It's the perfect storm

May 4, 2009 06:23 GMT  ·  By

Online services are currently one of the most important features for any console on the market, because a lot of customers are interested in not only gaming, but also in online interactivity. That is why the top three manufacturers, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo, are fighting it out online.

Among the most interesting online services is Sony's PlayStation Home, a feature aimed at providing a true social network for all PlayStation 3 users, where they can interact with friends or meet other people with the same hobbies as them.

While at the opening of the beta stage of the program you couldn't really do a lot of things, more and more companies are getting in Sony's Home and are launching new spaces and activities. This is largely due to the fact that these companies can interact with the users themselves, Jack Buser, director of Home for Sony Computer Entertainment, who has talked with GamesIndustry about this service, says.

“Every major publisher is interested in Home. Here you can speak directly to the PlayStation audience on the platform that your product is on,” Buser shares. “You have publishers and brands coming into Home looking to engage with an audience, but they also have the opportunity to generate revenue. It's a model that makes sense for everybody. It's kind of a perfect storm.”

With companies such as EA Sports, Activision, or Capcom firmly behind the service and more scheduled to bring new things to it, the program is looking extremely interesting to both other video game publishers and to PlayStation 3 users who haven't created a Home account just yet.

Hopefully, this service will push the boundaries or other similar programs and we will all experience solid online services no matter what console we may own.