PS3 Informer

Playstation Home Goes Public on December 11

Sony Computer Entertainment today announced that its highly anticipated Playstation Home service will become available for all PS3 users around the world on December 11, 2008. Sony is calling this roll-out a “public beta” rather than an official launch. This naming reflects the fact that many planned features remain incomplete, and there may still be performance issues present in the service. The company states that the open beta service will continue to evolve with new features and functionality.

PlayStation Home will be available as a free download starting December 11. The service will launch directly from the PlayStation Home icon on the PlayStation Network column of the XMB. Sony has stated that “Users will be able to experience basic features and services of PlayStation Home, free of charge,” suggesting some that future additions will come with a fee.

The rollout will not be the same for all geographic regions. For users accessing PlayStation Home in European markets, themed virtual environments will be available to explore. One example is a themed Far Cry 2 space, in which people will be able to discuss the specific games, plan strategies and access content that will enhance the gaming experience. Sony has said that the number of gaming environments such as this will regularly increase, with spaces for Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Warhawk, Motorstorm and SOCOM following soon.

Advertising will also be a big part of the Home experience, like it or not. Earlier in the week it was announced that Red Bull would be one of the first real-world sponsors of the service. Today Sony added some new partnerships to the list, including Diesel fashion, contemporary furniture designers Ligne Roset, energy drink Red Bull, film studio Paramount Pictures and video content providers Hexus TV. These companies 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.

Many of these products will come with a fee. For example, Diesel clothing items will range from free of charge to €1.50 ($2.50 USD).

With all of this marketing talk, we are still not completely sold on Playstation Home. But we are definitely excited to have a first look at it tomorrow when it officially launches to the public.

[Source: Press Release]