14 DAY TRIAL // Sony is a company that hasn't been doing so well lately in terms of sales of the PlayStation 3 console. The Japanese product has been outsold in quite a lot of territories and even in its native country by its main rival, the Xbox 360, which has managed to register record sales and is set to have a very happy holiday season.
Nevertheless, all of these happenings do not make Sony worry away at their resolution, as it still has quite a lot of plans for the PS3, stressing the fact that, although things aren't looking good now, this product will stay on the market for quite some time. One of the new achievements of the company is the Home online service, which promises to give individuals a new, completely customizable medium, in which to interact with friends and other PS3 users online.
Launched last week, the service, which will rival Microsoft's Xbox Live system, is still in open beta, after having remained for quite a lot of time under development and in the closed beta stage. A few problems occurred at the launch of this new system, but, as Sony stated, issues would be resolved. Now, Dan Hill, the Home service manager for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, stated in an interview with CVG that Home would be a major console seller in the future, citing its appeal to fans and the fact that it could always be improved.
“In time, I would say that Home will definitely become a reason to purchase a PS3. Today, we are at the beginning of a long journey - now is the time to start its evolution. No-one else is doing anything of this scale or ambition,” Hill said. He then went on to add that Home would also help the PlayStation Network. “The PlayStation Network is getting better all the time, and Home is integral to our online offering. If you buy a PS3 and you grow with us, as Home evolves, you are going to become part of something very special, something unlike you can experience anywhere else.”
Considering these statements, Sony seems quite pleased with this new product, even though users do not find quite a lot of interesting things to do in Home. If you have put to test this new online service, let us know in the comments section.