PlayStation 3 Home Open Beta

You heard right, tomorrow, thursday 11/12/2008.

Long anticipated Home (Open Beta*) is coming out for Sony’s PlayStation 3 tomorrow. It will be available for download to anyone being a PlayStation Network member  through PlayStation Store, free of charge.

You might be thinking “What is Home?” right now, or you might be jumping up and down in front of your computer. Either way, I’ll give you a quote from Sony themself as to what they see their new service being, and eventually evolving into.

And I quote -

PlayStation®Home is a 3D social gaming community that allows PLAYSTATION®3 users to meet, chat, plan, and launch into games together. You can create your own custom avatar, decorate your personal apartment, play mini-games, shop, watch videos, attend special events, and much more – it’s all part of PlayStation®Home.

At first glance, Home may seem like a virtual XMB (CrossMediaBar), but as soon as you delve further into Home you’ll come to realise that this service is and can be so, so much more than just a virtual display of the PlayStation network.

Here’s a few keynotes on what Home is, through Sony’s eyes -

Expand your network - Meet up with friends and other gamers to discuss games, get new content or team up for online gameplay, and then come back into PlayStation®Home to analyze your performance and highlights.

Set up clubhouses for your biggest interests or games, making it easier for both you, friends and strangers to meet up and discuss anything involving that special interest or game of your liking.

Be the explorer - Explore all the locations within Home, including the Central Plaza, the game spaces, your personal apartments, and much, much more!

Ever wanted to throw a huge barbeque party for your fellow PlayStation Network buddies? Now’s the time, get that apron on and grill me some burgers!

Aspiring designer - Gamers will customize their avatar’s appearance and clothing with an almost limitless combination of styles and characteristics offering a more personalized experience in PlayStation®Home.

You can, more or less, be whatever you want to be in this fun, relaxing and totally customizable virtual world. Did anyone say Second Life 2?

Sony have also brought in a heap of third part developers and publishers who will work close with the integration of their games; demos, trailers, game reviews, gameplay videos and a lot more into Home. Sony will also integrate their movie feature into the theatres in Home – watching TV on a TV, the new definition of picture in picture?

Through the grapevine; Sony have hinted to upcoming rewards from trophies, perhaps we’ll see special features in Home for those users willing enough to gather up certain amounts of trophies. Who knows? The sky is the limit for this service.

*Open Beta – It’s not yet a final build, but phasing into it’s open beta phase Home will be open to anyone wanting a test-drive.

Sources – Official Home site