Access to Home may be still out of reach for those of us in steerage on the USS PlayStation 3, but closed beta testers recently got a look at the service's new Media and Events Space. That area of the virtual hang out known as Home recently held a "re-run" of PlayStation Day 2008, a product showcase held in London earlier this month, giving beta testers a look at new Sony wares. SCEE has released new screens of the virtual event, giving us a peek into the new Home space, also making us envious of those lucky enough to be addressed via Jumbotron by Sony Overlord David "Dirty Nail" Reeves. Seven new shots of Home in action in our gallery below, with bonus press release right after.
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.