Curmudgeon GamerI see two possibilities here:
- Apathy - Most people don't know about -- or care about -- PlayStation Home. This is the best case scenario for Sony.
- Hatred - Sony forces some popular games to incorporate Home in an essential way, and people hate it. Reviewers will comment on how the Xbox 360 version of a game doesn't include such stupid features. Players will complain about having to use it. This is the bad scenario.
I wish Sony had used its money to seed unique, exclusive games for its online service. That would have been a lot more interesting, and would have improved its image both among consumers, developers, and publishers.
Labels: online, online distribution, playstation home, ps3, psn, sony
Yeah, I am very interested to try it out, but not exactly expected to be wowed.
This being now the second Second Life joke I've heard on it today alone :) Part of it is that I'm just not that kind of gamer. I don't exactly have a lot of idle time in between games to just hang out online.
My guess is going to be apathy. My only optimistic perspective is that Sony will keep it filled with enough content that it might warrant abject curiousity.
By 
Josh, at
11 December, 2008 13:52
Well, I tried it. For all of 15 minutes.
It's certainly prettier than Second Life. The view from your initial apartment is nice.
But there's really nothing to do. Outside of some very basic games (chess, bowling, pool) and watching people dance and chat with poor spelling, there's really nothing worth doing in Home at all.
Biggest boondogle? Maybe not. Waste of time and money on Sony's part? Yes.
By Dan, at
13 December, 2008 19:35
Good read, definitely got the wheels turning.
I've have my reservations about virtual worlds. I used to work for There (http://www.there.com) and at one point totally believed it was the future of online use, but it just doesn't seem like the industry is heading in that direction.
I even remember when Google tried it's hand in the virtual world space with Lively. That folded VERY quickly, I believe it was a matter of months.
In any case, I'm still very eager to see what happens to Home.
By Darren, at
13 December, 2008 19:57
Sony's marketing department has been on crack since the PS3 came out. It's either that or arrogance that "gamers will come" because it's Sony.
There's precious little reason to own a PS3 these days since titles previously exclusive to Sony are cutting deals with MS left and right. My PS3 gets more use playing movies than games.
By LisaB, at
14 December, 2008 17:47
LisaB, you should check out LBP and Valkyria Chronicles if you need something for your PS3. Both are excellent, IMHO.
Of course, once I'm finished with both, I'll probably put the PS3 back in the closet until the next Fumito Ueda game is released.
By Dan, at
14 December, 2008 22:43
Thanks for reminding me why I own a PS3. I'd forgotten Team Ico was working on a new game!
I plan to check out LBP eventually--when the price comes down. I haven't seen a "next gen" title yet that's really worth the sixty bucks.
By LisaB, at
15 December, 2008 08:36
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