For the past few months since the opening of Home on the PlayStation Network, there have been cryptic messages left on our virtual PSPs. No one really knew what it meant and I don’t think they cared as long as the worlds kept opening new playing fields for the thousands of PlayStation 3 users. It spoke of portals, elevators and a search for someone lost within the Matrix of this virtual Home world simply called Xi.

Earlier this week, (March 23, 2009) strange graffiti appeared on the wall in the central plaza that, if examined, transports you into a new world called Xi: The Hub, PlayStation Home’s first console-based alternate reality game.

Everything in this world is malfunctioning and its up to Home residents to help one of the “Alpha Testers” solve the mystery of Xi and find his missing friend Jess. It’s not a game that can be solved in a day, users can check back every day to find their next mystery waiting to be solved.

I was impressed the moment I was teleported into Xi. To open more of the game you have to solve the first task which is finding pieces of an invitation letter that will the player to access the computer and a malfunctioning robot named Stapler that spews random nonsense. Within that random nonsense is a clue to your next task so you have to pay attention to what it says. When you find Stapler behind the malfunctioning teleport pads, it will kind of remind you of Rosie the robot maid from The Jetsons cartoon.

I’m not going to give out the location of these pieces, because they’re not really that hard to find if you just look around The Hub.

The more you explore the more you can unlock. Some of these puzzles require you to surf the web using the central hub computers on the second floor and entering your answers into your personal helopad on the first floor. Each clue will lead you closer to finding the answer and the missing Alpha Tester Jess.

So far this new game is addictive despite a few glitches which the PlayStation Development team is working to fix. But if you get stuck on a puzzle and need a hint there are plenty of other players in The Hub that are more than willing to help.

Just find the graffiti that looks like the artwork above in the central plaza over near the apartment complex and teleport into The Hub. Check out the re-cap video you’ll find inside the Hub that will give you a glimpse of what may be coming our way.

Site [PlayStation.com] Site [PlayStation Home (Europe)] Read [Kotaku]