PlayStation Home continues to make great strides – almost on a monthly basis – and one of the biggest updates is just around the corner.
As detailed over at the PlayStation Blog , Home v1.3 will be available next month and this will include universal game launching. This means you'll be able to launch into any PlayStation 3 game while within the Home application; titles that "fully support" this feature ( Resistance 2 , MotorStorm , Far Cry 2 , Street Fighter IV , etc.) "will be identified by separate icons that appear over an avatar's head and will have varying degrees of additional multiplayer functionality built in." Secondly, v1.3 will bring "an in-store item previewing option" that will let you check out how a piece of clothing looks on your character before purchasing. You'll even be able to do this with furniture; i.e., gee, how's that new couch gonna look in my pad…? Oh, but it doesn't end there: we'll get free cameras that will let us snap photos all throughout Home, and you can save any of these pictures to the Photo section on the XMB. More portable objects (like that cool Bubble Machine) will also find their way into this virtual landscape.
Additional upgrades include more emotes for your avatar, new categories of clothing (composite and outfits), plus an optimized targeting system and a new queuing system. You'll even be able to choose your own personalized cache size; pick between 3, 5, 8, and 12GB. Lastly, as announced during Sony's press conference at GamesCom, we'll see the arrival of the new SingStar space, and that thing will come fully equipped with a Video Jukebox (music videos!) and a dance floor. Home continues to grow and expand and v1.3 will once again stretch the limits of our virtual imaginations.
I can see myself messing around with this a bit.
That is going to be awsome! i can't wait!
Well, I guess Sony finally listened to some of us that were in the relatively closed public beta late last year: until shortly before the beta went completely public, you could launch any game from within Home, regardless of whether or not it did the party system thing or not. At the time, only Warhawk supported the party system when launching from within Home, but that wouldn't stop you from being able to launch any game you wanted from Home.
Then they took that away, implying that it was bugs that permitted that launching, and slowly built the case over the last few months that it's up to the developers to support game launching. I agree that taking full advantage of it is the developer's responsibility, but there's no excuse for me not being able to launch KillZone 2 from within Home at this point, even if I'm just going to be playing the single player campaign.
Indeed, Universal Game Launching is only 9 months late, but at least it's here now…
T.T this is so wonderful; I'm so full of joy of everything that's happened to me!
It's way too much effort to make an avatar in home unless you stick with the carbon copied ones. Too realistic IMO. They should have went with a more "cartoony" look.
Had they done that, they'd have been accused of playing Mii Too, just like NXE. Why do that? Sony is trying to lead, not follow.
Well, I think it was to separate themselves from the pack. Most Sony guys are adults so lets give em a realistic playground, not typical toons.
I respectfully disagree. I wish there were more options. My avatar's stuck with facial hair that isn't what I want.
PSEye support would be awesome (a la Tiger Woods or Rainbow Six Vegas).
You guys are probably right about the cartoony comment, but it's just so darned hard to make an avatar with 'sliders.' And when can I put his head on my gamercard?
I certainly see your point as well. I like the cartoony avatars in Rock Band (they're far better than those in GH:WT, for example), but in Home, I want someone who looks like me (more or less).
The feature of Home Clothing preview will really come in handy for me. But there are still 2 issues I have with Playstation Home, first, I think sony needs to stop making more spaces and work on some features for Home, this update is bringing in some new stuff but not much. Secondly, can Sony please "connect" all the Home spaces, I hate that everytime I want to enter the Theater or the Mall or any other space the thing needs to load. Can't they just "connect" it entirely, I don't care if it takes up more memory on my harddrive, just please end the load times.
Last edited by Charger7302 on 8/19/2009 11:16:16 PM
My wife cheered that new feature, she's complained every time she's in a Home store buying an item that she can't see how it really looks before buying it. This is a great feature.
Wow Sony is steping their game up. First a new module; a price cut; a new firmware update; now this. Sony is really packing a punch. Over the past 8 months, they haven't been doing much; but now, they are attacking with full force.
wait a minute, i gotta download each freakin home space again. WHY does sony keep on doing that, everytime home gets an update
I just spent a good 4 hours in Home with my cousin over psn. People, I have always enjoyed Home but never really used it that often. We had such a blast though! So much to see and do now it's insane. The entire time we were talking via our mics like we were on the phone, no issues hardly at all (besides my system freezing once during those 4 hours loading an area) We could even talk to eachother if we were checking out different areas. We hit the mall and watched Pulse, played a game of chess that ended in a stalemate (we both suck, but it was fun) We ran through the zombie filled maze in that Zombie area (and won a t shirt at the secret disco) played some DJ Hero(ish) mini games in one of the EA areas. Checked out Infamous, other EA areas, the Namco arcade (I got some coin thing and I don't know what it does! lol) Among plenty of other stuff that I can't remember at the moment. Great fun, can't wait until we can launch any game from within Home at any time. If they add the ps3 web browser (A new one would be nice) to PS Home then I won't ever leave. Seriously …Unless I'm buying things from the PS Store. But they could add that in there too! Who knows …anything seems possible at this point.
Last edited by Zemus101 on 8/20/2009 12:20:19 AM
Congratulations, I think it's safe to say that you actually "get" what Home is all about.
There's voice chat in there? Gosh … maybe I should go check it out again. My only problem is that Home is not as fun as my games.
Now make a boxing ring or something for avatars to beat on eachother.
Now that sounds interesting.
I rarely use Home. Haven't really found anything interesting to do in there. My wife makes fun of me when she catches me in their too. :p
Last edited by Jawknee on 8/20/2009 1:09:51 AM
Photos on Home, OooooHuahuahhahahgaha! this is gonna be fun!
The new store and screenshots feature is a nice addition.
"plus an optimized targeting system and a new queuing system."
Best news ever.
Okay, I'm exaggerating, but this was at the top of my list of things which needed fixing. We'll see if they get it right.
For those who are interested:
1. Fix the targeting system.
2. Stop kicking me out of the PDA every time I do something; let me do multiple things at a time.
3. Make the World Map an actual map, with all the areas connected in "real" space. The tiles are neat, but they just don't work well.
4. Indicate (on said map) which areas we have downloaded and allow us to select all the others (via the Triangle menu) to download in the background.
5. Add first-person view to the distant and over-the-shoulder views (and I'm no fan of FPSs).
6. Fix the instancing so that more people can't enter an area than can play the mini-games therein. We shouldn't have to wait indefinitely to try the games. Some of the original mini-games I still haven't tried.
7. Improve the queuing system (e.g., make waiting for a bowling lane work like it does in real bowling lanes: "Your lane is ready.").
8. Allow us to change the color of all generic items of clothing (stuff with logos, etc. can still be color-specific).
9. A few more (free) options for haircuts, facial hair, and make-up as well as pants/skirts, shoes, and accessories (one pair of glasses?!?).
10. Utilize streaming technology to make travel more seamless; build buffer zones (hallways, lobbies, etc.) if necessary . We should be able to walk from one end of Home to the other (with minimal loading times). It's possible in Oblivion, GTAIV, inFAMOUS, etc., so it should be possible in Home. This one is only last because it would probably take the most work.
Two down (if they get them right), eight to go.
Now that there are plenty of spaces and things to do (more each week) and they're adding universal game launching, the only major thing which they should have had at launch which is still lacking is the ability to personalize our avatars and apartments without having to pay an arm and a leg.
Make the microtransactions truly "micro" (= 1/1000 of a normal transaction)!
p.s. Sorry about the essay. 🙂
Last edited by Fane1024 on 8/20/2009 4:06:19 AM
screw home no one barely uses it.
just hurry up and release the 3.0 FW update.
and for the love of god can yous include a option to save game patches, and continue them at a later stage.
wolfenstein has really pissed me off, they made me wait another 2 weeks because the game was delayed, than i FINALLY get it but no i cant play it yet because theres a fuggin patch to download.
2PM to 7PM and its only done 62%.
JESUS *&^%ing CHRIST IT WOULD BE QUICKER TO DOWNLOAD SOMETHING VIA DIAL UP ON MY BLOOMIN LAPTOP.
ive managed to download the new update for my 360 AND the LP2 demo in the time my ps3 has done 62% for wolfenstein.
Sony says that something like 7 or 8 million people use it more than occasionally, so It's not fair to say that no one uses it.
yawn. i deleted home a long time a go
I haven't used home since the beta lol, not really sure why. I'll have to check this out.
" we'll get free cameras that will let us snap photos all throughout Home, and you can save any of these pictures to the Photo section on the XMB."
Will I be able to use one of them as my avatar, here? I've never had an avatar so I don't even care if it's a gay bubble machine…anything's better than the grey man^
What about the media streming with the Home TV's and picture frames??
They are the only thing I'm waiting for right now.
Picture frames are there. TVs are not there yet.
Europe doesn't have picture frames :S