Home beta impressions

[KBG29]

I have been in this beta for ages, and even though my intrest in the beta is very low, my exitment for Home and the possibilities it opens is still extreamly high.

Game Spaces

Over the time I have been in the beta I have seen a lot of progress made. With the game spaces that were opened it was easy to see just how much Home could expand the experiance of any game that takes advantage of it. It will be absolutly issential that developers make Home so intergrated that it seems like part of the game itself. Games like MLB The Show, Madden, GT5, and Killzone 2 are ones that I really would love to see Home taken full advantage of. To me it would be a waste to have a 2d interface for the online lobby of any game after Home is complete. Every game should have a specific space in Home were people go to find other players to join in a match, or chat about the game, talk stratagies, or even just jump into a random match scenario.

The Game spaces in Home have so much potential it is just mind crushing. I expect them to turn into a place that everyone will want to stop buy before they jump into a game. All the latest news about the game will be posted in the space, along with sponsered tournements, and more. They will give developers even better one on one with the users, and if done right it could lead to a much better user experiance. I really hope devs like Critereon lead the way, and show just how improtant Home can be by getting to fans that don't visit the website.

Mall

As mentioned in the artical in the OP this feature in Home has no end to potential. This thing could seriously turn into the next generation of how people purchase from the internet. The amount of places you could buy from can be endless. To some this may sound crazy because if there are like 500 shops in this mall you are ovbiously not going to want to walk around the whole thing to find what you want. I would expect Sony to fix this issue (should they ever take adavantage of Home on this level) by adding a search engine to the mall section.

For an example of what this could turn into, take a Nike store for example. Nike sells tons of different kinds of products from socks and shoes, to golf clubsand baseballs. Inside the Home store you could either walk around the Nike store to any specific location or just go to you pop up menu and select what kind of item catagory you are interested in. In this example we will just say golfing is what we are looking at today. So once you enter the golf section the same concept is applied. There are sections for golf clothes, shoes, and equiptment. Today you are interested in a new pair of golf shoes so you enter that section. Now a 2D interface comes up, and you can select from Mens or Womens. Once selected you browse through a 3D selection of shoes. Find the ones you like and add them to your cart. Then go to purchase and check out. All billing will be done trough the PSN so nothing will have to be filled out, it will be shipped to the address on your account, and you will get a digital pair for your avatar to were around Home.

That is just one example of many things that become possible with Home. Just imagine any kind of object you may want, if it is purchased from Home you would get a digital copy that could be displayed on your charictor or in your apartment. This would not only add value to purchasing though Home, but also allow Home to become an even more personal enviornment. Really what better way is there to express yourself to a a person across PSn than inviting them into your Home space, and chatting with them there. With all of your favorite things posted and placed in your space to give them a real idea of what the person they are talking to in all about.

I think that those two areas are going to be what truly sets Home apart from anything else on the market. If Sony take advantage of the oppertunity starring them in the face they can really have something special. Even if it is far toned down from what I have expressed here I think that Home is going to be very special for people that have friends or family far away. The ability to talk with them in a calm enviornment that seems a bit more personal than a mere phone call is a very nice idea. With that said it will not be for everyone, but I would really hope all PS3 owners will give it a try, and keep up on it. Every month the experiance will grow, and if it is not your cup of tea at launch, it may very well be 1 month later, or a year later.

The experiance will start soon for all PS3 owners, and that is when the only opinion on it that matters can be posted, and that is your own.

Enjoy