Home - It should've been an XMB update...

[KBG29]

First off, please remember that it is called Home Open Beta for a reason.

Now I completly agree with you about most of the stuff mentioned, but I am extreamly happy Sony choose not to fully integrate Home into the PSN/XMB at this point. Doing that would have been a disaster with basically every connected PS3 going haywire for the rest of this year.

As far as if they will actually get around to making this what consumers want, that is immposible to say. I personaly would love to see Home become part of the PS3 OS. To me Home can only be successful when every aspect of it is fully integrated into the overall system experiance.
This would mean useing Home lobbys for the online lobby in future games, thus allowing your avatar to be more important. Another major piece of intergration would be PSN level effecting Home. Everytime you gain a level new stuff is unlocked for your apartment and avatar, and being at a specific level at the right time may allow you to access a live developer chat within Home.

This application still has a long way to go, and what it is today is not even really the start. In no time at all we will start getting 3rd party areas from within the games industry, and beyond. Home has a ton of room to grow, and if you don't exactly enjoy it now remember it is a BETA, and you are free to drop in any time you want. So don't be afraid to check back once a week, once a month, or just at random times months apart. It is an ever changing ever expanding enviornment, and as said before, THIS IS JUST A START.