I don't really know how you could pay only $3 for Live. I thought it's like $60 a year and that's the lowest 'normal' price (which would be $5 a month)? Anyway, not everyone wastes their money on Home. I, for one, don't. I might just do it if I find Home important enough and if I find something to spend on but right now there's nothing. Oh, and you must pay for Live if you want to play online whereas you can pay if you want new stuff on Home. You know, a bit like with the installs (well, they don't cost anything but you get the idea)?

well its cheaper in some countries than others.. probably closer to $4 not 3..my bad..My point was ultimately everyone ends up spending online.. be it themes or sofas or jeans or avatar add ons.. just boils down to the same thing

but you forget the fine print, ps3 owners can play online for free and can get on home for free, buy shit is optional. while you need to pay for live to play online, or if they had an home equivalent, then youd have to pay just to get on that.

To those who say "What a waste of money."

OK, so buying Alcohol, Cigarettes, Rims for your car, huge stereo system, guns to go hunting. These aren't a "waste" of money? Seeing as you don't NEED any of these either.

Oh wait, it's your hobby and/or addiction, it's what you like to do.

/Point

Others who are saying "And they complain about Live subs".

It's different, Home is free, PSN is free. The things they buy are purely up to them. Their not forced to spend money to get full service. They can get it without having to spend $50 (or whatever it is xD, can't remember) up front.

They can spend money in increments, when they get paid or when they have extra money.

Yeah OK, so an annual fee of $50 isn't that expensive, it's the principle.  Plus the items in Home you purchase are Permanent.

Its 1 region Leo, there are 3 seperate home server and god knows how many duplicated per server (doesn't the server create a new room whenever the limit is reached?).

Realistically speaking, a server is not going to exprience transacting at a steady pace 24/7 but the overall figure should still be higher than the 7 mil per year revenue on crappy t-shirts and furnitures...

$0.99 to $1.99 is a lot more reasonable than tens of dollars for virtual designer clothes mentioned in an older thread. I only hope this doesn't start a trend where you have to pay for everything in virtual worlds too, as if real world wasn't expensive enough... And I also hope this doesn't increase the occurrence of compulsive shopping disorder in vulnerable people.
That said, everyboby can spend his money as he wants... And buying virtual things can be less costly and healthier too than buying cigarettes or too many sweets and candies, so if this should become an antidote for smoke or nervous hunger, it would be even welcome (but in this case tobacco and food corporations would hire the mob to tailor make cement shoes for Sony execs )

It's not any different from selling skins for any other game, whether it be Soul Caliber IV, LBP, etc.

Nobody has to buy anything as it's already been pointed out (and ignored by the detractors).

Developers will probably take the cue from Guerilla Games and include Home costumes/items with pre-orders for their games in the future.

I'm pre-ordering KZ2 through Amazon for this reason, just like a lot of people pre-ordered LBP based upon which retailer offered which DL bonus items.

And yes, a lot of people buying items on Home have the disposable income to spend it on whatever tickles them. If you can't grok that, again, nobody is forcing anyone to buy anything.

But sales on items are not likely to stay consistent since it's mainly new users who end up buying items. How that trend changes will depend on how often new items are made available as well as if they're interesting enough to warrant a purchase.

And of course, there are free items players can win which no one has mentioned. Although much like free swag that is handed out at trade shows (t-shirts, hats, etc.) they are more like product placement items. But still free. And some are actually pretty funny.

Ok waste of money,

but anyway...


I wonders if I can open up a virtual porn store and brothel in home...

$$$$$$

@greenmedic88:
I'm not saying the current situation is to have to pay for everything, I just fear the trend be intensified in future. And I'm not blaming Sony, it could happen in any virtual world.
Not knowing personally Sony Home, I was wondering: can people manufacture objects by themselves for personal use or for sale like it happened for example in UO (but where in-world commerce happened with virtual money, not real, although powerful items were often sold for real money outside UO world, for example on eBay)? And even in case commerce must happen under Sony authorization and giving it a share, is it anyway permitted free personal production for personal use or gift and exchange without payments involved?

 I take it you have never brought DLC for a video game, its not real either, but same concept