Playstation Discussion Archive

[Domstercool]

It's just to people who aren't really in to many of the genres shown on the PS3 so far.

[ZeldaFreak]

I think ps3 has a good range of games.

[Ashley]

Does anyone know what the music is from the LBP trailer? Sounds familiar. I think The Go Team sampled it in 'Ladyflash'. Anyone know for suresies?

[Caris]

Does anyone know what the music is from the LBP trailer? Sounds familiar. I think The Go Team sampled it in 'Ladyflash'. Anyone know for suresies?

 

It's The Go Team alright, not sure which one though.

[That Guy]

It's just to people who aren't really in to many of the genres shown on the PS3 so far.

 

The thing is the library of games so far, isn't bad, but you have to admit it lacks something that makes you go 'wow I need to get one fo them', especially for the price of it. Yesterdays stuff has made me look twice at it, and no doubt it will have a large number of quality games like every console has, but right now there's not a big talking point.

 

And yes I understand that it's not been out long, but there aren't many exclusives that are even on the horizon, and its not just me saying that, it's been mentioned by a fair few games journalists.

[monkeyking87]

are there any platform games on launch?

 

or is LBP it?

 

and that aint even launch!!

[Dante]

Gundam Musou is number one in Japan sales with 170,725 sold.

[Domstercool]

Well since I paid £330 for mine I guess the price isn't a matter. But I can easily say I'm glad I got to play Resistance and Motorstorm. Thing is though right at the start of the PS2 era there wasn't much info on games then, then suddenly things like DMC and GTA started hitting, unknown games will come and surprise, they always do. LBP is just a example of that.

 

I think the "new E3" will show off some nice games. Old and new alike. Like you say about exclusives, I actually think that this new generation will have alot less exclusives between the 360 and PS3 than what the Xbox and PS2 had. I think devs just want to stick out on both systems and get as much money back as possible from that.

 

I'm happy what I'm seeing coming though and I suppose that's all that matters for me at the end of the day.

[m_fergy]

Gundam Musou is number one in Japan sales with 170,725 sold.

 

ewf a dont know how

 

the game looks shit

 

Link

[That Guy]

Well since I paid £330 for mine I guess the price isn't a matter. But I can easily say I'm glad I got to play Resistance and Motorstorm. Thing is though right at the start of the PS2 era there wasn't much info on games then, then suddenly things like DMC and GTA started hitting, unknown games will come and surprise, they always do. LBP is just a example of that.

 

I think the "new E3" will show off some nice games. Old and new alike. Like you say about exclusives, I actually think that this new generation will have alot less exclusives between the 360 and PS3 than what the Xbox and PS2 had. I think devs just want to stick out on both systems and get as much money back as possible from that.

 

I'm happy what I'm seeing coming though and I suppose that's all that matters for me at the end of the day.

 

 

Exactly. YOU. I think as hardcore gamers (whatever that means) go, you're up there with them (judging by your collection). This is why PS3 is worth it to you, you want to play EVERYTHING. I (and I'm guessing a good number of people) need something a bit special to get them excited about a console.

 

Like I said, yesterday was a step in the right direction, and it's something I can see having mass market appeal, but for me, there isn't something there that makes me want to spend £425 on one, and then having the find the space in my tiny room for the massive thing, especially when I have an XBOX 360.

[Owen]

So any news on this PS3 update? I'm sure i read somewhere that Sony stated one will be availible just before UK launch...

[ReZourceman]

Agreed. Its not that I dont like the genres, its just that none of them are £425 good just yet.

[Aussie]

What does everyone think about this?

IGN: No Redesign for PSP

 

Despite being culprit to cramped fingers, Sony has no intention of redesigning the PSP. Sony officials refuted the idea that that PSP was in need of a DS Lite-style remake, stating that the system will see no physical alterations. The design will stay the same, but the way interacts with consumers may change.

 

A Sony rep said that soon the PSP would reach its promise. That could be a hint that the PSP will finally be able to download movies and become a more interactive partner with the PS3. Sony hopes to one day allow gamers to download movies directly to the PSP. A resolution depends on Sony's ability to find a way to lock movie content, so that you can't simply copy a pay-for-download film to other PSPs.

 

Expect announcements on some new PSP functionality within the next few months.

[Aussie]

What does everyone think about this?

IGN: PS3 Not Enough for GTA IV

 

Phil Harrison offers one reason why new GTA isn't a PS3 exclusive.

 

Speaking at a Sony bloggers' pow wow, Phil Harrison offered a very candid response to concerns that PS3 doesn't have enough third-party exclusives. When asked if it was concerning that a game such as Grand Theft Auto IV was being released simultaneously on PS3 and Xbox 360, Harrison did not appear worried.

 

He stressed that third-party exclusives would come in good time. The newly-announced PlayStation Edge toolset is expected to help ease development for PS3, particularly for cross-platform titles. Titles using PS Edge could come as early as this fall, because the tools are "simple to implement."

 

As for losing GTA IV, Harrison said that the PlayStation 3 was not suitable to be the exclusive home of Rockstar's upcoming title. "I don't think PS3 has the install base to support Rockstar's investment in GTA IV on its own," Harrison told the assembled bloggers. The first next-gen Grand Theft Auto game likely cost Rockstar considerable money and development time. That being such, it couldn't have sold enough copies on PS3 alone to make exclusivity worthwhile. In the future, as the number of PS3s in homes grows, it should become easier to nab major exclusives.

[That Guy]

Basically Sony doesn't want to pay up the likely to be high cost of it. He's totally right though, but this is why the 1st party needs to get a killer game out there.

[Mr. Bananagrabber]

Well since I paid £330 for mine

Tell me where and i'll buy you a pint.

[Caris]

Video Game Plus if i recall.

[Mr. Bananagrabber]

So he did. That's sure as hell where i'm getting mine then.

[rokhed00]

What does everyone think about this?

 

Could just be a cover story, I doubt Sony had the spare cash to pay for the exclusive rights given the amount of money they had to borrow just to make the PS3.

[ReZourceman]

I have a question. How does power supply work for importing consoles? Is it as simple as a plug convertor?

[LazyBoy]

You'll need a step-down converter.

[Caris]

If its for a PS3 or 360, just buy a UK kettle lead for £1.99.

[Dante]

Official PLAYSTATION®3 Home™ : Home™ Development Q&A

 

General Features

 

Q: What is Home™?

Home™ is a real-time 3D, networked community that serves as a meeting

place for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) users from around the world, where they

can interact, communicate, join online games, shop, share content and even

build and show off their own personal spaces. Home will be available as a

free download from the PLAYSTATION®Store and will launch directly from

the PS3 XMB™ (XrossMediaBar).

 

Q: What is the target demographic of Home users?

Home is for everybody. It is a global platform and the aim is to populate it with a broad and rich content experience, the diversity of which will create a broad and diverse community of users.

 

Q: How do consumers use it?

For the user, Home is a new experience in social networking. It’s a way to

meet new friends online, or hang out with old friends and family. It’s also a

rich media experience outside of the fundamental game-based activities on

PS3. It will reside on the XMB between Game and Network.

 

Q: What features does it have?

Communication between users, creation and customisation of your own

personal avatar, creation and customisation of your own personal space.

Ability to share media with friends, and to experience media from publishers.

Users will be able to benefit from game matchmaking, search facilities,

seamless transition between game and Home.

 

Q: What is the timeline for rollout?

Closed Beta (appx. 15,000 users): April - August

Open Beta (appx. 50,000 users): August - October

Service Live (50,000+): October

 

 

 

Q: What is the function of the Central Lounge?

The lobby is the central meeting place where you can meet new friends or

arrange to meet old friends, before transferring to a private meeting place.

The current maximum of concurrent users in a lobby is 64. But a multitude of

lobbies can be active at any time to accommodate all users.

 

Q: What other lobbies will exist within Home?

Over time Home will expand to include many different locations. It is our

intention that ultimately anyone can create a Home Space, be they a

publisher, a developer or a Non-game Company.

 

Q: What is the Hall of Fame?

The trophy room is a Home Space where users are able to display their

gaming accomplishments.

 

Q: How do I win Trophies?

Players will be able to win Home Trophies when they play games that support

the Home Trophy system. publishers and developers will be able to support

Trophies by building them into their games' architecture. Further information

on how to develop trophies within games will be available soon.

 

Q: What content will users be able to purchase from within Home?

Over time the range of content available to users will expand dramatically. If

you consider Home to be a simulacra of the real world then most goods and

services found within the real world could theoretically be replicated within

Home. Initially all commercial transaction will be via the

PLAYSTATION®Network (PSN) Store. Eventually users will be able to

transact within the Home environment.

 

Q: Will I be able to attend ticketed (paid-for) special events?

Yes, in time Home will play host to many types of event. Bespoke events such as exclusive game previews and developer interviews will be organised by Home and its affiliated content providers.

 

Live events such as sports and concerts may also be broadcast within Home.

 

Q: Can Home users win non-purchased prizes and items?

Yes, it will be possible to give prizes to users.

 

Q: Will all billing have to be via Sony Wallet?

Yes, all transactions will use the Sony Wallet system within the PSN Store,

although ultimately transactions will be possible without leaving Home.

 

Q: Can users share their favourite bookmarked Home Spaces with one

another?

Currently there isn't a way to do this, but this is a feature that we'd like to

implement in the future.

 

Q: When can users have / manage their own spaces?

Every user has a private apartment space that users can modify and change

over time. The basic apartment is free and will offer users lots of options for

customization and personalization. In the future we will provide tools that will

enable users to have an even greater ability to create their own Home spaces

and content.

 

Commerce & Partnerships

 

Q: Is Home a commercial environment?

Home is primarily a platform for social interaction and the intention is not to

create a space for purely conducting ecommerce. Home prioritises community

and entertainment over ecommerce. That said, we believe that there will be

ample opportunities for businesses and individuals alike to generate

significant revenues from the Home platform.

 

Q: When can I start to develop for Home?

You can register your interest to develop for the Home platform immediately

at http://home.scedev.net

 

Q: Who should I contact about developing for Home?

If you are an existing licence holder you should channel requests for

information through your existing 3rd Party Account Manager. If you do not

have a license agreement, please visit http://home.scedev.net where you will

find more information and an application to register your interest.

 

Q: I don’t have an existing PlayStation® licence agreement – how can

get involved in developing content for Home?

See above.

 

Q: I’m an IP / content holder / aggregator – how can I get involved in

Home?

See above.

 

 

Q: How soon can publishers and developers have and manage their own spaces?

We would like to engage with interested publishers and developers

immediately. If you an existing licence holder you should channel requests for

information through your existing 3rd Party Account Manager. If you do not

have a licence agreement, please visit http://home.scedev.net where you will

find more information and an application to register your interest.

 

Q: When can IP holders have / manage their own Home Spaces?

We would like to engage with interested IP and content rights holders

immediately. If you are an interested non-games company or IP holder,

please register your interest with us at http://home.scedev.net . An

appropriate representative will follow up your enquiry.

 

Q: What support will SCE give to 3rd Parties?

Support to publishers and developers with existing licence agreements will be

provided by the Third Party Relations groups within each region. If you are a

non-game content provider or do not have a license agreement, please visit

http://home.scedev.net where you will find more information and an

application to register your interest.

 

Q: Who should our developers call for support?

Registered developers should request information through their existing

support relationships. Information will be available on http://home.scedev.net

 

Q: Who will run Home?

SCE has created a Home Platform Group that will provide the technology,

strategic direction and support to each of the SCE regional headquarters.

 

Q: Home looks so great – how do publishers ensure that users continue

to play their games rather than spending all their time in Home?

There is a huge scope for publishers and developers to promote their current

and future IPs - as well as exploiting their back-catalogue. For example, it will

be possible to develop small demo-areas within Home that promote new titles,

or to re-publish an old IP as mini-game within their Home Space.

 

Q: Is Home just a platform for SCE-published games?

Absolutely not. Home will not be a success without broad support and

adoption by our Publishing and Development partners and indeed from nongame

companies and services.

 

Q: Is Home a PS3 specific service? Will users be able to access Home

through other devices?

Initially Home will only be accessible via that PLAYSTATION®3, although

over time our intention is to enable users to interface certain Home features

and services via other networked devices such as PlayStation®Portable

(PSP®) and mobile phones.

 

Q: Can I launch and watch a BD movie from within Home?

Launch, yes. Watch, no. (This means you would leave Home to watch the

BD™.)

 

Q: What is the business model?

The proposed business model for Home is still under review and we'll

announce the details in due course.

 

Q: How will publishers make money from it?

Initially we predict that the primary areas for generating revenues will come

from the following areas:

- Content purchases (e.g. avatar clothing and accessories)

- Advertising

- Content Auctions

 

Q: What will be the upfront investment and development costs be for me

as a Home content provider?

The tools and technology required to build and maintain a presence on the

Home Platform are being designed to enable fast and efficient development,

and use industry-standard processes and techniques. The resources required

are surprisingly low and entirely scaleable.

 

Q: How will businesses be able to promote their products?

The possibilities for promotion and advertising of products and services within

Home Spaces are virtually limitless. Given the initial broad set of functions

and features the possibilities are limited only by creative vision. As the native

features of Home will be continually growing, the creative possibilities will

grow also. The Home Platform Team will also take feature requests to support

our partners in their creative endeavours.

 

Q: Will we be able to sell products (other than Home assets) online?

Eventually Home will not only support the merchandising of virtual assets, but

also will provide cross-promotional opportunities for selling physical goods

online.

 

Q: Could publishers sell tutorials to their games through Home?

Yes, the commercial services and features that publishers and developers will

be able to support is extremely broad. Further discussion of specific content

ideas that you may have, please consult with your 3rd Party Account Manager

or register your interest in the Home platform at http://home.scedev.net

 

Q: What tools will be available for creating content, and when will they

be available?

The Home Platform Group will be providing a roadmap for the deployment

and content of Home Tools. Over time the Tools package will develop into a

comprehensive set of enabling technologies that we can provide to our

partners to assist them with their Home Platform content creation.

 

Q: Can we reserve a number of seats for the closed & open betas?

Yes, please liaise with your 3rd Party Account Manager and request the

number of seats that your company requires. If you do not have a TMLA,

please register your interest at http://home.scedev.net and an appropriate

Home Platform representative will contact you shortly.

 

Q: Will it be possible to have territory based promotions for regional

content?

Yes, although Home is a global platform there are regional Home Spaces that

users within each regional area will access by default (based upon their

registration details). There is no restriction on where a user can go from their

default starting location (other than any content age restrictions). Because

there are regional Home spaces, each region will operate its own promotional

events and activities.

 

 

Technical & Extended Features

 

Q: How large is the download?

We're aiming for the initial download to be under 500MB. Subsequent

downloads will hopefully integrate a streaming method that makes them

negligible.

 

Q: How do users find friends and spaces within Home?

There is an integrated PSN Friends list, and search functionality for spaces.

 

Q: How many friends can I have?

As many as the PSN friends list allows, which is currently 50.

 

Q: Will I be able to trade items that I have bought or won with other

Home users?

Ultimately, an auction service will be implemented that will allow users to sell

their Home assets and user-created content to other users.

 

Q: How often will the content in Home change?

Ultimately content in Home will be updated weekly. All the participants in

Home (the service itself, 1st Party and 3rd Party publishers, non-game brands

and ultimately users themselves) will be creating new content, so the flow of

new features will be will on a weekly basis.

 

Q: Can I create new items and content for Home myself?

This functionality is in the works for future release. We see user created

content as a very important element of Home's ongoing success.

 

Q: How will users transact within Home?

During the Beta period, there will be no purchases within Home.

Subsequently, commercial transactions will take place within Home.

 

Q: Can you enter, say, MotorStorm™ quickly through Home without

having to travel to the specific MotorStorm™ lobby?

Currently, users can find each other in Home, and then arrange to go off and

play MotorStorm™ at the same time. Eventually, users will be able to meet in

Home and seamlessly launch into a game of MotorStorm™. Similarly, users

will be able to exit to Home directly from the game.

 

Q: How often is incremental content being created for Home?

Content for Home will be developed continually. In addition to an ever

increasing variety of items to customize avatars and Home Spaces, there will

be special events such as Halloween and Christmas where special content

will be available for a limited time.

 

Q: Will consumers be bombarded with advertising?

Advertising is a core revenue source for the publishers who will have to put a

lot of resource and money into making the Home experience as fulfilling as it

will be. As an offset to having to pay for the basic online service, and being

able to enjoy the fundamental Home experience for free, some advertising is

entirely reasonable. Advertising will be kept to palatable levels however. It is

in no-one's interests to cause users to leave Home through excessive

advertising.

 

Q: How will I protect my kids from seeing things they shouldn’t?

Parental controls are available through PS3 and the PLAYSTATION Network.

We encourage parents to take an active role in participating any time a child

has access to an open communication network, such as the internet.

 

Q: How will age restrictions be applied?

Home employs the same age restriction policies as the PS3 system software

and the PLAYSTATION Network.

 

 

Q: What’s the development overhead?

Minimal. In the extreme, an application (say a mini-game) could be written in

C++ as normal, and then a thin Home layer added to implement that

application within Home.

 

Q: How quick and easy will it be to develop for?

Home will allow developers to use their own assets and code for applications,

and export those assets into a Home wrapper, which will allow the minimum

of bespoke work. The tools that will be available serve to provide that

wrapper, they do not require developers to work to particular specifications or

packages.

 

Q: Will developers be able to run existing code applications within

Home?

Given that any application would have to fit within the available resources

while running Home, and certain TRCs will need to be satisfied, yes.

 

Q: Will there be additional TRCs for games plugging into Home? When

will these TRCs be released?

There will have to be base TRCs for Trophies and Matchmaking before the

service hits the XMB™. Others will come online as they are needed.

 

Q: Will there be additional TRCs for Home game trophies? When will

these TRCs be released?

See above.

 

Q: In terms of user's names are they exclusive and different from their

network ID. E.g. PSN account = PeterE / Home name = Tarzan123?

Your Home user name will be the same as your PSN account ID.

 

Q: Can I log on to Home in addition to someone else from one PS3? E.g.

at my friends and I want to log on...

This is technically quite an advanced problem. It effectively means logging in

to two PSN accounts at the same time from one machine, which makes it

unlikely.

 

Q: How will I navigate between spaces?

Within Home you can travel instantly (i.e. through the world map), or at your

own pace on foot.

 

Q: How will the age restrictions work? Will I be able to see different

content in the generic lobby depending on my age?

Home employs the same age restriction policies as the PS3 system software

and the PLAYSTATION Network. These age restrictions will apply to both the

areas that users are admitted to and the content that they are able to view.

 

Q: When I jump back from a game into Home, will I return with the same

people next to me? Will I return to a default location?

Upon returning to Home, you will land in the same place which was your last

position before you left (for instance, if you left Home from your apartment,

that is where you will return to.) However, given that Home is an online world,

other users will doubtless have moved on while you are off doing something

else (unless you've specifically asked them to wait for you.) Currently Home

is not a persistent world, so when you leave Home, all of your possessions go

with you. For instance, it is not currently possible for other users to visit your

apartment while you're not there. We are working on the persistent aspect of

Home, and expect to implement it in the long term.

 

Q: Can I get media for my apartment from other devices such as PC?

Not yet; we are working on enabling this feature which is contingent upon

firmware functionality.

 

Q: Would we be able to showcase bespoke events such a live broadcast

of a multiplayer game?

Absolutely - it would even be possible to replicate a game that is being played

by two players together on one PS3, replicating their avatars and movements

on the "world stage". This could be an invitational match, with users paying to

view the event live.

 

Q: How will the DRM of purchased items work?

Home 's DRM system is based on the entitlements system which will be

offered by the PSN.

 

Q: Will I be able to give a purchased / earned item to another user?

Not yet; however it is a feature which is planned.

 

Q. How will sharing media work within the private space? Will users be

able to distribute content?

Users will not be able to broadcast their media to people outside their private

space, but they will be able to show their own media to invited guests. We

have deliberately chosen not to allow users to 'give' media to other users as

this opens up serious risks of piracy and sharing of illegal content.

 

Q: How many lobby instances can be run?

This is down to the server infrastructure, and in theory is entirely scalable.

 

Q: How will the lobbies be regionalised? Would it be possible to have

bespoke, selectable backgrounds for each regional lobby, e.g. Paris /

London / Rome etc?

It is highly likely that the European, US and Japanese lobbies will be

localised, but it is undecided as to whether individual lobbies within Europe

will be.

 

Q: Could the global Hall of Fame be filtered by region?

This is possible, and also it is possible to have different levels of Halls of

Fame - Junior league, Newbie league etc

 

Policy

 

Q: What is the policy on acceptable behaviour?

Within our public spaces, Home follows the same rules and guidelines as the

PLAYSTATION Network with regard to age stipulations and acceptable

behaviour. Home uses all the same age controls as the PS3 system software.

Within users' own private spaces, we take the view that what people get up to

in their own apartment is their own business, within reason.

 

Q: Will there be a restriction to the age you’ll be able to give your

avatar?

Yes. We will not have avatars which resemble children. The avatars are

adult in appearance.

 

Q: Will users be able to make complaints about other users?

Of course. We will operate a system of logging complaints with our

moderators, which will then be investigated. If necessary we are able to take

away a user's login rights and ban them from the service.

 

Q: How much control will we have over what people get up to in their

private spaces?

As stated before, our policy is that what people get up to in their own private

spaces is up to them, and a user cannot be invited to another user's private

space until they have accepted an invitation to be on their buddy list.

However, the complaints process will still operate in these private spaces, so

if people feel that they have been subjected to inappropriate behaviour while

in someone's private space, they will be able to lodge a complaint by the

usual process.

 

Q: What moderation is used in the system for vulgar / abusive

language?

We will have a basic text profanity filter.

 

Q: Will users be able to sell things to each other?

Ultimately, an auction service will be implemented that will allow users to sell

their Home assets and user-created content to other users.

 

Q: Can I earn money in Home?

As noted above, there will be eventually opportunities for user-to-user

auctions.

 

Q: Will retailers (e.g. GAME) be able to have a presence in Home?

Yes. Retailers can create their own lobbies and deploy these for commercial

operations.

 

Q: Can we use advertising within it?

Advertising will be a big part of Home. At first adverts will be fed through the

Home advertising servers, but ultimately we may allow 3rd parties to integrate

their own advertising engines into the service. Dynamic advertising will also

be implemented, allowing us to direct specific targeted ads at particular users.

 

Q: Are all games required to have trophies available for Home?

No, it's up to each game to do what they want. But we see a huge consumer

appeal for games that support the trophy system.

 

Q: If a game does offer trophies, what is the maximum / minimum

number of trophies required?

This is undecided, currently. We would like to feel this out during the beta

period. Our inclination is to encourage a relatively small number of high value

trophies.

 

Sony Computer Entertainment Developer Network

[gaggle64]

Little Big Planet is hawt shit.

 

That is all.

[Cube]

Official PLAYSTATION®3 Home™ : Home™ Development Q&A

 

Note to Sony: Using lots of "posh" words in a Q&A like that just makes it sound like you are talking total bullpie.