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[Visualante]

1. Currently, Home limits the number of users in a single room to 64. This seems to be a performance related issue as the frame rate dips significantly with 60+ players. This will surely be addressed before the product is released.
2. Based on some beta feedback, developers of Home have made travel between different zones in Home a lot more straightforward. The length of time it took to move from one place to the next became a major weakness in terms of usability. As a result, the different areas have been reduced in size, characters can now run as well as walk, and quick access to any area is available through the PSP interface.
3. There are people within both the developers of Home and the larger Sony organization who would very much like to see Home completely replace the XMB. They would like users to directly be put into Home when they boot up their console.
4. The version of Home to be released this fall won’t in any way resemble the final version of Home. Work on the primary features of Home is expected to continue for at least a year. Initial versions released to the public this fall will be quite incomplete.

Source: http://www.innerbits.com/blog/2007/08/08/home-tidbits/

Apologies if old.

 

[PjotrStroganov]

3. There are people within both the developers of Home and the larger Sony organization who would very much like to see Home completely replace the XMB. They would like users to directly be put into Home when they boot up their console.

God no.

 

[cicatriz]

Home completely replace the XMB

God no.

Edit: Crazy name guy beat me to it :lol

 

[kaching]

Hell no.

 

[theBishop]

I would like to have the option to automatically boot into Home, but it would be stupid if it replaced the XMB.

 

[Baryn]

Hell YES! ....

i mean hell no

 

[Kabuki Quantum Lover]

...no.

 

[Phife Dawg]

There are people within both the developers of Home and the larger Sony organization who would very much like to see Home completely replace the XMB. They would like users to directly be put into Home when they boot up their console.

For the love of...no, just no.

 

[Evlar]

Unacceptable.

 

[PjotrStroganov]

As for Home replacing the XMB: Aside from whether this would even be feasible, we can’t stress enough how bad of an idea it is. Home, as it stands, is an interesting experiment, but it will not appeal to all consumers. We believe that many consumers will grow tired of its novelty after a few uses at least in the short term. It is very possible that it will gather momentum as it matures, and more critical features are added. Sony, in its effort to address the feature gap between its XMB offering and Xbox Live is pitching Home as the next-gen interface for consumers. Unfortunately, most consumers only want a simple, easy to use and direct interface to play games, communicate with friends and be entertained. We are therefore skeptical about its potential as a replacement for a simple interface.

I couldn't agree more. I can remember being very sceptical about features being implemented in Home alongside XMB. Suuuure, of course most features in Home will be carried over to XMB, people assured. Well, not so sure now.

 

[Wollan]

They won't ever remove the XMB. They will prob offer a option to boot straight into Home but yeah that's pretty much it.
Regarding the engine capability of Home, I would really like to see how it matches up against other big PS3 games. This article makes it sound insignificant but having 64 (highly detailed) characters in one room voice chatting & dancing with a dozen physics driven games in the background, ten arcade machines and two huge video screens, ever changing commercial billboards and outside the window a huge mountain vista... all that in real time. I think the engine capability of Home would kick many mighty PS3 games to be honest.

 

[Kiriku]

I would like to have the option to automatically boot into Home, but it would be stupid if it replaced the XMB.

Exactly, just give people the option and all is well.

 

[Crisis]

Am I too late to say "No!" yet?

What the fuck does this mean?

4. The version of Home to be released this fall won’t in any way resemble the final version of Home. Work on the primary features of Home is expected to continue for at least a year. Initial versions released to the public this fall will be quite incomplete.

I know it's a beta getting released but are they insinuating that they are releasing a near-incomplete version for that beta? If so I can't believe any of this article.

 

[calder]

There are people within both the developers of Home and the larger Sony organization who would very much like to see Home completely replace the XMB

Hopefully those people were given a stern talking to and sent home early to think about what effect their crazy has on everyone around them.

 

[Wollan]

I know it's a beta getting released but are they insinuating that they are releasing a near-incomplete version for that beta?

There won't ever be a 'final' version of Home so it's kinda weird in the first place.

 

[deadhorse32]

That's a fake good idea. Don't do it Sony

 

[gofreak]

I think there should be an option to boot automatically into Home, I've suggested as much before..

The Home PSP interface is basically the XMB, of course, and depending on how much you can do from that you may not be trading much interface efficiency for tasks not directly related to Home, by using Home. But I kind of doubt they'll replace the XMB anyway..

 

[Visualante]

What the fuck does this mean?

The infrastructure support and tools will continue to be developed a year after it is in the hands of consumers for an open beta. Basically outlining that it's a long project and will continue to be supported.

 

[cicatriz]

Let's flood the official blog with our anti mandatory Home protests!

Or something.

 

[theBishop]

Am I too late to say "No!" yet?

What the fuck does this mean?



I know it's a beta getting released but are they insinuating that they are releasing a near-incomplete version for that beta? If so I can't believe any of this article.

There's no such thing as a "final version" of Home any more than there's a final version of XMB. The final version is just the last one they make before it is replaced with something else.

Both XMB and Home will be updated with features on a fairly regular basis. Compare PSP now to PSP in May 2004, and apply that to Home.

Expect Home to have enough features to create a buzz at launch, but lacking many of the features mentioned in interviews and press shows.

 

[CoG]

3. There are people within both the developers of Home and the larger Sony organization who would very much like to see Home completely replace the XMB. They would like users to directly be put into Home when they boot up their console.

Just think, to change your DVD upscaler settings, you walk to your apartment, open your virtual rack, find the dial on your virtual receiver and set it, then start the video on your virtual BD player. Awesome.

Wait, it's not.

 

[Bad_Boy]

selective bolding ftl?

 

[glaurung]

Just think, to change your DVD upscaler settings, you walk to your apartment, open your virtual rack, find the dial on your virtual receiver and set it, then start the video on your virtual BD player. Awesome.

Wait, it's not.

Hell yes.

Wait, does it mean that I have to buy a virtual Bravia for £9.99 to watch videos? Or a stereo system for listening to music.

No-no, the console boots up, you walk up to your virtual PS3 with your virtual avatar and start it up to change settings and do stuff.

Crazy awesome, why the hell not?

 

[theBishop]

I think there should be an option to boot automatically into Home, I've suggested as much before..

The Home PSP interface is basically the XMB, of course, and depending on how much you can do from that you may not be trading much interface efficiency for tasks not directly related to Home, by using Home. But I kind of doubt they'll replace the XMB anyway..

It would be kind of cool if PS3 booted into Home, but the starting point would be a full-screen view of the PSP XMB. So you get that Doom3 effect where the UI is seemlessly pulled away into the 3d Home world.

 

[Wollan]

I'm not sure what they would be lacking at launch.
I could see the mobile phone java application come a bit later and such but I doubt the three vital points won't be there.
- Video streaming in apartment
- Ability to launch games as a party (for those games with that built/patched in)
- Trophies
Regarding micro transactions, that will open up the PS Store browser at launch but this was known as far back as GDC.

 

[kaching]

I couldn't agree more. I can remember being very sceptical about features being implemented in Home alongside XMB. Suuuure, of course most features in Home will be carried over to XMB, people assured. Well, not so sure now.

XMB is still the underlying OS and they've already stated that they *have to* implement most of the features that get used in Home in the XMB OS for them to work properly.

I just hope Phil H. isn't one of the people pitching for this to replace XMB, because he got all starry-eyed when he was talking about how 95% of people invited to participate in the Home beta accepted the invites (a much higher acceptance rate than any other betas they've done).

 

[Opus Angelorum]

The idea of the Home completely replacing the XMB could also have came from pressure by the Advertisers. They would not be willing to spend however much on adverts if people have the option not to see them...

 

[PjotrStroganov]

XMB is still the underlying OS and they've already stated that they *have to* implement most of the features that get used in Home in the XMB OS for them to work properly.

I just hope Phil H. isn't one of the people pitching for this to replace XMB, because he got all starry-eyed when he was talking about how 95% of people invited to participate in the Home beta accepted the invites (a much higher acceptance rate than any other betas they've done).

True, but I can imagine some things won't make it over to XMB. A beautiful feature would be (and is going to be right?) the ability to get together with your clan party in Home before going of to play an online match together. I wonder if such a feature makes it to XMB.

 

[dionysus]

I got into the beta, logged in once, and then never logged in again. Please god do not make booting into home mandatory.

 

[Beer Monkey]

If they replaced the XMB with some large-footprint app like Home, I'd sell the system. Fuck that. What we need is more lightweight XMB stuff, available from everywhere (in-game, cross-title, etc.).

 

[AstroLad]

I got into the beta, logged in once, and then never logged in again. Please god do not make booting into home mandatory.

What didn't you like about it? I haven't been following Home much other than a few random posts here but it seems very hit-or-miss.

 

[Double D]

I got into the beta, logged in once, and then never logged in again. Please god do not make booting into home mandatory.

Same here. There was only so much grinding on people I could do.

 

[Opus Angelorum]

What didn't you like about it? I haven't been following Home much other than a few random posts here but it seems very hit-or-miss.

Well much like Second Life, you really like this type of experience or you hate it.

 

[AstroLad]

Well much like Second Life, you really like this type of experience or you hate it.

Damn, I've never played that either but always thought it weird and ugly. I just wanted XBL+ really.

 

[backbreaker65]

The idea of the Home completely replacing the XMB could also have came from pressure by the Advertisers. They would not be willing to spend however much on adverts if people have the option not to see them...

I am more inclined to believe that this is closer to what is going on more than anything. I don't mind it be added as a auto-log in feature just like it for auto log in for games.

 

[dionysus]

What didn't you like about it? I haven't been following Home much other than a few random posts here but it seems very hit-or-miss.

First, there was one other person in my home "instance." This lack of people is probably due to it being a beta. Second, when I use my ps3 its because I have a task I want to do like play a movie, game, or listen to music. Home just seems like fluff to me with no real purpose. The only way I can see myself using home is if I join a clan and we use it as a meeting place, or I get an invite from a friend to view a video or something. This is my personal taste, but I don't see the appeal of hanging out in Home.

Well much like Second Life, you really like this type of experience or you hate it.

Also what he said.

 

[spwolf]

I am more inclined to believe that this is closer to what is going on more than anything. I don't mind it be added as a auto-log in feature just like it for auto log in for games.

not really... advertisers love performance based marketing, so in any case, they will pay based on how many ads are shown.

Home replacing XMB is unrealistic.

 

[AstroLad]

Home just seems like fluff to me with no real purpose. The only way I can see myself using home is if I join a clan and we use it as a meeting place, or I get an invite from a friend to view a video or something. This is my personal taste, but I don't see the appeal of hanging out in Home.

I'm just speculating here, but what if they did something like have Wii-like controllers and sensors so that you log into Home and want to watch a movie- instead of doing it the same way we've been doing it for decades, you get up in your virtual "room," walk to the shelf and pick out a movie (all 1:1) and then insert that movie into the PS3 and press "play" (although you are doing the same actions there would be no physical disk and no actual pressing). That would be incredible.

 

[dionysus]

I'm just speculating here, but what if they did something like have Wii-like controllers and sensors so that you log into Home and want to watch a movie- instead of doing it the same way we've been doing it for decades, you get up in your virtual "room," walk to the shelf and pick out a movie (all 1:1) and then insert that movie into the PS3 and press "play" (although you are doing the same actions there would be no physical disk and no actual pressing). That would be incredible.

Are you trying to out me as a Wii fanboy troll?? :lol I don't even own a wii.

If your not trying to do that, I don't get why doing it virtually is any cooler than doing it in real life. Unless by performing that action virtually, you are renting the video, its charged to your account at a reasonable price, and streamed to you so you don't have to go to blockbuster.

 

[justjohn]

i think home will be much more exciting when it actually launches than the beta. i can imagine it getting boring with so few people to interact with. but with lots of people it could be fun.
anyway i still cant wait, just hope it doesnt dissapoint

 

[AstroLad]

Are you trying to out me as a Wii fanboy troll?? :lol I don't even own a wii.

No, Wii has very little to do with it other than its controllers as an analogy. It's more about a full, rich virtual experience that is better than real life (ideally).

 

[gofreak]

It would be kind of cool if PS3 booted into Home, but the starting point would be a full-screen view of the PSP XMB. So you get that Doom3 effect where the UI is seemlessly pulled away into the 3d Home world.

Yeah, that's another idea that crossed my mind way back when, when we initially heard about Home. Someone mentioned that maybe it was this 3D Home, in the background of the XMB, and you could fade between them at will. You could achieve that kind of experience via the in-Home PSP I guess, if they fully replicated the XMB on it.

 

[Count Dookkake]

The one addition I would like to see is the ability to generate Home-less characters at Sony kiosks, so that potential customers can have a look at this wonderful second life, but in the guise of a smelly vagrant. You can look, but don't touch!

 

[tanod]

Are you trying to out me as a Wii fanboy troll?? :lol I don't even own a wii.

AstroLad
Sarcastic. Very sarcastic.
Does not look like his/her avatar.
(Today, 10:04 AM)

 

[Visualante]

selective bolding ftl?

I see what you mean, GAF is kinda lazy- I figured it was expected with all posts.

 

[gcubed]

i got into the beta, used it a few times, but dont use it often. Right now the beta is just so terribly feature incomplete. Maybe if i could launch games from Home, or watch my videos or play my music or basically do anything they said i would be able to do besides stand in a corner and jerk off.

That, and the fact that there are never more then like 10 people on when i log in.

 

[karasu]

Gamers are so resistant to change.

 

[Slavik81]

3. There are people within both the developers of Home and the larger Sony organization who would very much like to see Home completely replace the XMB. They would like users to directly be put into Home when they boot up their console.

Make it the default boot-up option and tell people they can switch it back to the XMB in the system menu. After all, they do that with the auto-startup of games (which I disabled).