Brand new virtual events venue unveiled in Home on PLAYSTATION®Network

Home, the interactive 3D world for PS3™ users, hosts the virtual re-run of PlayStation Day 2008 in its new Media and Events Space

Last week, PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) users experienced all the sights, sounds and action of PlayStation Day, the product showcase held on May 6th in London, from the comfort of their living rooms. The online event was held as a test-run of the new PlayStation Media & Events Space, a virtual arena that will serve as the live entertainment hub of the thriving PS3 online community, hosting everything from new game unveilings to sports events to fashion shows.

Attendees were drawn from 10,000 PS3 users who have been test-driving Home as ‘closed beta’ users. Given exclusive VIP entry to the Space, they were greeted by an impressive, large-scale area dressed with various elements from real-world PlayStation Day, including the iconic hexagonal branding and artwork from each of the day’s PlayStation zones. Users were able to explore the Space, experiencing highlights of the day such as a photo gallery of games developers and a jumbo screen of the day’s speeches with an introduction from Kazuo "Kaz" Hirai, President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Sony Computer Entertainment. Users were also able to enjoy a video stream of all the action from the real-world PlayStation Day experience.

The online Media & Events Space can be re-dressed and re-branded just like a real-life venue. Following the test event’s success, Home will now start scheduling more elaborate and exciting productions for the Space, which will be available for use by both first and third parties.

“As well as looking great, the Media and Events Space is flexible and user-friendly - it’s a real focal point for our virtual community. This was a very exciting first event and we’ve already received plenty of great feedback,” says Home producer Martijn Van Der Meulen.

Thanks tipster!

The PS3's Home looks like it has great potential. Players can conceivably win achievement-like trophies and display them (see above). Sounds fantastic, but we're still somewhat in the dark. Developers should know, right? Making PS3 games an all. Nope! Tecmo's Yosuke Hayashi just finished up PLAYSTATION 3 title Ninja Sigma, and he's clueless. He explains:

I'm really interested in the concept of Home, but SCE hasn't provided any information to us yet on Home, so even if we had an intention of adapting the game, including Home trophy features or whatever, we currently just don't have the information on how to do it.

Yosuke Also Says Rumble Not Necessary [Spong]

Sony says they've registered some 600,000 PSN accounts—keep in mind the PLAYSTATION 3 allows for multiple accounts per console—and that they've doled out some 3.7 million downloads. That's a lot of Genji costumes, am I right?

More interesting than user facts and figures are Nourai's pledge that the current version of the PS3 firmware has only "scratched the surface" and that we'll be looking at more software upgrades in the future there as well as the PSP.

I'm hoping that means I can listen to music while Folding@Home, Sony! Michael McWhertor

SCEA online director: Changes coming to PlayStation Network [GamePro]

Sadly, no such trailer appeared on the PlayStation Store yesterday. Instead, PLAYSTATION 3 owners were given trailers for Warhawk, Super Rub A Dub and PlayStation Home. The demo for 2K Sports' Major League Baseball 2K7 also went up, alongside some Hollywood fodder. Not bad, but no GTA IV trailer.

I realize that the fledgling network may have actually caused the Sony data center to explode from the data transfer, but I can't help feel a bit jealous of my Xbox Live brethren. I'd have loved to easily watch the HD trailer on my HDTV via my PS3.

What, if anything, fellow PS3 owners, would you like to see more or less of on the PlayStation Store? Michael McWhertor

The mutant spawn of a PLAYSTATION 3 SIXAXIS and mouse, the FragFX looks to provide "PC-like movement, precision and performance" to console first-person shooter fans. It even has a dedicated "frag button." I know. It's crazy. But it just might be crazy enough to work.

One more mock up shot, plus a feature-rich press release follow.

SPLITFISH FRAGFX CONTROLLER BRINGS PC STYLE GAMEPLAY TO THE PLAYSTATION 3

Peripheral Customized for PlayStation Home Virtual World Navigation

Edmonton, March 20, 2007 - Innovative peripheral maker SplitFish GameWare, Inc today officially announced the company's upcoming FragFX game controller for the PlayStation 3 game console. The patent pending FragFX features a separate right hand mouse controller and detachable left hand grip controller, ideal for experiencing the traditional PC mouse and keyboard style gameplay of shooter games in a console environment. Key FragFX controller features include:

The right hand mouse controller has the complete set of PS3 controller buttons. The mouse is used during game play to shoot, look left, right, up and down for that same PC style game play experience on the PlayStation 3.

The mouse is optimized for navigation within the recently announced PlayStation Home virtual world.

A menu mode on the mouse allows it to double as a regular mouse during menu selections. A lap mouse pad and left hand grip cradle is included with the FragFX to allow for comfortable play in a living room setting.

The left hand re-programmable grip (nicknamed the "FragChuck" by G4TV) has the full range of 6-axis motion control providing Wii-like motion sensitivity for the PlayStation 3. In games like Resistance: Fall of Man, to reload a weapon or to rifle butt an opponent, the user can swing the FragChuck.

The FragChuck also offers a game speed dial and frag button. When the frag button is pressed it slows the mouse down to incremental movement for smooth sniper shots. The speed dial allows for instant fast or slow overall game play. These two additional features let the user get out of battles as fast as they get into them.

Already SplitFish is generating buzz among gamers with their groundbreaking controller technology for PlayStation consoles. During the first hands on reviews IGN called the control the FragFX serves up "far superior to the alternatives."

SplitFish CEO Cisco Schipperheijn remarked, "For years, first person shooter players have had less than an optimum experience when playing on a console. SplitFish's FragFX brings PC-like movement, precision and performance to the console FPS. The mouse in combination with the FragChuck is a huge advancement in pushing the limits of immersive game play."

SplitFish's FragFX provides universal game support and is expected to ship next month, with a wired version retailing for $59.99 and later a Bluetooth wireless version for $69.99. A limited amount of units will be reserved for European customers. The company previously released an award-winning FPS control system for the PlayStation2, called EdgeFX.

About SplitFish
SplitFish is a developer of original patented video game hardware technologies that include the theme park quality EyeFX 3D Adapter, the EdgeFX Competition Controller, the MotionFX Tilt-sensing Adapter, the GlideFX Trackball Controller, and the DualFX Laser Gun. For further details email us at info@splitfish.com or visit our web site at www.splitfish.com.

Sold! Michael McWhertor

Rushed Mii clones? The Sims copies? Second Life-ish? Take your pick. But, apparently Sony's concept of Home is a little more original than that. Back in 2005, the following posts appeared on the official PlayStation boards:

SCEA and SOE are developing MMORPG(something similiar to ffxi) style online service for PS3 right now. It will have online pack which it comes with HDD and the online software. You can go online and chat with people like mmorpg style. Your stats will have the list of games you have and scores(or ranks) for each game, and other great things. And if you want to look for someone to play online for certain game, you have to go to this certain area(or town) for that specific game or the game will automatically takes you to that town. Sony thinks "hyper links" technology is a history. They want to create a "virtual world" for PS3 online service where people can actually interact eachother like mmorpg style. There are more great details, but this is all I can get for now. I'm not expecting you to believe me

Game site You NEWB sent us the above quote. We did some leg-work, and various insiders confirmed that apparently Sony has been planning Home for at least the past three years — Pretty much Xbox Live blew the doors off everything. (Originally, Home had a more futuristic feel. Think PSO.) Even Kutaragi has supposedly been interested in a visual, 3D, online interface with personalized avatars since the PS2 days. The irony: It's been kept top secret to prevent competitors from copying it! Rome wasn't built in a day. What about Home? Brian Ashcraft

Proof Home Is No Copy? [PlayStation.com]

The New York Times has confirmed what we've all suspected: The PlayStation Home seems to be very real. Not only that, it is apparently going to hit this fall. For those who missed the hell that broke loose: We previously floated this, tussled with Sony and then kiss and made up. From the NY Times article:

It is a deficiency that Sony seems well aware of and that today's announcements are meant to address. Kotaku (kotaku.com), a popular gaming blog, reported preliminary details about PlayStation Home last week. Mr. Harrison would not discuss specifics of today's planned announcements but he laid out a clear road map of how Sony intends to improve and augment its online service.

In a telephone interview with the paper, Sony's Phil Harrison stated that last year was all about the hardware launch, while this year is about the software. He's supposed to announce PlayStation Home today at GDC, which Team Kotaku will be covering. Be sure to check back for our coverage! Brian Ashcraft

PlayStation Home Confirmed [NY Times, Thanks Lee!]

Fortunately, our huge fans over at NeoGAF (hi, guys!) did some digging, including super detective "gofreak" who, with Herculean effort, decided to click to the second page of results when searching for trademarks registered by Sony Computer Entertainment. There it was. PlayStation Home. Details on the trademark follow.

So what is PlayStation Home, as defined by the trademark? This:

IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Computer game software; electronic devices for the wireless receipt, storage and/or transmission of data and messages; computer software for conducting and coordinating real-time and asynchronous communications among computer users sharing information and audio/video data via electronic communications networks; downloadable electronic publications; sound and/or video recordings featuring music and entertainment, television programs, motion pictures, news, sports, games, cultural events, and entertainment-related programs of all kinds; downloadable digital sound and/or video recordings featuring music and entertainment, television programs, motion pictures, news, sports, games, cultural events, and entertainment-related programs of all kinds; computer software to allow users to perform electronic business transactions via the Internet

IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Electronic games services provided by means of the Internet; Internet games (non-downloadable); organizing of games; entertainment services provided online and/or via a computer database for matching users for the transfer or sharing of music, video and audio recordings via communications networks; providing on-line chat rooms and electronic bulletin boards for transmission of messages among users in the field of general interest; providing of an on-line service enabling physically remote players of an electronic game to search on-line for other players and to communicate with selected players during the game; organizing, staging and the provision of on-line tournaments; entertainment by means of wireless television broadcasts

IC 042. US 100 101. G & S: Hosting on-line web facilities for others for organizing and conducting meetings, gatherings, interactive discussions and interactive game play; computer services in the nature of customised web pages for featuring game player information, including information regarding a player's identity and the player's preferences; hosting the computer sites of others on a computer service for a global network; creating and maintaining computer sites for others; website design services; creation and development of virtual and interactive images and environments; providing on-line access to computer networks, computer databases, the Internet, on-line bulletin boards, virtual worlds and libraries of text, graphics and audio-visual and multimedia information and entertainment

IC 045. US 100 101. G & S: Introduction and social networking services, namely introducing electronic game players to others

That ought to clear it up! While verbose, these broad-based trademarks have some meat to them, but also contain some very "cover your ass" kind of registrants. Of note are the "customised web pages for featuring game player information", "software to allow users to perform electronic business transactions" , and "downloadable digital sound and/or video recordings featuring music and entertainment, television programs, motion pictures, news, sports, games, cultural events, and entertainment-related programs of all kinds."

That could potentially mean purchases outside of the PlayStation Store, downloadable media via the Home platform, and a dozen other things that make the service a very robust and useful piece of software. We're looking forward to Sony's upcoming GDC announcements like you wouldn't believe. Michael McWhertor

Could the PlayStation Home, Sony's blending of achievements and Miis be that big surprise?

While the rumor seems to make sense, keep in mind while reading through it that it came from an anonymous source and that the half-dozen development studios we spoke with hadn't heard a thing about it.

Sony, when contacted earlier today, said they do not comment on rumors or speculation.

Playstation Home sounds like it could be an interesting, lo-fi, killer app, as described by our source.

Basically, you get to make an avatar for your console (like a Mii) and this avatar has a room. As you play games and accomplish certain tasks, you will receive items with which to adorn the room that are specific to the game (achievements). The kicker is that this is going to be a new requirement for every PS3 game...

This also sounds kind of like it could fulfill the promise Sony made at last year's GDC keynote to bring social networking to the PS3.

So we move from product based to service based, starting with packaged product augmented by downloadble content. We'll enhance this with social networks, the MySpace experience, this will be a key part of the PlayStation3 going forward. What brings it to life is the voice chat, the text chat, the video, the social features we're building in for the future.

Rooting around some recent (and not so recent) comments from Sony spokespeople, we find some things that might just validate this.

From Phil's recently published DICE interview with Newsweek editor N'Gai Croal comes this tidbit, following a discussion on the "lo-fi" approach Nintendo took with their Mii avatars:

If you are going to have an avatar which is your representative in a virtual world, it has to stand for more of your personality than some 2-D cartoons. So while I think that millions of people would be happy with cartoony looks, the planet at large probably isn't. And it's an experiment that will be played out very soon, actually.

From Dutch gaming site Next Generation Gamer comes this choice quote from an unidentified Sony rep:

We have something big coming up for the PlayStation Network, but I can't say anything about that yet. It has something to do with the Home Button on the SIXAXIS controller, and with the community.

Again, this is rumor. Our source continues to remain anonymous. Sony could be announcing the robust set of social features it has been touting for a long time, ones that go beyond voice and video chat, and tap into the collective and competitive feature sets that helped make both Xbox Live and Animal Crossing a hit with gamers. Michael McWhertor

Brian Crecente contributed to this story.