Those looking to help iron out the kinks in Sony's silicon-powered social gathering space, PlayStation Home, can now add Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan as valid entry locations for the program's closed beta. Sony's Hong Kong site (via Edge) is already asking readers to check back on August 29th for information on the test, which is expected to begin in mid-September.

Edge also notes that an open beta will commence this Fall, coinciding with similar events in Europe and the US. The more the merrier we say ... even if everybody in the virtual room is just whining about how a plain ol' menu would suffice.

... by Martijn Van der Meulen. To be fair, Van der Meulen is a producer on the Home project, who apparently assured IGN during Games Convention that the service would launch sometime this year. "Van der Meulen told me (without hesitation) that it is a 100 percent guarantee that Home will be released by the end of this calendar year. He has absolutely no doubt that this will be the case," IGN's Ryan Clements reports. Well, there you have it, just blame Van der Meulen when Sony rushes to get you all moved in later this year and, with the first step you take into your new Home, you fall right through the ... map.

With the next phase of PlayStation Home construction getting underway, we now have a clear picture of the region restrictions placed on the virtual world, at least those being implemented for the expanded beta. Users are apparently being matched to servers based on their consoles' native regions (which are not configurable), PS3 Fanboy reports. While this peculiar restriction will only affect the small percentage of PlayStation 3 owners whose consoles were imported from other regions, it counters the open access granted to PlayStation Store users, who can shop in any Store region from anywhere by setting up PSN accounts based in different regions. The Home region restrictions also mean that make-believers won't be mingling internationally nor will they be able to sign into their Japanese PSN IDs from an American console, for example, and hop onto a Japanese server.

PS3 Fanboy points out that the obvious explanation for the lockdown is optimized advertising. There's no sense in pushing American products on a UK gamer who is bird watching on a US server. Still, we're holding onto hope for some cross-regional opportunities, like tournaments or maybe exchange programs. Who's up for a semester in the Caribbean Home?

No previous job experience necessary. No references or extracurriculars. Heck, you don't even need a first grade diploma. All you need to do is download the PlayStation Home PS3 theme released today on the PS Store and you'll have applied for access to the expanded Home beta test (a mundane magical world brimming with "stuff" -- just like real life ... only avoidable). Of course, there's one thing you can do to make sure your application rises to the top of the heap: Play. "We will be using a variety of criteria including activity on the PlayStation Network to determine eligibility for the Beta community," Home director Jack Buser explains on PlayStation.Blog.

If you do make the cut, please remember to wear your hard hat. This Home is still very much under construction.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

During the Develop conference in Brighton, England, Sony Japan Studio producer Tatsuya Suzuki told Eurogamer that there are no plans to create a sequel to the PS3 and PSP puzzler Echochrome. Instead, he and Jun Fujiki, the Kyushu University researcher who helped develop the game, confirmed that they will expand on Fujiki's work in "3D trick imagery" in a completely new title.

Those hoping for more Echochrome shouldn't feel totally forgotten; the duo also mentioned that the original game is being remimagined in two dimensions exlusively for PlayStation Home. The game will appear in the virtual space as an "arcade game" along with titles previously announced by Namco.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Source – Eurogamer
Source – Develop

Sony has begun accepting applications for the next beta phase of Home ... in Japan. PS3 users can put their names in the hat (from which 10,000 will be chosen) directly from a new option in the Japanese PlayStation Store. Successful applicants will be notified via email before the beta officially kicks off at the end of August.

In related news, classic arcade games from Namco are showing up as virtual coin-ops in the Japanese Home client. Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Galaga, and Xevious have been rolled out so far, with three "secret" titles still on the way. It's interesting to note that Home users – at least in the beta – can play these games for free, whereas they are paid downloads on Xbox Live Arcade. We'll have to wait and see if this holds true for Home games from Namco and other publishers in the open beta (which is supposed to hit by year's end).

Source – Engadget
Source – Siliconera

Kaz Hirai, Sony Computer Entertainment's "Big Boss," tells MCV that the company is taking its sweet time to make Home. Hirai explains that if Home is good, it won't matter when it launches, "so long as it's in a reasonable time frame." By our estimates, "reasonable time frame" left a while ago on a trip around the world and, if we think in a circular fashion, should bang back around sometime soon.

Hirai goes on to say that if the competitors decide to follow what the company is doing with Home, it would be their prerogative -- we're sure Linden Labs is thinking the same thing about Home. Anyway, Hirai is "confident" that the Home open beat is something that'll "resonate" with consumers.

Looking to go virtual bowling with your South African friends in PlayStation Home? Think again! According to a Sony representative at E3, Home will be region locked. While you can visit anyone's private apartment, all public pavilions are restricted by your geographical area.

New images are circulating around the 'net about Microsoft's supposed answer to PlayStation Home. Dubbed My GamerPad, the two images (which are said to have originated from the very dubious 4chan forums) show a crayola-esque logo and an Avatar waving to nobody in a pavilion.

While we're pretty confident with the information about Avatars, My GamerPad looks like bad Photoshopping from a questionable source. We've put in a request to Microsoft for a statement. Update: Official statement: "Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation."

[Via X3F]

Any time one video game company attempts to capitalize on another company's good idea, there's always a bit of backlash from the fans of the company copied. We can only imagine the kind of retribution Microsoft will soon face from fans of the Wii's Miis and the PS3's Home -- if our sources are accurate, their upcoming "Avatar" service bears a striking resemblance to Sony and Nintendo's pre-existing lookalike creators.

"Avatars", mentioned in an independent survey for Microsoft (as taken by an X3F tipster), will supposedly be used in place of gamer pictures, and will give Xbox Live subscribers an animated, customizable online persona. The meager amount of information provided for the service claims it will be available "this holiday for all Xbox Live connected members", and "this Spring for all new console owners."

This information lines up nicely with details recently relayed to Joystiq by a trusted source, who tells us that a robust "avatar" (source's term) creation service which blends the customization options of Home with the in-game functionality of Miis would comprise a substantial chunk of the 360's fall update. With the breath of E3 hot upon our nape, we're sure to hear something more concrete about this service in the coming month.

Sony has again trumpeted intention to get its virtual world Home out the door this year, though precisely what state it will be in when players are eventually allowed to log on remains another issue entirely. Speaking to Wired, PSN senior director Susan Panico referred to Home's initial roll out as "similar to Gmail," calling the online initiative's presumably fall release an "open, working beta."

These comments have not exactly filled our heart containers with confidence. Google officially launched its email service in 2004, and now, some four years later, it's still in beta.

There are a number of negative traits associated with video game press events and conventions, the most obvious of which being the time and expense required to haul one's widely dispersed blogging crew to the west coast (or in some cases, overseas). However, not many know about a phenomenon known widely in our circle as "Blogger Stench", a condition brought on by packing a convention hall with tired, sweaty, uncomfortably close gaming writers. Luckily, Ubisoft is taking measures to avoid this putrid odor -- simply by bringing one of their events into an odorless space.

Okay, they're still holding their Ubidays press event in Paris today -- but for the next five days, the PlayStation Home's Media and Events space will be dedicated to previewing new Ubisoft titles, such as Prince of Persia, Tom Clancy's HAWX, and Soul Calibur IV. Those blessed with a closed beta account can check out these new titles from the comfort of their own homes -- those who attended the brick-and-mortar Ubidays event will likely spend the next five days replacing their overseas wardrobe and attempting to remove their outermost layer of skin with a Brillo pad.

Though things have certainly quieted down on the Home front, work on Sony's (overly?) ambitious project continues. Most recently, the service's beta testers were invited into a new location – the "Media & Events Space." As a test run, Sony recreated their PlayStation Day event from earlier this month, complete with photo galleries and a jumbo screen broadcasting speeches from the event (seen above: Big Brother, aka SCEE's David Reeves). Going forward, both Sony and third-party developers can use the "virtual arena" to host "everything from new game unveilings to sports events to fashion shows." Fashion shows? For the PS3 gaming crowd? We smell killer app.

[Via PS3F]

While confirming Home will "definitely be coming out in Autumn," SCEE president David Reeves said that "maybe we were too ambitious with the non-gaming applications within Home, getting sponsors and stuff like that." In an interview with CVG, Reeves continued to say, "In that sense we were deserting gamers. So, we're concentrating on the gaming by launching games in Home."

The closed beta for Home is still ongoing. Earlier today, EA Sports president (and former Xbox executive) Peter Moore said he was interested in the service but "disappointed" by its delays. Home producer Daniel Hill told our friends at PS3 Fanboy that game spaces will be shown later this month.