Ah, I bet you forgot about Sony's online software Home, didn't you? Don't worry; I also forgot this was supposed to be coming out soon, as there's so many other interesting titles on the horizion. Maybe it would have been better for Sony if the let us forget about it completely until it was fully ready to launch. But they had to go and remind us with this new delay announcement.
If you're keeping score, this is the second delay. We were supposed to see Home this spring, but now it has been pushed back to a fall release. Shacknews says that beta tester feedback is said to be playing a heavy role in the title's continual refinement. Because of this delay, the closed beta session will be expanded.
"We have come to the conclusion that we need more time to refine the service to ensure a more focused gaming entertainment experience than what it is today," explained SCE president and CEO Kazuo Hirai.
"Spending more time on the development and on the Closed Beta testing reaffirms our commitment to bringing a quality service, maintaining the PlayStation tradition."
Don't you think that Sony will be missing the boat with these delays?
Dale North is Destructoid's Editor-In-Chief, a founding editor, and specialist in Japanese gaming. An accomplished musician, Dale was reporting from Japan during the earthquakes of 2011. Luckily, he got the fuck out alive and is home in America now with his wife and beloved corgi, Einstein. Dale is also a co-founder of Destructoid's sister anime site
Japanator. Likes Corgis, Sega Saturn, PSP, iPhone, Photographic tools.
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As far as I’m concerned, they already have. I stopped caring about Home a while back; just give me my damn in-game XMB already; that’s all I want out of Sony. I’m not expecting to see the full launch of Home until September, when LittleBigPlanet comes out (and frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was all delayed until the holiday season).
In other words the boat will come around again. Access to the PSN is free so it's not like they have to worry about losing customers. I could put my ps3 in the closet until September; all that time not paying a cent for my account. If I were paying for access I'd be throwing a shit fit about its lack of functionality.
The rise of the ps3 has really just begun. I think the sales figures for GTAIV on the ps3 will surprise a lot of people. I'm choosing that version simply because I'm not convinced my 360 will make it through the summer without dying (my first one lasted from 4/07 to 10/07.) The summer release of Metal Gear will sell a lot of consoles for Sony. After that I think they'll want to release Home as soon as possible so they can kick Microsoft's ass this holiday season.
Also, I have no faith of this ever happening. I mean I'm sure it will, I just no longer care at all about it.
Which would partly explain why people on care about the In-Game XMB.
It is being delayed because, so far, it is an abysmal failure. They should just can the whole thing.
Oh, and just FYI... in-game XMB is being handled outside of the Home project. Two different teams, two different goals, neither will slow each other down since if it wasn't Home, those people would be working on something else completely different than XMB.
I don't own a PS3, nor am I a big fan of the Sims; however, I think this free service will appeal to a whole lot of people. I think the potential is cool and I look forwarding to seeing the end result.
Regardless, Id prefer "in game XMB" anyway. At least give us in game communication of sorts..Custom soundtracks is icing on a theoretical case at this point with sony. Communication is a must..their online is broken badly.
If home being delayed effects IGXMB im going to really be pissed. Any guesses what they have up their sleeve for the spring update now that open beta Home has been canned anyone ?
If this doesn't absolutely rock with awesomeness it will fail due to the fact that people just don't care anymore.
One and the same for these type of things. Who's going to use them the most? People on the internet. Who's going to get all the information before actually using the product online? People on the internet. With these sort of applications is there such a thing as no bad publicity? No, there is tons of bad publicity with online communities/tools and people not liking whats in BETA will definitely aid in ruining the chances that HOME has in being something to get people to use their PS3.
If you're not interested then how delayed this item is shouldn't bother you anyway. Games will still be made, XMB will still be improved, and the 360 will still be the one play people go to play multiplayer games until some major stuff happens at Sony that obviously isn't really on their priority list of things to improve.
Just make it a process where you have to sign up to get in, similar to the Battlefield: Bad Company beta. That way you don't confuse people who would otherwise download it off the store and not realize it's not supposed to be a finished version. It's been in closed beta for what? Like a over a year now? Get fucking with it.
It doesn't work that way for online applications. Once people try it, find that they dislike it because things are broken or not enough is implemented, they leave and the chances of them coming back are extremely limited because they'll find something they do like and stick with that.
With online tools you have to hook them early on, especially in beta. The only thing that could get you past that is some very heavy hype (World of Warcraft and Warhammer Online are two examples of this), but Home doesn't have that and is already operating with a market of gamers who are married to their 360s because it already provides the online tools they want.
What Sony is hoping for is to provide something completely different and new than what the 360 provides, for free, while still working to implement the features that the 360 has. Piling more people onto the XMB in-game feature is not financially sound and will have a less effect on the ongoing process the more you add onto it, so they have the people working on something else that they hope will get people talking about the PS3 for reasons other than games.
The talk they've made with establishing release date expectations is a bad mistake on their end, but it happens with these sort of things. But, if it comes out and a lot of people like it in place of other online social environments, then they will have hooked a ton of people into an addiction necessitating the use of the PS3. The more you use one over the other, the likelier they are to stick with it overall (I know, I'm one of those people, but because I'm a sound elitist and my 360 sounds horrific when playing from the disc drive).
Anyway, I think I explained why it's not a good idea with this sort of thing somewhere in there, so /ramble_off.
I understand that. That's why I think they should make it where you have to jump through a couple hoops to get into the "open" beta. At least enough to make people realize that it's actually a beta and not even a demo per se. I might be giving a lot of people too much credit in thinking they'd understand that though. I don't know how many people I came across that didn't understand the Halo 3 beta wasn't necessarily indicitive of the final product.
but the delays can only hurt ps3 at the moment, no-one can really complain because its gonna be free!!
But, it has been proven that you can't trust people with open betas overall. Especially if it's the beta of a program being run by a company that is known for being lambasted by the public. Look at SOE and how people dislike their games without any material regarding them and blame them for the faults of games that they actually save from being outright canceled and you'll see that the majority of people when it comes to Sony products will have to be won over immediately or not at all.
I agree with a "sign up for it" type of open beta..Only those that care / know about it would apply (more or less). Leaving the random downloaders out of the equation. Regardless of what you think it may or may not do to their PR...they have declared an open beta for well well over a year now..Own up to it or stop making BS promises is all I'm saying.
I like the idea of home and see its potential, however Id just prefer they shift their weight to IGXMB etc...if HOME is not coming out for a while, fine, but how bout you dick off with the closed beta AFTER you get some of the desperately needed functions in first.
Overly lofty goals me thinks. Sony was lagging in regards to their online and pulled HOME out of their asses to wow people / fend off critics (even pretended to be working on it since the ps2). Great concept but they had no idea how to execute it or how hard it would be.
Hell, I don't even own a PS3 and I couldn't wait for Home to come out.
You might want to look at SOE and their history with gaming. They more than have the capability to get something working. I may have issues with their game design concepts and focus, but their online technology can't be matched.
I hate dreading my 360 dieing so close to GTA4 :X
Oh well.
<3 JM.