Playstation Home revealed, is it a metaphor for PlayStation 3 right now?

Mike Bantick
Thursday, 08 March 2007 06:49

Opinion and Analysis

Sony executive Phil Harrison has announced the not so secret Playstation Home feature as part of the Playstation Network.  Like the PS3 it is big on the glitz but at this stage, a somewhat hollow experience.

As my colleagues Alex Zaharov-Reutt and Adam Turner report, the Game Developers Conference has seen the Sony version of a online home for PS3 owners announced.

The offering known as Playstation Home gives users the ability to create their own little Avatar and 3D space including a lounge room, trophy room and the possibility of user created content and purchasable goodies.

Of course this is ultimately a combination of Microsoft’s Xbox Live achievements unlocked during game play and the Nintendo Wii Mii concept.

Apparently Sony have been working on this for 30 months, and the result, albeit early, is a concept that, for me encapsulates the PlayStation 3 as it stands March 2007.

Lots of glitz, power and potential, but at the moment not much substance.  Now maybe I should not be adding my two cents worth, hell I don’t understand what the attraction of the world’s biggest selling franchise, The Sims is.

I watched with awe the pedantic and intense interest my wife showed in creating her on screen player for the excellent Top Spin for Xbox, in fact, we never got around to playing tennis, as the character creation kept her enthralled so long.

On the other hand, I love Xbox Live achievements, working out the hidden gems in each title and having them add to the kudos of my gamerscore.  On the Wii, the ten minutes it took to create the cute Mii for me was a hoot!  Seeing a cartoon version of Mike run out onto the baseball field never gets tiring.

Now come Sony with their glorified shopping mall, and as Adam puts it, a window for Sony into the lives, wants, idioms and idiosyncrasies of PS3 owners.

A triumph of style of substance?  Perhaps, but this is indicative of the Playstation brand at the moment.  Actually, that is a bit harsh, the physical PS3 is a wonder of modern technology, I just believe it is having a tough time finding a market niche amongst what Microsoft and Nintendo currently offer. 

This is a strange place for Sony to find themselves, but they are here for the long haul and will not be toppled easily.  Playstation Home will flourish and also find a supporter niche. 

A Mii is supposed to be cute and cartoony, it fits the Nintendo niche of underpowered fun.  Whilst the integration of Xbox Live into the Microsoft gaming experience is a concept that feels seemless, and if done right will transcend platforms.

A comparison therefore between all the offerings seems futile, they are what they are, very much like the consoles themselves, ultimately Joe and Jane Public will decide.