Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) has announced that its PlayStation Home Beta service for PlayStation 3 video game console will become available for all PS3 users around the world. Following the successful completion of the closed beta service, PlayStation Home’s open beta service will continue to evolve with new features and functionality.
“PlayStation Home is truly a promising network community service on the PlayStation platform, made possible with the powerful combination of PS3’s overwhelming computational power and PlayStation Network that covers many countries around the globe,” said Kazuo Hirai, president and group chief executive officer of SCEI.
PlayStation Home is a 3D social gaming community available on PlayStation 3 that allows users to interact, communicate and share gaming or even movie experiences. Within PlayStation Home, users can create and customize their own unique avatars and explore virtual community in real time where they can communicate freely through text or voice chat. PlayStation Home users will not only be able to enjoy variety of entertainment content such as mini-games, videos and special events along with their friends, but will also be able to create their own community by using the “Club 2” feature to create clubs with other PlayStation Home users who share the same interests. Sony’s Home has no analogues on competing new-generation video-game consoles - Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii.
PlayStation Home is available as a free download and will launch directly from the PlayStation Home icon on the PlayStation Network column of XMB (XrossMediaBar) on the PS3. Users will be able to experience basic features and services of PlayStation Home, free of charge.
Sony promises that PlayStation Home will allow open interaction among users, business partners and SCEI, and will evolve with additional features including dedicated game spaces, special events and exclusive themed items.
“We are committed to providing PS3 users with exciting gaming experiences with PlayStation Home and together with our partners and users, expand the new world of interactive entertainment as we move forward,” Mr. Hirai added.
Today, Sony announced that its PlayStation 3 virtual world Home will be officially opened tomorrow, two years after it was initially announced. The free online service is the first console-based metaverse.
Creating a whole world for PlayStation 3 users is no small undertaking. First unveiled nearly two years ago, Sony’s Home attempts to combine the online metaverse concept with the entertainment of console-based network gaming. Users create 3D avatars and home spaces where they can customize content, socialize, or play games.
After several delays, and the passing of E3 with no major announcements, the final rounds of the service’s beta testsbegan in October. Home becomes available to all PS3 users as a free download from the PlayStation Store tomorrow, but will remain in beta, according to Sony.
The ultimate point behind creating the first virtual world for a console wasn’t to compete with existing services like Second Life, or even to attract new users, according to SCEJ Vice President Junji Shoda. Like Microsoft’sNew Xbox Experience, Home is part of the gradual move toward a perpetually connected gaming environment for consoles.
Home opens on Thursday in Japan, Europe, and North America, and will be offered in eight languages with region-exclusive content and partners. In North America, for example, the service will launch with game-themed environments for Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, and Far Cry 2 spaces where users can gather and share information about those games. With partners Activision, Disney Eidos, Electronic Arts, Lucas Arts, THQ, and Ubisoft, spaces for the Warhawk, Resistance, Guitar Hero and SOCOM series will be available. In Europe, video content from Hexus TV and Eurogamer will be available. Like other metaverses, not all content in Home will be free.
Retailer Amazon.com on Tues. began offering a free copy of The Dark Knight Blu-ray disc and Resistance 2 Collector’s Edition with the purchase of Sony Corp.’s 80GB Playstation 3 SKU.In the one-day offer, customers who purchase the 80GBPS3, The Dark Knight Blu-ray disc, and Resistance 2 Collector’s Edition together will receive a discount of $83.95 instantly.
Retailers this month began aggressive video gamediscounts to spur holiday sales.
Circuit City Stores Inc. this week began offering a $44.99 sale on select PS3 game titles.
Amazon.com is offering $50 off the purchase of Sony Corp.’s Playstation 3, game, Blu-ray disc, and remote in a new high-definition promotion.
It is also offering a ‘Buy 2 Get 1 Free‘ Blu-ray disc promotion.
Sony released the 160GB PS3 SKU in Nov. The bundle includes a new 160GB PS3, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, PAIN downloadable game voucher, and a Dualshock 3 controller for $499.
Retailer Amazon.com on Sun. began offering a free copy of Activision Inc.’s Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock with the purchase of Sony Corp.’s Playstation 3 160GB SKU.In the new one-day offer, customers who purchase a 160GB PS3 will receive Guitar Hero III at no additional cost.
The promotion is part of Amazon’s 15 Days, 15 Deals sale in which the retailer will offer 15 video game deals for 15 consecutive days.
Amazon this month began aggressive video game discounts to spur holiday sales.
The retailer is offering $50 off the purchase of an 80GB PS3, game, Blu-ray disc, and remote in a new high-definition promotion.
It previously price cut select Xbox 360 titles to as low as $9.95 on Black Friday.
Sony released the 160GB PS3 SKU in Nov. The bundle includes a new 160GB PS3, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, PAIN downloadable game voucher, and a Dualshock 3 controller for $499.
Gamasutra pulled together a rough and ready numbers piece today, shunted from a substantial and detailed feature on Nintendo’s sales, and ranked the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii according to their software attach rates.Any surprises? Just one. The PS3 had a third-party attach rate of less than two back in late 2006, just after it debuted, but Gamasutra’s chart now has it nipping at the Xbox 360’s heels with more than double that figure.First-Party2.4 - Wii1.4 - Xbox 3600.9 - PlayStation 3Third-Party5.2 - Xbox 3604.4 - PlayStation 33.1 - WiiGamasutra notes these figures are for the Xbox 360 after September 2007 and the PS3 and Wii after September 2008. If you look at the Xbox 360’s life-to-date ratio, or 35 months, on the other hand, Microsoft’s tie ratio rises to 8.1.You have to be careful here — high tie ratios are generally good, unless a system is trafficking unusually high numbers of units.A console’s tie ratio is equal to total software units divided by total hardware units. So say you sell 10 copies of 5 games for System A and System A sells 10 units, but you sell 10 copies of 5 games for System B and System B sells 50 units. The attach rates are going to be 5 (50 / 10) and 1 (50 / 50) respectively. System A has a much higher attach rate than System B, and so would appear to have the high ground, but System B sold just as many software units and five times as many hardware units, meaning that in this instance, System B is beating the snot out of System A.Likewise, if you’re selling very few hardware units, but lots and lots of software, your attach ratio is going to be high, while obviously failing to indicate your software platform’s paltry sales, or give any indication what your install base looks like.So who’s winning? Hard to say. If you think install base matters most, then Nintendo, with some 16 million units sold in the U.S. versus 13 and 6 million for the Xbox 360 and PS3 respectively. If you think raw software sales trump all, Microsoft has around 126 million total in the U.S. versus 96 million for the Wii so far this year.Several of you might further note that Wii Sports comes bundled with Nintendo’s system (15.2 million copies), so you can’t not buy it, and that Wii Play (15.9 million copies) is essentially free with the purchase of a Wii Remote. Either of these details may or may not skew figures, depending on your perspective.Then again, if you just think “who’s winning” is a dull, boring, last-gen game, hear hear, and I’ll see you online to play something better tonight.Source: http://www.pcworld.com
Personally i think this looks great, and might just give the PS3 a cutting edge over the Xbox 360! However it seems to have been in the pipeline for a while now but still no signs of a release! Here’s a video on youtube about it anyway!
My personal favourite - Just stare at it and watch some cool things happen!
How many black dots do you see? … because there are none!!
This photograph is actually a composition of black shapes on a white surface, however the mind organizes the elements, based on past experience, into the image of a Dalmatian dog.
When you first look at this, do you see and old man with holly around him, or do you see a couple kissing?Be warned. This may take some time to see both “sides” of the illusion
Why is it that people say they “slept like a baby” when babies wake up
every two hours?
If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?
Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries?
are flat?
Why do banks charge a fee on “insufficient funds” when they know there
is not enough?
Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion?
stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?
Why doesn’t Tarzan have a beard?
Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you
throw a revolver at him?
Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
Whose idea was it to put an “S” in the word “lisp”?
What is the speed of darkness?
Are there specially reserved parking spaces for “normal” people at the
Special Olympics?
If the temperature is zero outside today and it’s going to be twice as
cold tomorrow, how cold will it be?
If it’s true that we are here to help others, what are the others?
doing here?
Do married people live longer than single ones or does it only seem
longer?
Do you cry under water?
How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would
be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in
binoculars to look at things on the ground?
Did you ever stop and wonder……
Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, “I think I’ll
squeeze these pink dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?”
Who was the first person to say, “See that chicken there… I’m gonna
eat the next thing that comes outta its bum.”
Why do toasters always have a setting so high that could burn the
toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?
Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but don’t
point to their bum when they ask where the bathroom is?
Why does your Obstetrician, Gynecologist leave the room when you get
undressed if they are going to look up there anyway?
Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They’re
both dogs !
Can blind people see their dreams? Do they dream ??
If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests? (This one kills me!!!!) If
corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables,
then what is baby oil made from?
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons ?
Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the
same tune?
Stop singing and read on . . . . .. . . . .
Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?
Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog’s face, he gets mad at
you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the
window?
Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?
Gamasutra pulled together a rough and ready numbers piece today, shunted from a substantial and detailed feature on Nintendo’s sales, and ranked the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii according to their software attach rates.Any surprises? Just one. The PS3 had a third-party attach rate of less than two back in late 2006, just after it debuted, but Gamasutra’s chart now has it nipping at the Xbox 360’s heels with more than double that figure.First-Party2.4 - Wii1.4 - Xbox 3600.9 - PlayStation 3Third-Party5.2 - Xbox 3604.4 - PlayStation 33.1 - WiiGamasutra notes these figures are for the Xbox 360 after September 2007 and the PS3 and Wii after September 2008. If you look at the Xbox 360’s life-to-date ratio, or 35 months, on the other hand, Microsoft’s tie ratio rises to 8.1.You have to be careful here — high tie ratios are generally good, unless a system is trafficking unusually high numbers of units.A console’s tie ratio is equal to total software units divided by total hardware units. So say you sell 10 copies of 5 games for System A and System A sells 10 units, but you sell 10 copies of 5 games for System B and System B sells 50 units. The attach rates are going to be 5 (50 / 10) and 1 (50 / 50) respectively. System A has a much higher attach rate than System B, and so would appear to have the high ground, but System B sold just as many software units and five times as many hardware units, meaning that in this instance, System B is beating the snot out of System A.Likewise, if you’re selling very few hardware units, but lots and lots of software, your attach ratio is going to be high, while obviously failing to indicate your software platform’s paltry sales, or give any indication what your install base looks like.So who’s winning? Hard to say. If you think install base matters most, then Nintendo, with some 16 million units sold in the U.S. versus 13 and 6 million for the Xbox 360 and PS3 respectively. If you think raw software sales trump all, Microsoft has around 126 million total in the U.S. versus 96 million for the Wii so far this year.Several of you might further note that Wii Sports comes bundled with Nintendo’s system (15.2 million copies), so you can’t not buy it, and that Wii Play (15.9 million copies) is essentially free with the purchase of a Wii Remote. Either of these details may or may not skew figures, depending on your perspective.Then again, if you just think “who’s winning” is a dull, boring, last-gen game, hear hear, and I’ll see you online to play something better tonight.Source: 
