14 DAY TRIAL // A "third party relations" question-and-answer PDF found on Sony's developer website reveals more details about the upcoming social network service from Sony, PlayStation Home. As most of you may already know, Home will be something like the sim game Second Life. Some features will be available to use even with a mobile phone and via PlayStation Portable as Sony assures us. Users will be available to use Home to also acquire achievements, use them, or just put them somewhere for safe-keeping. This latter feature implies that PS Home would have to be a persistent world.
Sony says: "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."
But there is still much beta testing to be done until then. First of all, there will be a closed beta phase for around 15,000 users that will take place between April and August. Then, between August and October, the user base will enlarge to roughly 50,000. The Q&A PDF also notes that "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 Home Space. We believe that there will be ample opportunities for businesses and individuals alike to generate significant revenues from the Home platform."
Anyone having any doubts that this will be Sony's version of Second Life? And if you're thinking if the service will indeed be hitting in October, don't worry about it. It most probably will without delay, it's in Sony's interest to launch it as soon as they can. Who knows, a service like this can do miracles for a downed console such as the PS3.