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If you’re one of the lucky 100,000 who have been invited into Home today, then like myself you’ve had the thrill of first seeing the email, then freaking out that you haven’t started download, then surprised to find out that the download is only roughly 30mbs, and then had a thrill to launch Home for the first time. I’m going to stick to the terms of service, and not reveal anything that will spoil your Home experience, but I will share a few small aspects that have been noticeable from the start.

Currently version 1.00 shows Home in a plain, and basic format. Options are limited, and interactions are few, but by observing the spaces around you, you will realize Home is geared towards success. An example would be the mall. Currently the mall is just a piece of art work with nothing to sell, but over time we will be able to see the space expand into something truly extraordinary. Products from different stores selling to different audiences will make this virtual world unique. Another point to make is that while Home is currently going through one of the biggest additions of users, some spaces are already jam packed. For instances playing a bowling game in the games room is a matter of luck when you have quite a number of users inside the room, and only five or so bowling alleys. It will be interesting to see how the entire Playstation community will fit under the hood when the public beta goes live. We could possibly seen an expansion of some spaces in order to accommodate the large population. Last, but not least, customizing your space is limited with only small objects, and a few different pieces of wallpaper to jazz up your room, but the future options of applications like streaming music, and video make Home a promising world for you, and your friends.

In the end, don’t get me wrong. Home is fantastic, and is currently in the right direction towards becoming an icon for the Playstation 3, and a meeting place for all PS3 gamers. Your first steps into Home will be full of excitement after the ever-lasting wait. From the bowling alley, and arcade machines, to the open plaza to hang out, and relax, but be sure to return to your space for a nice view on the balcony once its all complete. Bring along a box full of food, because you will have a long night ahead of you exploring through the world of Home, and what it has to offer.

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http://gamextract.com/?p=4050

has anyone else tried it?what did you think of it except being a bit empty since it's just a beta.

I got into the beta about 6 weeks ago. It's fun, but I don't know anyone who is also in it.

I think it's time for sony to release the home! I'm tired of waiting for so long. I would even understand if it wasn't perfect, I just wanna give it a try! Before Xmas! Can't make sentences anymore =p

I think Home is a great concept. However, I can't see myself parading around only interacting with other PS3 owners watching ADs for games and other products. When I could be spending that time playing a game on my PS3. Home works better as a stand alone product that would work well on a PC. Which now that the cats out of the bag I'm sure other companies will try this. Home is okay but I find myself saying I can spend my time doing something more productive.

I spent a while using Home. I received the email for the beta when I got home from work. I was happy but disappointed with what I saw. Sony has worked on this a long time, however, lots of work still needs to be done.

I just got in the beta today. Doesn't connect though. Just say 'Initalising' then I get a network error. Is it only available during certain hours of the day?

Don't even worry about it, Home is nothing right now, and is completely useless for the time being.  The worse part is the character moves so slow, he takes this really slow jog at his fast speed.

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

Sorry for the double post but I have one more thing to add.

Trophies and Home integration

As of right now this is not a reality, and I have not even heard what it is going to end up being, but there is a huge bag of awsome that it can turn into. The PSN levels are going to translate into Home somehow, and that is going to be what keeps the hardcore going back. Trophies will end up being even more addicting than they are today once the system is fully in place, and once that happens it will make achivments look very dated.

I really hope Sony adds major incentive to this thing. Like level ten and above players get to chat with the guys at Naughty Dog, or anyone Lv 15 and above by E3 is invited to E3 at Home. The possabilities are endless. Devs could have specials were the first 10 players to platinum on a game get a special reward. To add to the value you could even sell stuf you win to other players.

For an example your get 100% of the trophies in Killzone 2 and it gives you a special look for your charictor, but your are not interested in this. So you can go ahead and post it on the buy, sell, trade page of the of Home.

This is kind of reaching, and nothing is confirmed or even mentioned, but these are real possabllities that Home opens that just wern't there before. Basically what I am looking at is what does Home offer, and what is an easy direction for SOny to go above the obvious. Once you are inside I think the lights will come on, and Home will be one of the most loved things on PS3.

The absolute best thing i can think of with home is the new clubhouse addition. I have been in the beta for a while now, and the clubhouse is an awesome idea. It pretty much allows you to have a universal clan and create a clan house for them. If implemented properly.....awesome...

about 10 years ago I had a game idea similiar to Home. So I find this pretty darn cool. Sorta a nice niche past time.

Unfortunetly i'm go by the belief that an integrated 3d world menu while cool. Isn't success. So when it comes to it being more a Second Life I think this will do well. For a gui extra for game launching. not so much.