35 3 years ago

    christ, who would want "just a games console" nowadays? I'm seriously hoping the next xbox becomes a fully loaded uber beast, and I mean that. That would be massively on my radar. Based on the "we're a media download medium too!" adverts, thats how its going and I reckon thats alright.

  • elephant_stone #36 3 years ago

    Its on version 1.0.1 now!

    oooo

  • drumbaby #37 3 years ago

    Got my invite :)

  • mkreku #38 3 years ago

    @Chessboxer:

    From the article: "The ambitious and free virtual world was unveiled alongside LittleBigPlanet at GDC back in March 2007."

    Granted, I haven't been following the development of Home in the slightest, but unveiling does sound like they showed it for the first time in 2007? I'm sure there's been rumours since forever, but that's besides the point, I think.

  • carrotcake #39 3 years ago

    What? More invites sent out today? If I don't have one it's a joke because I bought their console at launch when it was a stupid price, I use it every week, plus I have a psp and download games for that too. Surely people that registered a PSN account when the service launched are loyal enough.

  • michaelius #40 3 years ago

    Meh i couldn't care less. They can keep this sims/second-life hybrid closed for as long as they want as i greatly prefer classic ps3 xmb - 100% of usefullness 0% of useless crap :)

  • mmmmmm #41 3 years ago

    I gotta say, NickJC, that that was some very skillful trolling. Kudos.

  • Les #42 3 years ago

    "I'm glad he keeps getting banned and coming back so we have someone to ridicule."

    That probably explains why every now and then he pops up again. Apparently the ignore function is reset once people get banned.

  • awb83 #43 3 years ago

    I got the beta last night. Nothing much there at the moment but going on first impressions I think it has potential. I'm looking forward to features and services etc to be added which will hopefully improve the service.

  • metalnut #44 3 years ago

    Yawn. Copying Second Life is so 2006 ;)

  • kestral #45 3 years ago

    Isn't all this PS Home and NXE is just distracting from playing quality games.

  • mminghella #46 3 years ago

    I'v e had the invite and while Home is impressive, its equally "meh".

    I don't do Facebook etc so this has a very limited appeal to me.

    However, if the video bits work, then it would be a nice way of having friends round to watch naughty films ;)

  • DrDamn #47 3 years ago

    @Farticus
    I got on the Beta due to being a "valued customer" - read fool who got his PS3 at launch. Tried it for a laugh. I largely agree with you but it does have hooks into games in some respect. The party thing is done in home but through a different interface, it's also worse as it doesn't by default support all games. There are also little games in Home which kind of have an interesting social aspect to them - stuff like Bowling, Pool and Chess for example. What is interesting is that you wander up to the game setting and set up your game from there with someone else hanging about the area. As a social interaction it's more natural than simply connecting to a game with a random opponent. For people with a limited friends list this sort of interaction is more likely to get extra people on your list than a more usual connect to game type. Ok it's not that interesting but I can see a little more where they were going with Home ...

    However, given they are not even competing with Live on some of the basic stuff yet, you can't really see the whole Home thing as anything but a massive waste of money and time :D.

    After having NXE for a while now I do love all the new features like parties and better mini-guide. But the "main" interface and organisation is still a bit of a mess. Too easy to get lost, too many ways to do the same thing or get to the same place and the advertising is obtrusive and adds to the confusion. The new mini-guide is a god send and makes up for the main interface deficiencies though - I just use that.

  • BobsUncle #48 3 years ago

    If you swap the 'u' and the 's' over then replace the 's' with and 'a', his name is Jack Bauer.

  • Marshall2008 #49 3 years ago

    Well I got my invite code today:

    PlayStation Home is a 3D, interactive, evolving service, exclusive to PS3™. It's free to download and easy to use.
    To take part please redeem your unique promotional code below using your PLAYSTATION 3 and join us in Home.
    How to redeem your Promotional code and access Home
    If you haven’t already done so, register for an account on PlayStationŽNetwork, then follow these steps:
    1. Sign in to your PlayStationŽNetwork account via your PLAYSTATIONŽ3 system.
    2. Once signed in, select [Account Management].
    3. Choose [Redeem Code]
    4. Enter your 12 character promotion code and select [Continue].
    NOTE: promotion codes are case sensitive and must be entered exactly as displayed.
    5. Follow the on-screen instructions to redeem the promotion code.
    XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

    Downloaded and installed (77mb file) Ran the update to 1.0.1 (26mb)

    Created my character and went walkabout. Looks nice i suppose kinda like secondlife with beefed up gfx. Spent a total of half an hour walking round and downloading the extra areas like the mall and bowling alley. And thats that. Won't ever load it up again as its pointless unless you are into secondlife type social games. At least I can say that I tried it. I have no problem with home as long as they leave it as an optional download and don't ever try to replace the XMB with this.

    I can't see anything worthwhile ever coming to Home so I deleted it and got back the 3,077mb of HDD space it 'reserves' for itself.
    Edited by 1 at 28/11/08 @ 20:07

  • VMerken #50 3 years ago

    I like the phrasing, "on schedule". I really like that.