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SONY Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) today announced that its
highly anticipated PlayStation Home Beta service for PLAYSTATION3
will become available for all PS3 users around the world on December
11th, 2008. 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 a ground-breaking 3D social gaming community
available on PLAYSTATION3 that allows users to interact, communicate
and share gaming experiences. By leveraging the power of
PLAYSTATION3, PlayStation Home delivers overwhelming visual graphics
and rich gaming social experiences only possible on the PLAYSTATION3
platform. Within PlayStation Home, users can create and customize
their own unique avatars and explore the 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” feature to create clubs with other
PlayStation Home users who share the same interests. PlayStation
Home also allows groups of users to launch directly into their
favourite online games together from PlayStation Home. PlayStation
Home, available as a free download starting December 11th,
will launch directly from the PlayStation Home icon on the
PlayStation Network column of XMB (XrossMediaBar) on PLAYSTATION3.
Users will be able to experience basic features and services of
PlayStation Home, free of charge. PlayStation Home will allow open
interaction among users, business partners and SCE, and will evolve
with additional features including dedicated game spaces, special
events and exclusive themed items, to further enrich the
entertainment experience on the PLAYSTATION3 platform.
“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 CEO, SCE. “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.”
For users accessing PlayStation Home in the SONY Computer
Entertainment Europe (SCEE) regions, themed virtual environments
will be available to explore. Starting with a themed Far Cry 2
space, PlayStation Home will offer game inspired environments that
allow people to discuss the specific games, plan strategies and
access content and clues that will enhance the gaming experience.
The number of gaming environments such as this will regularly
increase, with spaces for Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune,
Warhawk, Motorstorm and SOCOM following very soon.
SCEE is working with leading publishers such as: Electronic Arts,
UBISOFT, Midway, Sega and ATARI to create engaging environments that
will provide users with an on-going gaming experience.
“We are very excited to be bringing PlayStation Home to Europe and
the PAL territories, offering users an interactive, social, gaming
experience,” said Daniel Hill, Home Service Manager, SCEE.
“PlayStation Home is unique to anything else in the gaming world and
by partnering with both global and regional gaming and non-gaming
brands, we are able to offer exciting and entertaining content that
will enhance the PlayStation experience.”
SCEE today also announced the first partnerships with some of the
world’s most respected lifestyle brands for the Open Beta. Fashion
leader Diesel, contemporary furniture designers Ligne Roset, energy
drink Red Bull, film studio Paramount Pictures and video content
providers Hexus TV and Eurogamer are the first on board. They will
offer resident’s virtual clothing for their avatar, virtual
furniture for their PlayStation Home apartments, exclusive video
content and a virtual flying challenge: the Red Bull Air Race.
Visitors and residents will be able to explore PlayStation Home with
their avatar character and, thanks to Diesel, avatars can look great
from the start with Diesel offering the latest men’s and women’s
designer avatar clothing, with items ranging from free of charge to
€1.50. So for those visiting PlayStation Home, they can dress their
avatars in the latest jeans and jacket prior to getting out and
about.
On the home front, PlayStation Home gives everyone their own
apartment to spend time in and entertain friends - who will now be
able relax on exclusive Ligne Roset furniture. At the virtual store,
people will be able to choose from a selection of the most popular
Ligne Roset designs, including the iconic Togo and Facett upholstery
collections. It will be possible to personalise furniture by
selecting from a wide selection of fabrics and leathers allowing a
unique and individual look. This is an opportunity to get acquainted
with Ligne Roset’s cutting edge designs created by some of Europe’s
most talented designers.
As the very first consumer brand space, Red Bull has created the Red
Bull Island where visitors to the Island can interact and take part
in many of Red Bull’s unique events. Initially there will be the
opportunity to get inside the cockpit of a Red Bull Air Race plane
and compete against the PlayStation community. The real-world Red
Bull Air Race World Championship has become a global phenomenon in
just four years, attracting millions of spectators. Now those
spectators can leave the stands, become a pilot and tackle the Red
Bull Island course themselves. The Red Bull Island will continue to
expand, adding new and exciting content in early 2009. Taking full
advantage of the PlayStation Home Theatre, SCEE has partnered with
various content providers to enhance the cinematic experience.
Offering a wide range of content, the PlayStation Home Theatre will
provide lifestyle technology programming from Hexus TV, gaming
content from Eurogamer and exclusive film content from Paramount
Pictures. Starting with the release of the highly anticipated film,
Watchmen, Paramount Pictures International will use PlayStation Home
to promote its latest films. Initially, PlayStation Home residents
will be able to view an exclusive video greeting from Watchmen
Director Zack Snyder as well as the latest Watchmen trailer.
A selection of virtual Watchmen merchandise e.g. T-Shirts with the
smiley face logo, Doomsday clocks and character statues, will also
be available in the New Year, ahead of an exclusive Q & A event
where cast and filmmakers will meet selected press and competition
winners fans within the Watchmen themed environment.
PlayStation Home is exclusive to PLAYSTATION3, free to download and
easy to join. It’s the ultimate online community – a place where you
can meet friends, try the latest games, hear new music, watch
videos, relax in the apartment of your dreams and much, much more.
With more and more spaces being created and partners like Diesel,
Ligne Roset and Red Bull coming on board, the PlayStation Home
experience is just getting started.
SCE will vigorously promote the expansion of the world of
PLAYSTATION3 by introducing new services that will open up new
possibilities and enjoyment in interactive entertainment. |
