PS3 'PlayStation Home' launches fall '07, confirms NY Times
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Mar 7th 2007 at 11:21AM }
The New York Times has confirmed rumors that Sony will today reveal "PlayStation Home," an online service for PlayStation 3. The news was leaked by an anonymous senior game industry executive who was not authorized to discuss the service. Besides the confirmation, scant details suggest that PlayStation Home will apparently blend elements of Xbox 360's Gamertags and Wii's Miis, namely 'achievements' and 'virtual avatars'; PlayStation Home will allegedly allow "users to create persisting online identities that record players' achievements in different games," reports NY Times. "As players progress through a game, they will unlock various virtual prizes that they can then show off to friends and rivals," said the anonymous source. PlayStation Home is currently scheduled to launch in the US this fall.While expected to disclose full details during a GDC keynote later today, Sony's Phil Harrison briefly detailed the new initiative -- er, Game 3.0 -- in a statement published by NY Times: "The packaged media approach on its own offers a closed experience," he said. "You can only enjoy the game experience that the game developer put on that disc. But with the increase in adoption for the Internet and also the increased bandwidth, the Internet has democratized the audience to become content creators, as well as content consumers, and create what I call emergent entertainment. We've seen that with things like MySpace and YouTube and Flickr. Now we want to take those kinds of collaborative experiences and make them more central to the gameplay experience."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Jeff @ Mar 7th 2007 12:33PM
Can i just say... nice job on the mspaint image!!
HotShotX @ Mar 7th 2007 11:51AM
My biggest PS3 Achievement?:
Not buying a PS3.
~HotShotX
Player1 @ Mar 7th 2007 11:32AM
So wait... Sony is going to rip off features of both the Wii and 360? Who saw that one coming?
Phil @ Mar 7th 2007 11:29AM
Home sounds like it could be a cool addition to the PS3, but once again Sony is snatching ideas from everyone else.
Dolla Dolla @ Mar 7th 2007 11:31AM
It's difficult to be original, these days. Don't be so hard on Sony. The only thing I'm perturbed about is this: Stuck. On. Wait.
Neal @ Mar 7th 2007 11:32AM
Nothing wrong with taking others ideas and improving on it.
Assuming this is still free, PS3 > 360
jason @ Mar 7th 2007 11:35AM
Im sorry but sony has Mentioned something like this months ago, waay before we even knew about the mii on wii.
Also a major part of how business work is to take from your competitors and make it your own, make it unique
sheppy @ Mar 7th 2007 11:35AM
I'm intrigued by the idea and I really must say, I look forward to having Captain Quark's head stuffed and mounted on the wall.
Todd @ Mar 7th 2007 11:36AM
Hot damn! Sony is getting all innovative and original on us!
Jebus Crust @ Mar 7th 2007 11:36AM
Why does it matter if Sony or any other company uses parts of other companies products or ideas? Give Sony a fracking break!!!!
I have absolutely NO problem with Sony or other companies cannibalizing other ideas and combining it with thier own to come up with something new.
After Sony invented the Walkman...should the other companies have never "copied" Sony?
After Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb should the other companies never have "copied" him?
Here is an idea....
put some simple logic into your brain.
Frackwad Nuttchugging crybabies.
jaysins @ Mar 7th 2007 11:37AM
All the companies "share" concepts and improve upon them. It's not always who does something first but sometimes who can do it best. We have yet to see how it works or will be implemented so I'm not going to say it's a complete ripoff until more information is presented on it. Who knows, it could be a wonderful and unique experience, but than again maybe not.
NATO_Duke @ Mar 7th 2007 11:44AM
@5 - Achievements and identity are free on the 360 too, so I don't see how Sony would be doing something better in just this. Silver accounts,do you remember those?
Sounds like they are getting closer to a better online world though. Please Sony - give me a reason to want to be online with this thing.
Pikachelsea @ Mar 7th 2007 11:44AM
"After Sony invented the Walkman...should the other companies have never "copied" Sony?"
Except Sony didn't invent the Walkman. Andreas Pavel created it, Sony stole it from him just like they do with all their "innovations", and then tried to deny him the money he was entitled to.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreas_Pavel
Sony is absolutely pathetic. They can't come up with anything on their own. What's worse, they then go around accusing everyone else of copying them. I can't be the only one who remembers Kaz's idiotic quote:
"Every time we go down a path, we look behind and they're right there - we just can't shake these guys. I wish that they would come up with some strategies of their own, but they seem to be going down the path of everything we do."
http://kotaku.com/gaming/sony/kaz-hirai-says-msoft-copies-sony-183863.php
So no, I will not cut Sony any slack. They don't deserve any praise, slack, or recognition for blatantly stealing the ideas of others and then marching around acting like they've done so much to innovate the gaming industry.
shase @ Mar 7th 2007 11:45AM
Theres nothing wrong with copying or using ideas. I seriously doubt all you who are complaining are using the 100% original item with the original idea. Ipod copied from walkman, you can argue MS copied from NIN and Sony by making a video game system. MS copied Sony for having lots of japanese games like RPGs etc. Its still an idea. I dont see why people complain when they are getting the benefit. Will it make you people much more happier if everyday items dont copy from eachother and finding only one item to buy? Would it make you happy that only one brand of cars can have AirBags, brakes, radio, steering wheel? be more realistic here...... the people who own the PS3 are the winners here.. and if you are complaining maybe you should get one.
willis @ Mar 7th 2007 11:51AM
the problem isn't sony "stealing" ideas from microsoft and nintendo, it's that they go out of their way to make it look as if its their own ideas. sure, competition only benefits us gamers, but sony shouldn't expect to be the leaders in the gaming industry when they prioritize "borrowing" features over creating innovative ones.
Jebus Crust @ Mar 7th 2007 11:52AM
Shase....
Thank you
go th www.threespeech.com for some reactions to what Sony is doing...
Indeed the people with or are going to get PS3's are the real winners here.
DBX00 @ Mar 7th 2007 11:53AM
Before you start commenting, why don't we wait for the announcement to see if they really copied anything.
At the basic level, you have achievements and a avatar. However, how you implement this and connect users is what makes this service possibly unique to the console world. If they basically implement a Second Life/Sims type world it would something very innovative. If users can come to your home and have access to your PS3 music/videos...that would definitely be innovative.
In other words, this goes well beyond anything Live or the Mii have to offer.
Manos @ Mar 7th 2007 11:56AM
Borrowing ideas is not the problem. Sony executives making it sound like everyone has copied THEM though is an outright insult to human intelligence.
If Phil Harrison or whoever does not say anything along those lines I won't have a problem with them. If he does though...the ridicule is never going to stop.
And I refuse to cut slack as well to anyone that tries to impress me with terms like "4D" just to feed their own superiority complex.
haywood jablomey @ Mar 7th 2007 11:56AM
Classic Sony. No originality, no innovation.
Just copy, copy, copy.
DrXym @ Mar 7th 2007 11:56AM
Why do I just know there will be a rash of "Sony stole the idea from Microsoft / Nintendo" idiocy? Never mind that neither Microsoft nor Nintendo invented the concept of avatars or online space to begin with, let alone do it in the same way as the rumours would lead us to believe we'll hear today from Sony. Fanboys will overlook all of that when they start flinging faeces at Sony. After all, Sony is evvvillll right?
Jason @ Mar 7th 2007 11:57AM
This doesn't make much sense. If I wanted a Mii and Achievements, for the price of a PS3 I'd buy a 360 and a Wii, and have the originals.
Although I guess I'd be missing out on the awesome PS3 exclusives.
ZenGaijin @ Mar 7th 2007 11:57AM
I'm glad to see Sony adopt the 360's Achievement system. IMO ever system needs them especially Nintendo.
I wonder what this will all look like and how well it will be pulled off.
D @ Mar 7th 2007 11:59AM
Well at the risk of being unpopular on this site, I have to say that it's a good idea. Imitation is a form of flattery. Much like how the original xbox used rumble in their controllers.
That being said, for all the "Sony has to rip off MS", please stop and think MS and how the only thing that is new from them over the past 10 years is Xbox Live. Windows, Office, Xbox, Zune.. they are all imitations of previously existing products.
MS does one thing well. They take or buy an existing product, slap their name on it and release it. Typically that first release sucks. Version 2 is where they shine. They learn from all their mistakes and come back with a polished Product.
Same thing when they took over Visio. The first release was an absolute resource hog and was full of bugs and when they released the following version it was more stable, quicker and a lot more integrated with the other Office products. The same thing has been done with the Xbox. V1 was okay - it has it's faults and was late to market. They fixed those problems and addressed a lot of issues.
One thing I do have to note is how MS did some innovation and came up with the whole Xbox live thing which is pretty slick. They raised the bar much like Sony has raised it in the past. You know this despite what your emotion based response may be. If you don't then you probably should do a bit more reading on Sony and find out what they have done for the electronics industry as a whole.
That being said, I think that the majority of this board would be angry at Sony if they released this or did not release this. This site isn't exactly a site of bias and rational responses. Everyone here knows it; Heck, I chime in with my own one sided comments but it's more out of mischief and fun than from a real fanboy stance.
It seems that most people these days are so strongly on one side that they cannot respect or admire what the other side(s) does. (reminds me of a certain political climate we live in as well).
I'm anxious for the release of the PS3 home network update - wish it was sooner but I would rather have it than not at all. I think it's a great idea.
my 2 cents
why not the LS2/LS7? @ Mar 7th 2007 11:57AM
Fall 07? I was hoping something would happen this week.
Maybe we'll at least get some kind of update this week still.
As to the idea that Sony is stealing from others. They all take ideas from each other. Heck, I even saw a company show a standalone tennis video game with a motion sensing racket controller in Kentia hall at E3 for two years prior to the release of Wii.
Every one of the companies takes ideas from others and adds their own improvements.
DBX00 @ Mar 7th 2007 11:58AM
http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7B8A4F8917-3627-4F40-90C7-D1AC5E68B4AE%7D&siteid=mktw&dist=nbs
More information on Home...Joystiq needs to really catch up with the news.
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Sony Corp. lifted the wraps Wednesday on an online, social-based network designed to spur interest in its high-end PlayStation3 console, which has suffered from product shortages and a high price tag.
At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, Phil Harrison delivered a keynote address in which he laid out new components of the PlayStation3 network designed to bring in a social gaming aspect similar to multi-player games such as "Second Life" that have become highly popular on the Internet.
Harrison, who is president of worldwide studios for Sony's Computer Entertainment division, described a new evolution in gaming that he called "Game 3.0," which will involve not just content developed by game makers, but also user-generated content.
"This all adds up to an emergent development where we don't define the experience as game developers, but rather we enable users to define the experience," Harrison said.
The main component of the company's new push is a service called Home. Accessed through the PlayStation3 console, Home allows users to build identities known in the online world as avatars. Users can move through the 3D online Home world to interact with other users. As in "Second Life," users can also purchase items such as apartments, clothing and decorations.
One feature of home will tie into other PS3 games. Players will be able to collect trophies and other objects from their various console games and add them to the Home world.
For Sony, the move comes as the electronics giant is looking to reestablish momentum for the PlayStation3. The console launched in November featuring cutting-edge graphics processors and a Blu-ray DVD player, but its $600 price tag and production setbacks limited sales over the holiday season. See previous story on video game sales.
In an interview, Harrison said the company sees the PS3 as a long-term bet on the future of the digital home, as the device not only plays games but allows users to download and share music and video files.
"I think people who are buying the PS3 are very happy with the value their system represents," Harrison said. "Someone who's buying the PS3 knows they are going to have a long-term relationship with the device."
In a demonstration to media outlets on Tuesday night, Harrison also unveiled a new title, "LittleBigPlanet," which allows users to create their own games using materials found in the virtual world.
Also, Sony unveiled the "PlayStation Edge," a set of tools the company will make available to game developers for free to spur more titles that can make fuller use of the PS3's capabilities, Harrison said.
random g4 member @ Mar 7th 2007 11:59AM
Avatars and achievements :O
Ohhh it sounds like a chocolate and peanut butter mix of yummy goodness.
sheppy @ Mar 7th 2007 12:01PM
"So no, I will not cut Sony any slack. They don't deserve any praise, slack, or recognition for blatantly stealing the ideas of others and then marching around acting like they've done so much to innovate the gaming industry."
Tell you what, if we play this game, than Sony wins with tilt controls, two analogs, wiilike gloved interface, and of course, Xbox Live.
Seriously, go back to the speech when Sony unveiled the PS2, particularly where they talk about the hard drive and it's potential. The ONLY feature on Xbox Live that isn't on that checklist is achievements.
So who do we side with, then? The ones who said it and patented it first or the ones who delivered it first? After all, Pump It Up went to market in Korea before DDR did and yet in court, they found that since Konami SHOWED DDR first, they would win the lawsuit.
Innovation and claims of copying is a very, very, very slippery slope. Because if we play that game, no company wins.
bobbybluejeans @ Mar 7th 2007 12:03PM
yea guys cause we all know microsoft is so innovative they came up with dos and windows on their own n didn't steal any of those not to talk about their office programs like word yea they came up with that one on their own. Oh n nintendo is so innovative they re-releasing old consoles that came out in the pass from people they shot down because their ideas "weren't good enough" hmm now where have i seen tat ds type of system before... come on its real simply instead of taken shots at sony why just don't buy the system wow wasn't that simply n stop complaining
u have a 360 tats fine and if u have a Wii thats fine too n if sombody have a PS3 that should be fine just stop with the sony bashing its getting kinda old
XBOX_OR_DIE @ Mar 7th 2007 12:04PM
Who the hell gives a shit?!?! By next fall LIVE will have it all and more subscribers than Sony will be able to touch.
Stupid Sony fanboys. This war was won over a year ago when Microsoft launched the greatest system ever known and nobody else was ready to go.
Sony completely sucks and is just trying to copy the Wii and the XBox all at once.
Sony can suck my ass.
F1ghter @ Mar 7th 2007 12:06PM
Sheesh, you guys are ridiculous.
@jason #6
We heard about Miis half a year ago, and I don't remember having heard anything similar from Sony until just last week. Please, if you know something I don't, back it up with a source, like this one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_Channels#Mii_Channel
@Sony bashers
You are all rabid lunatics. Seriously. Whether or not this is a rip-off from Microsoft/Nintendo has yet to be seen. If they do it right, it will be a sufficiently substantial jump that it is more of an evolution of what the other two have done. Are we all gonna sit around and complain because "HOLY CRAP! Sega/Sony/Microsoft all ripped off the NES controller!!11ONEONEomg1!" Stop being retarded.
Now, I admit that this has just as much potential to fail miserably as it does to be a cool feature. However, I for one am quite disappointed with the Miis, and feel that they haven't been used to even half of their potential, so an improvement for Sony could be a good thing. Stop going off on blind fanatical rants as soon as you see 'PS3' in a post title.
Mr BoomStick XL @ Mar 7th 2007 12:09PM
WOW, Sony steals another GREAT idea from not one, but two companies!! All this proves is that Sony sucks as a company and that like most of the things they have been doing lately it will fail!! I own a PS3 for the exclusives only and right now they are'nt many!!! Sony will always be a second rate company if they continue to copy to compition and not come up with their own idea's!!!
Jonathan Abbey @ Mar 7th 2007 12:07PM
I love all the people who are bitching about Sony copying when they haven't yet seen what the hell Sony is actually going to be announcing yet.
It's an online thing with avatars and stuff! RIPOFFF!!1!one!
Jack of No Trades @ Mar 7th 2007 12:08PM
@ bobbyblueballs
I agree that bashing does get old after a while but its the reason why most come this site. People post opinions.
Tadioku @ Mar 7th 2007 12:09PM
Wruh roh! is an idiot companies need competition to create innovation if there is no competition then companies slack on creating new innovations it's very simple
why not the LS2/LS7? @ Mar 7th 2007 12:10PM
The only thing MS invented in the last 10 years was Live?
If you mean charging for it, then yeah, they invented that. If you mean online consoles, I believe Dreamcast was first. PS2 had online before Xbox also. I played Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 online on the PS2 before Live even came out. Heck, the number of players playing SOCOM on the PS2 was larger than the total number of Xbox Live subscribers.
I'm not saying MS did nothing, to the contrary, they came up with a lot of things. But this all just goes to show how complex this web fo who invented and copied what is. It's rarely even worth worrying about. Is the Wii controller any less fun because N didn't invent it?
JodyAnthony @ Mar 7th 2007 12:10PM
as a self-proclaimed nintendo fanboy I think this sounds pretty cool and will surely poke around with it whenever I end up with a ps3 down the line.
DrXym @ Mar 7th 2007 12:11PM
@36 And what great idea did they steal off these two companies Mr Genius? And substantiate the claim that this great idea whatever it was originated at these two other companies.
DBX00 @ Mar 7th 2007 12:13PM
Do you guys read any of the posts before you start rambling...FOLLOW THE LINK AND READ!!
http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7B8A4F8917-3627-4F40-90C7-D1AC5E68B4AE%7D&siteid=mktw&dist=nbs
HaloBreaker @ Mar 7th 2007 12:28PM
Where are the 20 gig PS3s?
polly @ Mar 7th 2007 12:14PM
Anyone else think MySpace for videogames is pretty much the lamest thing ever thought up?
Dmnkly @ Mar 7th 2007 12:16PM
Sooooo... did Sony cut off the NY Times?
Just wondering.
Vader582 @ Mar 7th 2007 12:19PM
Anyone else think fanboyism for comsoles is pretty much the lamest thing ever thought up?!
Every console is wonderful, every console sucks...move along.
a.j. @ Mar 7th 2007 12:25PM
What's funny is, for all the Sony bashing going on, I bet 90% of you idiots ran out and picked up a PS1 and PS2 when they came out and probably have huge game libraries for them. Now because the PS3 is later to the game and you all picked up 360's, now everyone hates Sony. I see constant improvements for the PS3 and I take that as good news for gaming regardless of what systems I own because better systems=better competition and better games down the road.
Jdoki @ Mar 7th 2007 12:22PM
I think we can all accept that every company steals off everyone else.
The Sony Home idea sounds great, but what gets my back up (and many other gamers) is how Sony try and pass every idea off as an innovative feature that they thought up, and we gamers should be thankful for.
Even though the official 'PS Home' announcement hasn't come yet, most of us who have closely followed the launches of the new-gen machines have read or heard enough Sony bluster to expect Phil Harrison to start eulogising the Sony idea and concept.
Was it Krazy Ken K that said 'every time I look over my shoulder there's Microsoft copying what we do'!
It's the snobbery and elitism that has manifested itself in Sony over the last decade that annoys. Sony seriously see themselves as in an unassailable position of superiority compared to Nintendo (who are outselling them with the Wii and DS), and Microsoft (providing a better online experience).
Jack of No Trades @ Mar 7th 2007 12:23PM
@ Wruh roh!
You must be a Nintendo Fan.
PS3 owners might have payed $600 for their sytem but at least they get some good games unstead of the same old mario,zelda,metroid shit.
Your Mamma @ Mar 7th 2007 12:26PM
I see the playstation home being a concept that is used in a few different genres these days. Phantasy Star Universe gives players their own rooms they can decorate and show off. Sports games give players a crib where they can show off trophies, by furniture, and play mini-games. This concept isn't new, but would make a great match if done right as the base for Playstation home.
If Playstation Home uses the term achievements, I'm going to say they are just being stupid. Achievements and gamerscore were clearly made popular by the the Xbox 360, and to use the term achievement instead of coming up with something that at least sounds original would be dissapointing. Someone at Sony should be fired if they can't make this original in more than just presentation style. It needs it's own name. And yes, it would be cool if you could use these Achievements to display in your Playstation home.
And the virtual avatars may be known for being on the wii's in the console business, but they've been on the PC's for a lot longer, Yahoo messenger is a great example of using virtual avatars online.
The Playstation Home thing has some potential, but it wasn't available at the launch of the console, so it probably won't ever reach every game like it did for the xbox 360. Clearly the last minute changes in direction we've seen from Sony in the last few years have been brought on because of their comepetition. Whether it be a unified online account or adding motion controlling and using it as an excuse for not having rumble. I will not pay $500 or more for a Playstation 3 because I do not believe there is any real inovention in this system. It makes a great Blu Ray movie player, but I already have a PC that does linux and I'm very happy with my XBox 360. I am also excited about the future of the Xbox 360 with Live Anywhere, Vista Integration, IPTV, and more Zune interaction.
I like the quality of Microsoft's offering this much more than Sony's Monkey-See, Monkey-Do approach that they've been pushing on consumers. The only thing that really sets the PS3 apart in my mind is HDMI and Blu Ray built-in. But I already have an HD DVD for my 360, and HDMI is probably on the way for that too, so why should I care about Sony this generation?
deaftly @ Mar 7th 2007 12:26PM
stealing more ideas, fuck sony
Leshrac @ Mar 7th 2007 12:29PM
It sounds like it could be interesting and that it could possibly beat Nintendo at it's own game. If this allows for Sony "Miis" (whatever they end up calling them) to effortlessly move from "console to console", looking at achievements, checking out other Miis, etc... it will be a nice addition to the console. If Nintendo were smart, they would've allowed their "Mii Parade" feature to bring Miis in from all over the world, and not just your friends. Everyone should be seeing 1000 person Mii Parades, not just the editors of popular game sites.
-Leshrac
http://alinktothefuture.com
Vidikron @ Mar 7th 2007 12:30PM
It may basically be a collection of various existing ideas, but I do think it sounds cool. Being able to collect objects from different games and add them to your 3D 'home' sounds good to me. I'll be looking forward to this.
rfom @ Mar 7th 2007 12:33PM
So lety us summarise all the "complaints"
1 "Sony steals another GREAT idea from not one, but two companies!! "
"Classic Sony. No originality, no innovation.
Just copy, copy, copy."
Unlike MS which had all those great original ideas in Windows, office, IE, etc, right?
And of course take xbox games that are not shooters
Forza: GT4 copy
Crackdown: GTA copy
Blue dragon: FF copy
PGR: MSR copy
2. "How will The younger gamers get half-a-grand"
Which is exactly what 360 costs, unles you want to go without multiplayer. And evn for half a grand you font get a decent hard disc or BR
3. "By next fall LIVE will have it all and more subscribers than Sony will be able to touch."
With 30 million XBOX 1 / 360 around Live has just SIX MILLION subscribers (less than half Gold?) while PS3 already has 3 million ready to go with free all-in-one package. By next fall the USD200 Live will be dead and buries.