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GDC 2007: Phil Harrison, Sony, Unveil 'Home'
PlayStation Network grows up, moves out, gets an apartment.
By Luke Smith, 03/06/2007
Last week's reports on Sony's potential 'Home' service either generated even more hype for Phil Harrison's Game Developer Conference keynote or stole the thunder from Sony's big unveiling. Maybe it did both, and considering what Sony showed with 'Home' -- that may not be a bad thing.
Home is officially being branded as a "3D user community for PlayStation 3" by Sony, but it's also being called an "innovative user community title," effectively blurring the line between "service" and "game." The two-pronged approach to marketing this product may show some confusion as to what home is. That's a question Sony won't be able to answer until this Fall, when PlayStation 3 owners will get their hands on the final free download (the experience enters beta next month).
So, what is 'Home?'It's difficult-to-describe nature places it firmly where Sony wants it -- as the videogame successor to web 2.0 technology. Taking cues from existing MMO, Second Life 'Home' is an extremely customizable user interface that combines form and function into a single elegant package that may ultimately serve as an interface-based foil to Microsoft's Xbox Live.
Right now in 'Home,' players have an avatar that they create and customize via an EA Gameface-type interface. In 'Home''s world, there are public and private spaces. The public spaces are dotted with advertisements (fully customizable, Harrison points out) and those ads may feature game footage running in HD, or movie trailers, or static image advertisements. Additionally in the public space, players may find an arcade game where they can play a new title -- eventually being able to purchase these titles -- or play a game of Pool or go Bowling with their newfound electronic friends.
In 'Home' you'll communicate with those friends via typing on your USB keyboard, a series of selectable short phrases, and via voice chat. It wasn't discussed as to whether or not the voice chat was proximity-based or a private one on one chat.
Home's private space is an apartment that players will be able to customize and expand with the furniture Sony provides (or furniture and knick-knacks that players purchase via the PlayStation Network Store). Harrison indicated that simply purchasing some PlayStation 3 games would unlock some items for your home. Maybe a Motorstorm wallpaper or a Resistance recliner? The first version of the private space we saw was a single room studio-style apartment -- the upgraded 'Best' version that Harrison showed was a multi-level mansion with a huge patio.
Another key function the private spaces offer is the ability to go from game to game with your friends. Want to play Motorstorm with your friends? Invite them to your home and you can start the game with your friends from your apartment. It's, quite literally, the visual representation of the Halo 2 couch-system. Where your buddies will be able to play with you and return to your 'Home' throughout the night.
If a real-time 3D version of your 'crib' isn't enough to impress your friends, Sony's finally making due on the long-rumored "entitlements," though under a completely different branding -- Trophies. The 'Hall of Fame' is another private area of 'Home.' In the 'Hall of Fame' players will track and display their '3D Trophies' from various games. By choosing what to display when players come into your 'Hall of Fame,' your friends will see what you've accomplished in various titles. However, these aren't just trophies like what you'd find at the local trophy trolley. They can be assets from in-game, maybe a writhing Hellghast from Killzone 2 or a shark eating one of the ducks from Super Rub-a-Dub.
Additionally, if players want to see the trophies from other games, there's a Star Wars-prequel Senate-style menu that will eventually be filled with a sea of trophies.
Inevitably, some of those trophies will come from a game Sony unveiled at the keynote -- LittleBigPlanet. The game is equal parts game, creation tool and toy and it's all tied together by the community. That community will be responsible, along side developers for creating the content that will populate the "plots" (each user's space is called a plot) in LittleBigPlanet. For a complete look at what LittleBigPlanet is, check out our first look at the game and no doubt keep your eyes on our GDC homepage where editors will have something to say about one of the most unique ideas we've seen.
Source: http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3157797
