vlad321 said: S.T.A.G.E. said: vlad321 said: Sony Clarifies Home's 'Open Beta' The "social gaming community" will apparently stay in open beta for "some time." By Kyle Stallock, 12/31/2008 Since the release of Sony's Home earlier this month, many question the reason for the "open beta" descriptor and how long it will remain. According to Jack Buser, director of Home, in a Kotaku video podcast (via Shacknews), the service may remain in "open beta" indefinitely, saying another phase of its existence is to be determined. Addressing why it's still in open beta, Buser says,   "Open beta" is "sort of synonymous with our idea of launch, in that we really want to emphasize that what you see in Home on any particular day is subject to change. Home is a living, breathing, evolving, growing platform." In other words, if something goes wrong, they can always point a finger and say "hey, open beta." Besides, it's not like the development state has prevented Sony from selling virtual goods like "hotcakes." _______________________________________________________________________________________________ People who are hoping for an actual release can now rest calmly, what you have right now is what it will be. Yes it will change over time but this is the release, there won't be another major release than this. It will be jsut updates and additions to what is already there.    Sony needs to start charging for Home.   And if they do that it will go from slight failure to complete and utter failure and waste of 4 years of development.

Actually, they need to charge you for microtransactions that matter, not charge you for Home.  I don't want to decorate my apartment if I never even go there (since it starts you in the last zone you were in) and I don't want to buy clothes for my avatar if I don't give a crap about Home.

Their plan should look something like this:

1. Give me something meaningful for free so I begin to care about Home
2. After I care about Home, offer me something meaningful to buy.
3. After buying things I care about Home more, now I care about my apartment and avatar.
4. Now that I care about my apartment avatar, I want clothes and furniture to buy

Instead it looks something like this:

1. Release Home in a crippled state
2. Offer clothes and furniture
3. ?????
4. Make money

A perfect example of microtransactions done well is Little Big Planet. 

1. Let me create things so I care about the game.
2. I care about the game so I care about my sackboy/girl
3. Since I care about my sackboy/girl I care how they look and buy more costumes
4. I cared enough to buy costumes, I play the game more.

In Home's current state I have no reason to care about it so there's no reason to buy anything.  I guess they figured people bought the PS3 based on potential so maybe they'll buy clothes and furniture based on potential.

vlad321 said: S.T.A.G.E. said: vlad321 said: Sony Clarifies Home's 'Open Beta' The "social gaming community" will apparently stay in open beta for "some time." By Kyle Stallock, 12/31/2008 Since the release of Sony's Home earlier this month, many question the reason for the "open beta" descriptor and how long it will remain. According to Jack Buser, director of Home, in a Kotaku video podcast (via Shacknews), the service may remain in "open beta" indefinitely, saying another phase of its existence is to be determined. Addressing why it's still in open beta, Buser says,   "Open beta" is "sort of synonymous with our idea of launch, in that we really want to emphasize that what you see in Home on any particular day is subject to change. Home is a living, breathing, evolving, growing platform." In other words, if something goes wrong, they can always point a finger and say "hey, open beta." Besides, it's not like the development state has prevented Sony from selling virtual goods like "hotcakes." _______________________________________________________________________________________________ People who are hoping for an actual release can now rest calmly, what you have right now is what it will be. Yes it will change over time but this is the release, there won't be another major release than this. It will be jsut updates and additions to what is already there.    Sony needs to start charging for Home.   And if they do that it will go from slight failure to complete and utter failure and waste of 4 years of development.

Actually no. Proper funding would speed up the process and pave the way for newer updates for home. The only loss would be users, because it wouldn't be free. If they want it to be free, get ready for a slow process. Sony is at the point where it's beyond giving blood to the masses. I'm not saying charing a premium is the best thing to do at all times, however Sony needs it badly.

S.T.A.G.E. said: vlad321 said: S.T.A.G.E. said: vlad321 said: Sony Clarifies Home's 'Open Beta' The "social gaming community" will apparently stay in open beta for "some time." By Kyle Stallock, 12/31/2008 Since the release of Sony's Home earlier this month, many question the reason for the "open beta" descriptor and how long it will remain. According to Jack Buser, director of Home, in a Kotaku video podcast (via Shacknews), the service may remain in "open beta" indefinitely, saying another phase of its existence is to be determined. Addressing why it's still in open beta, Buser says,   "Open beta" is "sort of synonymous with our idea of launch, in that we really want to emphasize that what you see in Home on any particular day is subject to change. Home is a living, breathing, evolving, growing platform." In other words, if something goes wrong, they can always point a finger and say "hey, open beta." Besides, it's not like the development state has prevented Sony from selling virtual goods like "hotcakes." _______________________________________________________________________________________________ People who are hoping for an actual release can now rest calmly, what you have right now is what it will be. Yes it will change over time but this is the release, there won't be another major release than this. It will be jsut updates and additions to what is already there.    Sony needs to start charging for Home.   And if they do that it will go from slight failure to complete and utter failure and waste of 4 years of development. Actually no. Proper funding would speed up the process and pave the way for newer updates for home. The only loss would be users, because it wouldn't be free. If they want it to be free, get ready for a slow process. Sony is at the point where it's beyond giving blood to the masses. I'm not saying charing a premium is the best thing to do at all times, however Sony needs it badly.

The problem is that if they start charging, the population of Home will drop to somewhere VERY close to 0, therefore they'd be losing even more people. They wouldn't make money, they'd only lose even more.

S.T.A.G.E. said: vlad321 said: S.T.A.G.E. said: vlad321 said: Sony Clarifies Home's 'Open Beta' The "social gaming community" will apparently stay in open beta for "some time." By Kyle Stallock, 12/31/2008 Since the release of Sony's Home earlier this month, many question the reason for the "open beta" descriptor and how long it will remain. According to Jack Buser, director of Home, in a Kotaku video podcast (via Shacknews), the service may remain in "open beta" indefinitely, saying another phase of its existence is to be determined. Addressing why it's still in open beta, Buser says,   "Open beta" is "sort of synonymous with our idea of launch, in that we really want to emphasize that what you see in Home on any particular day is subject to change. Home is a living, breathing, evolving, growing platform." In other words, if something goes wrong, they can always point a finger and say "hey, open beta." Besides, it's not like the development state has prevented Sony from selling virtual goods like "hotcakes." _______________________________________________________________________________________________ People who are hoping for an actual release can now rest calmly, what you have right now is what it will be. Yes it will change over time but this is the release, there won't be another major release than this. It will be jsut updates and additions to what is already there.    Sony needs to start charging for Home.   And if they do that it will go from slight failure to complete and utter failure and waste of 4 years of development. Actually no. Proper funding would speed up the process and pave the way for newer updates for home. The only loss would be users, because it wouldn't be free. If they want it to be free, get ready for a slow process. Sony is at the point where it's beyond giving blood to the masses. I'm not saying charing a premium is the best thing to do at all times, however Sony needs it badly.

you are assuming home is something more than what we have alreay seen, i dont think that with more money home will get better, home is what we already have, a waste of time.

vlad321 said: S.T.A.G.E. said: vlad321 said: S.T.A.G.E. said: vlad321 said: Sony Clarifies Home's 'Open Beta' The "social gaming community" will apparently stay in open beta for "some time." By Kyle Stallock, 12/31/2008 Since the release of Sony's Home earlier this month, many question the reason for the "open beta" descriptor and how long it will remain. According to Jack Buser, director of Home, in a Kotaku video podcast (via Shacknews), the service may remain in "open beta" indefinitely, saying another phase of its existence is to be determined. Addressing why it's still in open beta, Buser says,   "Open beta" is "sort of synonymous with our idea of launch, in that we really want to emphasize that what you see in Home on any particular day is subject to change. Home is a living, breathing, evolving, growing platform." In other words, if something goes wrong, they can always point a finger and say "hey, open beta." Besides, it's not like the development state has prevented Sony from selling virtual goods like "hotcakes." _______________________________________________________________________________________________ People who are hoping for an actual release can now rest calmly, what you have right now is what it will be. Yes it will change over time but this is the release, there won't be another major release than this. It will be jsut updates and additions to what is already there.    Sony needs to start charging for Home.   And if they do that it will go from slight failure to complete and utter failure and waste of 4 years of development. Actually no. Proper funding would speed up the process and pave the way for newer updates for home. The only loss would be users, because it wouldn't be free. If they want it to be free, get ready for a slow process. Sony is at the point where it's beyond giving blood to the masses. I'm not saying charing a premium is the best thing to do at all times, however Sony needs it badly.     The problem is that if they start charging, the population of Home will drop to somewhere VERY close to 0, therefore they'd be losing even more people. They wouldn't make money, they'd only lose even more.

Home's userbase wouldn't drop to 0 if Sony would add some value to Home (Even at now, some people would find home to be worth paying for). Home was sold as something greater than what it actually turned out to be. These users are easier to turn into customers and gather profit from.

radha said: S.T.A.G.E. said: vlad321 said: S.T.A.G.E. said: vlad321 said: Sony Clarifies Home's 'Open Beta' The "social gaming community" will apparently stay in open beta for "some time." By Kyle Stallock, 12/31/2008 Since the release of Sony's Home earlier this month, many question the reason for the "open beta" descriptor and how long it will remain. According to Jack Buser, director of Home, in a Kotaku video podcast (via Shacknews), the service may remain in "open beta" indefinitely, saying another phase of its existence is to be determined. Addressing why it's still in open beta, Buser says,   "Open beta" is "sort of synonymous with our idea of launch, in that we really want to emphasize that what you see in Home on any particular day is subject to change. Home is a living, breathing, evolving, growing platform." In other words, if something goes wrong, they can always point a finger and say "hey, open beta." Besides, it's not like the development state has prevented Sony from selling virtual goods like "hotcakes." _______________________________________________________________________________________________ People who are hoping for an actual release can now rest calmly, what you have right now is what it will be. Yes it will change over time but this is the release, there won't be another major release than this. It will be jsut updates and additions to what is already there.    Sony needs to start charging for Home.   And if they do that it will go from slight failure to complete and utter failure and waste of 4 years of development. Actually no. Proper funding would speed up the process and pave the way for newer updates for home. The only loss would be users, because it wouldn't be free. If they want it to be free, get ready for a slow process. Sony is at the point where it's beyond giving blood to the masses. I'm not saying charing a premium is the best thing to do at all times, however Sony needs it badly.   you are assuming home is something more than what we have alreay seen, i dont think that with more money home will get better, home is what we already have, a waste of time.

 I already know this. Proper funding could lead to newer and faster developments. It's a great incentive for developers to know that they are properly being backed. Every move Sony makes with their videogame division this year seems like suicide. The need to be wiser about their decisions.

S.T.A.G.E. said: vlad321 said: S.T.A.G.E. said: vlad321 said: S.T.A.G.E. said: vlad321 said: Sony Clarifies Home's 'Open Beta' The "social gaming community" will apparently stay in open beta for "some time." By Kyle Stallock, 12/31/2008 Since the release of Sony's Home earlier this month, many question the reason for the "open beta" descriptor and how long it will remain. According to Jack Buser, director of Home, in a Kotaku video podcast (via Shacknews), the service may remain in "open beta" indefinitely, saying another phase of its existence is to be determined. Addressing why it's still in open beta, Buser says,   "Open beta" is "sort of synonymous with our idea of launch, in that we really want to emphasize that what you see in Home on any particular day is subject to change. Home is a living, breathing, evolving, growing platform." In other words, if something goes wrong, they can always point a finger and say "hey, open beta." Besides, it's not like the development state has prevented Sony from selling virtual goods like "hotcakes." _______________________________________________________________________________________________ People who are hoping for an actual release can now rest calmly, what you have right now is what it will be. Yes it will change over time but this is the release, there won't be another major release than this. It will be jsut updates and additions to what is already there.    Sony needs to start charging for Home.   And if they do that it will go from slight failure to complete and utter failure and waste of 4 years of development. Actually no. Proper funding would speed up the process and pave the way for newer updates for home. The only loss would be users, because it wouldn't be free. If they want it to be free, get ready for a slow process. Sony is at the point where it's beyond giving blood to the masses. I'm not saying charing a premium is the best thing to do at all times, however Sony needs it badly.     The problem is that if they start charging, the population of Home will drop to somewhere VERY close to 0, therefore they'd be losing even more people. They wouldn't make money, they'd only lose even more. Home's userbase wouldn't drop to 0 if Sony would add some value to Home (Even at now, some people would find home to be worth paying for). Home was sold as something greater than what it actually turned out to be. These users are easier to turn into customers and gather profit from.

They'd have to charge hell of a lot of money to make it worth their time considering the exodus that will follow when they start charging. The only saving grace right now for home is FREE!, meaning you don't have to pay for it. The amount of people who leave if you even start charging a few dollars will be amazing, I dare say 90-95% of the current peopulation, which is already small to begin with.

The idea the long term beta just means a convenient excuse for any problems rather than any development just doesnt hold water.

In the long term you have a stable system, you arent all of a sudden going to run into problems unless either 1) the amount of people using it shoots up way past their stable bandwidth or 2) you are actually doing development, introducing possible new bugs to the stable system.

More than likely will be that you will have a stable system that gets put on the backburner development wise when they have other cost intensive work to do and then gets alook in when there is down time on other projects, and for a system that is free, i dont think that kind of thing is too bad.

ssj12 said: blazinhead89 said: Home sucks   wait a few months, it will be 100% better

Hmm.. never heard that before..

Also, posted Home "Beta for life" a few days ago

vlad321 said: S.T.A.G.E. said: vlad321 said: S.T.A.G.E. said: vlad321 said: S.T.A.G.E. said: vlad321 said: Sony Clarifies Home's 'Open Beta' The "social gaming community" will apparently stay in open beta for "some time." By Kyle Stallock, 12/31/2008 Since the release of Sony's Home earlier this month, many question the reason for the "open beta" descriptor and how long it will remain. According to Jack Buser, director of Home, in a Kotaku video podcast (via Shacknews), the service may remain in "open beta" indefinitely, saying another phase of its existence is to be determined. Addressing why it's still in open beta, Buser says,   "Open beta" is "sort of synonymous with our idea of launch, in that we really want to emphasize that what you see in Home on any particular day is subject to change. Home is a living, breathing, evolving, growing platform." In other words, if something goes wrong, they can always point a finger and say "hey, open beta." Besides, it's not like the development state has prevented Sony from selling virtual goods like "hotcakes." _______________________________________________________________________________________________ People who are hoping for an actual release can now rest calmly, what you have right now is what it will be. Yes it will change over time but this is the release, there won't be another major release than this. It will be jsut updates and additions to what is already there.    Sony needs to start charging for Home.   And if they do that it will go from slight failure to complete and utter failure and waste of 4 years of development. Actually no. Proper funding would speed up the process and pave the way for newer updates for home. The only loss would be users, because it wouldn't be free. If they want it to be free, get ready for a slow process. Sony is at the point where it's beyond giving blood to the masses. I'm not saying charing a premium is the best thing to do at all times, however Sony needs it badly.     The problem is that if they start charging, the population of Home will drop to somewhere VERY close to 0, therefore they'd be losing even more people. They wouldn't make money, they'd only lose even more. Home's userbase wouldn't drop to 0 if Sony would add some value to Home (Even at now, some people would find home to be worth paying for). Home was sold as something greater than what it actually turned out to be. These users are easier to turn into customers and gather profit from.   They'd have to charge hell of a lot of money to make it worth their time considering the exodus that will follow when they start charging. The only saving grace right now for home is FREE!, meaning you don't have to pay for it. The amount of people who leave if you even start charging a few dollars will be amazing, I dare say 90-95% of the current peopulation, which is already small to begin with.

truth, I would not pay $1 a year to use home and I find some aspects of home (and potential aspects) quite enjoyable at times.

I believe a part of Home's purpose(as with Second Life) is for companies to build around it in the future to advertise themselves(games/products/potential outside of gaming products) to the consumer who is using Home's free service.  Last time I checked the consumer does not directly pay for advertising with an up front fee.  So charging for Home is a horrible and frankly illogical idea.