Sony discusses PlayStation Home's shift from social network to 'game platform'
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Oct 14th 2009 at 4:15PM } 
Speaking at a San Francisco meeting -- documented in detail by Gamasutra -- Buser described Home-based games as a "low-risk and high-margin" opportunity for developers. "Home is a high definition environment where you can create extremely polished games but with very rapid development cycles," he explained. "You can have small teams of developers -- a couple of engineers and a few artists -- crank out very sophisticated social gaming experiences in very small amounts of time."
Buser also highlighted the value of community input in the "evolution" of Home, though he didn't indicate whether Sony had also stopped listening to that guy in the office who's really into Snow Crash. But even that guy might see the sense in Sony's vision, which is "about social, repeatable, fun, and dynamic games that are always changing and being fun for people."
We haven't seen the "killer app" yet (we're still waiting in line), but renovating Home into a social games platform -- even if it's built atop the PS3's actual game platform -- seems like a much better use of all that segmented real estate.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
SpyderTaco (PSN: Ar4chNova89) @ Oct 14th 2009 4:19PM
inb4 "lol who uses home?" comments.
With that said, the game that came with my Neptune Suite home space is WAY janky. However the Infamous mini-game wasn't so bad.
Space @ Oct 14th 2009 4:31PM
lol who uses home?
dammit too slow!
INTERNET SUPERHERO @ Oct 14th 2009 5:47PM
It's fun to quincy someone every now and then...
psn: ijustw1n @ Oct 14th 2009 6:23PM
Translation: Sony has noticed that folks flock to free games in Playstation Home and is actively investigating a way to monetize and turn a profit on said activities.
CheeziePotato [Has finally become a Super Saiyan] @ Oct 14th 2009 7:36PM
Hey, SpyderTaco you're back. Where were you?
SpyderTaco (PSN: Ar4chNova89) @ Oct 14th 2009 8:29PM
Was without internet for 3 weeks because I was changing ISPs and I didn't feel like adding another charge to my old ISP's bill.
Not fun at all.
Neuromancer @ Oct 14th 2009 4:20PM
Home is just embarrassing, I am surprised they haven't thrown in the towel on that thing yet.
SpyderTaco (PSN: Ar4chNova89) @ Oct 14th 2009 4:21PM
Yea, shame on them for enjoying the influx of money that it has provided them.
While we're at it, why doesn't Activision just give up on Call of Duty? Come on.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Oct 14th 2009 4:21PM
ummm it made $1million in under 3 weeks....I can only IMAGINE how much it has made now
PR0F3TA (PSN - PROPHETA) @ Oct 14th 2009 4:26PM
guilty, i bought a couple of things... but nothing like a lamp. Threads mostly. So what if i spend 99 cents, i spend more on worst
Neuromancer @ Oct 14th 2009 4:28PM
I guess I can't dog you too bad PR0F3TA, I have bought one or two things for my 360 avatar after all.
Exemplar @ Oct 14th 2009 5:03PM
REAL money for DIGITAL clothing..? That's a capitalist's wet dream, right there.
Neuromancer @ Oct 14th 2009 6:33PM
I hope you guys realize I enjoy stirring the hornets nest.
PR0F3TA (PSN - PROPHETA) @ Oct 14th 2009 4:21PM
i can see what they mean, i like how sony has gotten their sh** straight. Good Adverts, Good Price, Good games.
Neuromancer @ Oct 14th 2009 4:23PM
Yeah yeah yeah.. But have any of you guys actually "played" it? How people outside a home for the mentally deranged want to pay for fake furniture for a fake apartment is beyond me.
SpyderTaco (PSN: Ar4chNova89) @ Oct 14th 2009 4:26PM
Yea. You're better than us. Happy? Now you can leave.
Neuromancer @ Oct 14th 2009 4:27PM
Thank you for saying that, if I said it would sound like bragging.
johnnynumber5 @ Oct 14th 2009 4:33PM
Anytime you buy anything to do with a videogame you are buying fake stuff. Whether it's horse armor, sackboy costumes, avatar clothing, virtual furniture, expansion packs, costumes in street fighter 4, weapons packs in dead space, gta iv or fallout 3 expansions ... you are always paying for something thats fake. The items only exist virtually in every single circumstance. If someone enjoyes using Home the question is why WOULDN'T they buy additional items to further personalize the experience.
One mans trash is another mans treasure. For example, how many people do you think actually care about twitter, facebook or last fm on the 360? Probably a very small percentage but for those people it's going to be an awesome thing.
Home stuff is for ... wait for it ... people who like Home. I know it's not hardcore enough for some people but so of the games in the spaces are really fun. It's also really cool to go and check out the museums. If you fire it up you might be surprised how much it's changed since it launched when it was basically empty. It's basically a cool place to go and play a bunch of free games and experience your favorite games from a different angle. If you meet some people along the way then good for you but as the article suggested the scope has changed from wholly social networking to games platform for content creators to reach their fans and allow them to experience their game in a different way.
Space @ Oct 14th 2009 4:34PM
you just said you bought two things for your 360 avatar! you're just as bad.
I, on the other hand...
Neuromancer @ Oct 14th 2009 4:34PM
All right johnnynumber5 I'll check it out again some time, you swayed me.
Nguyen @ Oct 14th 2009 4:37PM
You mean like how people outside a home for the mentally deranged also buy fake clothes for a fake person, who probably can't be seen by other fake people because their console just RROD?
Neuromancer @ Oct 14th 2009 4:38PM
Ah you got me Mr. Nguyen! Well played sir.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Oct 14th 2009 4:46PM
I have spent $5 in Home.... and will spend more when I see something I like...
but like J#5 said any DLC you buy is fake...I mean I have bought Costumes for Sackboy, and a Light saber for my Live Avatar(cause I dont want it standing like a chick)....Sony knew what they were doing making stuff $.49...it seems cheap and people won't hesitate to buy it....
ducttapeBigSexy (PSN&XBL: ducttape12) @ Oct 14th 2009 5:20PM
@johnnynumber5
No, there is a difference in "virtual" things. Let me ask you this - I'll buy a $10 expansion pack for a game and you buy $10 worth of clothing items for a 360 avatar (assuming you have a 360, of course), and we each can only spend the next 60 minutes using the item we bought. Who will have more fun?
As the saying goes: "There's a sucker born every minute."
flarkle @ Oct 14th 2009 5:38PM
There's a difference between an expansion pack and digital clothes, too. You need to be comparing buying clothes in Home and buying clothes in LBP. There really isn't much difference. However, just because someone enjoys Home and wants to put different clothes on their avatar does not make them a sucker. They just choose to spend their money differently than you.
JACK @ Oct 14th 2009 5:46PM
@ducttapeBigSexy
"Who will have more fun?"
Umm, I'm not sure BUT, isn't up to the person who did the purchase? If he/she has more fun on Home or clothes on avatars then on a DLC then that person will have more fun on it regardless what YOU think is "fun"...
What you like, I don't like. Get it?
Ashkental @ Oct 14th 2009 4:24PM
In other news, naughty dog dev confirms Cross Voice Chat on next PS3 Firmware update, Rejoice! http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=uncharteddf&message.id=68482#M68482
Ashkental @ Oct 14th 2009 4:25PM
Lol? they've deleted it? Nice ;D But it was there for a second tough... you guys missed it :/
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Oct 14th 2009 4:32PM
so thats what everyone was talking about....I don't much care about it, cause I hated to be in a party on XBL with someone that was not doing what I was doing....this dude was cursing about his game of NBA2K9 and I was playing Gears2....I don't care about all that excess....
but I understand some people like it
Rudy van DiSarzio, Jazz fusion guitarist. (I go by many names...) @ Oct 14th 2009 4:57PM
@Chris
"I hated to be in a party on XBL with someone that was not doing what I was doing"
You can kick anybody out of your Xbox Live party. Did you know this?
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Oct 14th 2009 5:08PM
even if its not your party?? I joined parties with friends....never created any of my own...friends of friends would already be in there
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Oct 14th 2009 4:27PM
So ummmm yea....This is a good thing...but I'm still guess that the PS4 will be Built AROUND Home and PSN....I just hope they make it cloud based so I can backup my PS3 inside of Home...I'd GRATEFULLY pay $50/year for that...and if I can take that backup and download games I bought on my PS3 onto my PS4 I will love Home even more!!
ducttapeBigSexy (PSN&XBL: ducttape12) @ Oct 14th 2009 5:12PM
Why not just get an external hard drive for your PS3 and back up to that? If you really want off-site storage, there are a lot of services that'll let you upload files to - just upload the PS3 backup to it.
Then again, why do you need off-site storage? Are you save files really that important?
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Oct 14th 2009 5:20PM
Ummm External HDD can die...and wouldn't allow for backups to anything but the PS3 its made on....if Sony has a Cloud service that backs up game saves(even those that are locked) it would be wonderful....that way I could go to my brothers house and play some KZ2 off the same save file...
ducttapeBigSexy (PSN&XBL: ducttape12) @ Oct 14th 2009 5:30PM
Okay, I'll agree with you on the locked save file point (a friend of mine got burned with that when he had to send his PS3 in for a repair), but thankfully, that's not the case with all games. For example, I've already dropped by Hot Shots Golf Out of Bounds save onto a USB flash drive and brought it over to a friends house, and we were able to play with everything I had unlocked.
However, to counter your hard drive dying point, what happens when Sony shuts down their servers? Or worse? (Like what just happened to T-Mobile.) What I want to see is how computers deal with save files and updates - I want the ability to copy both to an external device so I don't have to rely on an external server. If I'm really concerned, I can always make a copy of that and store it at an off-site location of my choosing.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Oct 14th 2009 6:45PM
Sony shutting down the servers for a Paid service is less likely to happen than the backups of the backups being lost like with the sidekicks.....still sad people still use those things....what is it 2006?
Ashkental @ Oct 14th 2009 4:28PM
I think they wanted people to have fun and ejoy the show since all dead players can talk to each other no matter what team you are on. But I will suggest it anyway. Not to mention that the next PS3 firmware update is going to allow cross game chat. So if players use that instead of in game communication then they would also be able to communicate enemies positions.
It's the original quote
Space @ Oct 14th 2009 4:38PM
oh boy here we go, now when the next firmware doesn't have cross-game chat everybody is going to go nuts calling sony a bunch of liars.
Jack Tretton @ Oct 14th 2009 4:35PM
"[O]ver the last year [Home has] developed into a game platform..."
I must have been looking the other way.
Ashitaka @ Oct 15th 2009 3:11PM
Indeed you have.
TriviumSuffocationTheBlackDahliaMurderLambOfGod @ Oct 14th 2009 5:23PM
I definitely see this as a good thing. I'll be honest, I've been pretty harsh on Home. It's just that it hasn't done much for me as a gamer. I was actually quite excited when it was first announced. I thought of the possibilities with a service like Home. My mind went off and starting thinking about the amazing things that could happen inside of this "community", but then it released and I didn't care for it.
It has grown a lot, though. Sony has added a lot of cool stuff and made it a more interesting place to walk around and check. Devs have also made it a lot more interesting with their own little hangouts.
Making it more game related would definitely have me more interested in the service and checking it out weekly.
Sony seems like they're really trying hard to improve every aspect of the PS3 and they're doing a good job. I remember when people would do so much unnecessary bashing of the system, but it seems Sony has been able to get most people on board with the PS3, especially with the recent price reduction and addition of AAA blockbusters like Killzone 2, inFAMOUS, and Uncharted 2 this year.
Every system this generation has something enjoyable, but I'm glad people are finally giving the PS3 the time of day instead of going into fanboy rage mode.
Gutfree @ Oct 14th 2009 4:39PM
A Battle Royale type of game would be quite entertaining. It would certainly be a "killer app".
uncle jesse @ Oct 14th 2009 4:39PM
I just got my PS3 about 2 months ago and I haven't touched Home yet. Am I missing anything amazing?
I just didn't bother with it after hearing about what you can do/not do. If it's actually pretty cool now and they've implemented some good features, I'll check it out. Moving it more towards a gaming platform sounds a lot better and has me interested.
I'm up for anything... ANYTHING.
Space @ Oct 14th 2009 4:42PM
don't waste your time. it's very sterile and boring
Twib @ Oct 14th 2009 4:53PM
Actually I found the texas holdem game in the EA space rather addicting. its all free so you lose nothing by just just trying it out.
Pat @ Oct 14th 2009 4:56PM
Actually you are missing. The only way to really appreciate HOME is to go in and experience it for yourself. Like somebody else mentioned here maybe it is not a hardcore experience and thus you will read many here telling you that there is nothing to do. Don't let them give you the impression that's the case and just log in. You won't be dissapointed. There's a lot of people going around if you want to socialize and plenty of activities to do. And it just keeps getting better.
Electro Poof [Super Nintendo IT ONLY DOES EVERYTHING - Now Only $29.99] @ Oct 14th 2009 4:39PM
The other PSHome users don't fall for any of my hot female avatars (Quincy's) anymore, I've even made them with blonde hair, wearing tight tank tops and mini skirts, and nothing happens, no reactions. PSHome is not fun anymore. :(
I'm just gonna go...
*Walks out of the room quietly*
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Oct 14th 2009 4:55PM
well thats cause your PSN name is "SukMiDyk"
NeoMahi @ Oct 14th 2009 5:22PM
I can't even get onto Home anymore. I downloaded the update, and now Home just freezes up my PS3 while its initializing. Anyone else having that problem? Maybe its just the 60GB model. No matter, I've been having a blast with Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. GAME OF THE YEAR easily. That's why everything pulled out until 2010.
Dv8thwonder @ Oct 14th 2009 5:36PM
New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Assasin's Creed 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 all say hiyee!