HOME

[vict0r]

HOME trailer.

Personally, I think this looks VERY impressive. Sony might have won the jackpot with this. Weighs up for the previous, flawed online system.

[Chicky]

That looks really really cool, as long as you don't have to pay for much.

[Postmodern_Boy]

I think i would still rather go outside to stand around talking to people. 

[MrColossal]

Someone sent that video around at work. I don't see the appeal at all. I have no idea how it works but I feel a lobby of names with a chat room is quicker, more efficient and faster loading than an entire world where I have to run down the street to find someone to play a game of *INSERT GAME NAME HERE*

But again, I have no idea how it works. Either way, I'm mostly interested in Little Big Planet

http://kotaku.com/gaming/littlebigplanet/clips-littlebigplanet-242305.php

[DGMacphee]

I'm more interested in the foxy-sounding British chick doing the voice over.

[Domino]

That looks kind of neat. I do not own a PS3 right now, but depending on how HOME goes, i may take a second look at Sony's latest console. Reminds me of the PC virtual world called THERE, which i used to use a few years ago. Too bad there were to many creeps on THERE.

I will just stick to Xbox Live for the 360 for the moment.

[Vince Twelve]

I dunno.  It kind of looks like Second Life, except without the things that makes Second Life interesting (not talking about sex).  As far as I can tell, there's no user-made content.  So instead of being able to make your own shirt (or building, or game) or buy one from another player who made it, you'll be buying outfits via microtransactions straight to Sony.

Using it as matchmaking for setting up multiplayer matches is cool and all, but like Mr Colossal said, navigating a menu to do so is a lot faster when you just want to play the damn game.  However, I could see it being useful for chatting and the occasional "Oh, I could so kick your butt at game X." "No way!"  "Yes way!" "Prove it!" ::Loading match::

[LGM]

Wow, that planet game looks awesome. It's hard to imagine, the quality of the graphics that can be played realtime used to take days to render only 10 years ago.

[jetxl]

"Infinetly more exciting that anything on other consoles."
At that point I threw up a bit in my mouth and chewed on something crunchy I ate earlier. I bet I can't do that in virtual reality.

[Tuomas]

What the hell did I miss? This was a video of someone getting shrinked and eaten by a bat? I don't get it. Some kind of chat thing? If so, it wasn't obvious to me from the video.

[ildu]

Tuomas, what you saw was the advertisement that precedes the video.

Anyhow, I watched this at work with my co-workers and we were all pretty shocked, not by the 'coolness', but by how far they're willing to push virtual reality social networking. A resounding "who the hell has the time for that?" and "I'm worried about how our kids' lives are gonna be in the future when the norm of social interaction is this shit" were heard. I was also weirded out in the other video where there was a whole trophy room for you as a central hub for your game-playing. And then when they showed the wall symbolizing the limitless space of the whole system, it all seemed very very dystopic.

[Helm]

But hey Ildu. You can do a retarded stupid standing-on-the-spot dance.

Also you can wear designer clothing.

And you can't be fat.

[big brother]

I love how half the trailer is in the future tense.

"Home WILL become the most popular thing since cheese logs. You WILL play it for at least 4 hours a day. And you WILL love every second of it."

I'm a bit wary of the micro-purchases they will undoubtedly incorporate. Want to wear a leather jacket or carry a big sword? Let's see that wallet of yours, and I'm not talking about a virtual one.

[Traveler]

Hmmm... I have a hard time understanding why anyone with half a brain cell would waste their life with something like this... 

I can understand why someone would play a game for some time - at least there is exploration, story, etc. But to talk to people this way - I mean, go to a pub and have a beer.  I must be getting old...

[TheYak]

It's interesting as a visual IM-type program, but if I were going to chat via text, I'd rather use IRC or IM.  If I were going to chat via voice, I'd rather use a cellphone or skype.  There's a relative degree of anonymity to this, but chatting with anonymous people tends to get old rather fast (also showing the Sony's not as paranoid about the whole e-stalker potential as Nintendo). 

What I find interesting about the presentation (and hasn't been brought up too much) is that it's supposed to be a mirror of real-life (although a miniaturized carnival mirror at best) and will bring along many of the same downsides: advertising plastered everywhere and the capability to dress nicer, have a nicer place, and have more access to cool stuff if you've got the cash for it.  So, are we going to see gorgeous mansion spreads decorated by the bored and moderately wealthy while budget gamers are relegated to rooting through trashcans for empty Sony Cola cans?

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

And you can't be fat.

So much for realistically depicting 50% of their customers!

I'm also in the group that doesn't understand why people would want to wander around and say 'lol hi' and change their outfits and decorate virtual spaces when they could just be playing a game.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy games like Bully that have a virtual town and stuff you can do, but it's still a game and not just a fancy made up chat server to meet people to play a game. 

Keep it simple, Sony.  A concise list of servers separated into groups (genre, title) where people can jump in and play without having to put on a pair of 3d jeans first.

[Andail]

I guess this can be a good therapeutic instrument for pathologically introverted people, who'd never meet up with some friends, chat a bit or play some pool in real life.

[biothlebop]

I have never been much for playing computer games with/against strangers, so HOME does not really excite me but neither do the majority of multi-player Internet games.
For me, the Internet hasn't been able to fully mediate the sense of excitement when a handful of people share a physical space and compete against each other.

By itself, I don't think that HOME is a bad idea.
It might be more cumbersome than a chatroom/server list, but if you are only looking for a quick adrenaline fix, I don't see any reason to own a ps3 over a joystick containing Galaga and friends.

Immersion is an important part of gaming, and this seems directed toward people that have some interest in escaping reality as well as mashing buttons.
In fact, HOME can be thought of enhancing the immersion, eliminating menus by making them a part of the game/world as well.

Example: Imagine a WWII FPS where the chat-area is a medic tent and servers are represented by trucks parked outside that take people to the frontline. You'd jump aboard a truck and while the server loaded, you could look out from the back of the truck while it would be driving toward the battlefield. When the map has loaded, the truck stops and you are ready to jump out.

As long as it and the transitions run smooth, I am all for it.

Also, little big planet looks awesome.

[Tuomas]

Tuomas, what you saw was the advertisement that precedes the video.

I feel a bit stupid... but there's nothing after the advertisement

[ildu]

Tuomas, you're using the wrong browser.

Anyhoo, this HOME is definately a good idea to implement. There's no doubt that people will want to use it. But it's hardly anything new. It's just like a realistic-style version of Habbo Hotel, which is itself very very popular.