Sony’s “Home” is not the answer
This article was written by: Murphys Law (Greg DeLacy)By now most of you have seen the screen shots of Sony’s Home. This seems to be their answer to Xbox Live’s community functionality, and it’s looking like it will finally become reality sometime late this year or early 2009.
The problem is however, nobody really cares about Home any more. Home is basically Second Life on the PS3, and if any of you have ventured over to Second Life lately you will see that it’s a shell of what it used to be in terms of popularity. The PS3’s social community doesn’t need a “Second Life” like experience. It simply needs an effective, fast XMB experience that connects its users. Sony thinks Home will do this, but it won’t. Home will certainly have some followers and a small core group that will swear by it. Overall though the risk vs reward to Sony for Home isn’t going to pay off as it stands now. Social Gaming is moving away from the “sim” like experience and is shifting into a more creative and dynamic experience.
There is a saving grace though. If Sony is totally hell bent on creating some type of community enviornment with avatars then “Little Big Planets” Sack Boy can be their savior. I haven’t always been the biggest fan of Sack Boy. OK, quite frankly I don’t really care for LBP so my bias stems from there. That said, I do see the brilliance of the game and more importantly the icon that is emerging from it. Sack Boy should become Sony’s Mario. He represents not only a fun and cute avatar that almost all can enjoy, but he also represents the very creative and dynamic experience that social gaming is moving towards. Sack Boy’s popularity seems to have no ceiling at the moment. Given the crazy success he seems imminently to have, he feels like a shoe-in for the job of Sony mascot. Sony needs to embrace Sack Boy, and covet him like he is the second coming of their Lord Savior.
Re-vamp Home Sony, kill off the sim like avatars and go for the jugular with Sack Boy. Sack Boy should be the avatar for everything Sony does moving forward. Give him all the customization you already have via LBP, and give him a place to thrive in a LBP like “Home” world instead of this virtual real world you are so mistakenly drumming forward with. Let this new world be populated by Sack Boys all running around and frolicking together in fun environments that can still be created with the backbone of Home’s concept of corporate sponsored enviornments. Create a “Home” experience that people will actually want to come and enjoy.
Nobody wants to play reality Sony, but everyone wants to play with Sack Boy.
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
Damn Greg, good job. You've created a NEO Gaf style war in the comments section. Guess I need to start making my articles more controversial.
Maybe my next one should be "Why LittleBigPlant Sucks." Yeah… that should do it.
Start by titling it "Little Niche Planet."
And for the others;
No! I have a PS3! I'm ragging on it because it is NOT my genre!!! Don't care how cute and fun it is to play. It's a platformer! Plain and simple!!! Give me FPS, RPG, Action, Strat, hell you can even give me Sports (but not Racing)!
Each to their own!!!
Well I am waiting for home. I know many people who are. If it doesn't interest you then it doesn't interest you. I don't see you on boards complaining about children games, why is that? Its because it doesn't matter what you think. Is this any different? I believe whole heartedly that these people actually work for Microsoft or a share holders. Why else would anyone be so upset about something like this being released. Your opinion does not matter and is not going to sway anyone in any one direction. It is simply a waste of time to argue about it. If you think its going to fail and you hate Sony so much, then when and if it fails you can get a good laugh. Overall I'm just going to say if your for one it doesn't mean you have to be against the other.
"Why else would anyone be so upset about something like this being released?" Hmmm… good point. Uhhh… 1) hyped 2) postponed 3) hyped 4) postponed… It's kind of a vicious cycle.
As for our opinion not mattering… Ouch, that hurts. Really, it does hurt! Oh, wait… that's YOUR opinion that our opinion doesn't matter. Or is it that his opinion on Joe's opinion about her opinion concerning that opinion but not concerning the other opinion about this opinion which has no relation to that opinion which is for that one, opinion, but against the other… I'm lost.
Wow! What a difference an opinion (doesn't) make(s)!!!
As for laughing… Failure is not a laughing matter. Sony won't fail! Period. They have too much of a backing to even attempt failure. No reason to get your panties in a bunch about something that isn't going to happen. Regardless of what others' opinions are.
Blablabla..durgaduragdurga….poo.poo..flipityflop..flipity flop….Blahhhh.
Wanker…you want us to think you're an intellectual, but your arguments like those from grade school child.
You argue in circles and to no end. You are only isolating yourself and in turn invalidating your credibility.
You need to seriously think before you type anything. I think in this thread alone over 15 people (21 to be exact I think) have voiced their care about HOME versus 5 of you who are all probably Xbox fanboys.
Like I said…numbers don't lie. We outnumbered you in this thread and since you weren't around a year ago…let me remind you this was an Xbox fan haven last year. If you don't believe that…just go read my blog.
Your theory on people using HOME is already proven incorrect. As I said, I'm in the beta. I know how often people are using it. YOU, on the other hand, have no knowledge, experience, or statistics to back up your uneducated guess. If you want to be a jerk…go right ahead, but don't expect anybody with any common sense to actually take it as truth.
I'm done posting anything relating or replying to you. Your opinion is quite trivial on this matter.
Wanker…you want us to think you're an intellectual, but your arguments like those from grade school child.
You argue in circles and to no end. You are only isolating yourself and in turn invalidating your credibility.
You need to seriously think before you type anything. I think in this thread alone over 15 people (21 to be exact I think) have voiced their care about HOME versus 5 of you who are all probably Xbox fanboys.
Like I said…numbers don't lie. We outnumbered you in this thread and since you weren't around a year ago…let me remind you this was an Xbox fan haven last year. If you don't believe that…just go read my blog.
Your theory on people using HOME is already proven incorrect. As I said, I'm in the beta. I know how often people are using it. YOU, on the other hand, have no knowledge, experience, or statistics to back up your uneducated guess. If you want to be a jerk…go right ahead, but don't expect anybody with any common sense to actually take it as truth.
I'm done posting anything relating or replying to you. You've argued that the writer of this column was unsuccesful…yet you open your mouth and give your opinion? You've argued against anybody that doesn't think your way just for the sake of argument…then started talking about how Sony won't fail. You've made your opinions quite trivial on this matter.
Wanker…you want us to think you're an intellectual but your arguments like those from grade school child.
You argue in circles and to no end. You are only isolating yourself and in turn invalidating your credibility.
You need to seriously think before you type anything. I think in this thread alone over 15 people (21 to be exact I think) have voiced their care about HOME versus 5 of you who are all probably Xbox fanboys.
Like I said…numbers don't lie. We outnumbered you in this thread and since you weren't around a year ago…let me remind you this was an Xbox fan haven last year. If you don't believe that…just go read my blog.
Your theory on people using HOME is already proven incorrect. As I said, I'm in the beta. I know how often people are using it. YOU, on the other hand, have no knowledge, experience, or statistics to back up your uneducated guess. If you want to be a jerk…go right ahead, but don't expect anybody with any common sense to actually take it as truth.
I'm done posting anything relating or replying to you. You've argued that the writer of this column was unsuccesful…yet you open your mouth and give your opinion? You've argued against anybody that doesn't think your way just for the sake of argument…then started talking about how Sony won't fail. You've made your opinions quite trivial on this matter.
Wanker…you want us to think you're an intellectual but your arguments like those from grade school child.
You argue in circles and to no end. You are only isolating yourself and in turn invalidating your credibility.
You need to seriously think before you type anything. I think in this thread alone over 15 people (21 to be exact I think) have voiced their care about HOME versus 5 of you who are all PROBABLY Xbox fanboys.
Like I said…numbers don't lie. We outnumbered you in this thread and since you weren't around a year ago…let me remind you this was an Xbox fan haven last year. If you don't believe that…just go read my blog.
Your theory on people using HOME is already proven incorrect. As I said, I'm in the beta. I know how often people are using it. YOU, on the other hand, have no knowledge, experience, or statistics to back up your uneducated guess. If you want to be a jerk…go right ahead, but don't expect anybody with any common sense to actually take it as truth.
I'm done posting anything relating or replying to you. You've argued that the writer of this column was unsuccesful…yet you open your mouth and give your opinion? You've argued against anybody that doesn't think your way just for the sake of argument…then started talking about how Sony won't fail. You've made your opinions quite trivial on this matter.
Wanker…you want us to think you're an intellectual but your arguments like those from grade school child.
You argue in circles and to no end. You are only isolating yourself and in turn invalidating your credibility.
You need to seriously think before you type anything. I think in this thread alone over 15 people (21 to be exact I think) have voiced their care about HOME versus 5 of you who are all PROBABLY Xbox fanboys.
Like I said…numbers don't lie. We outnumbered you in this thread and since you weren't around a year ago–let me point out this website was an Xbox fan haven last year. If you don't believe that, just go read my blog.
Your theory on people using HOME is already proven incorrect. As I said, I'm in the beta. I know how often people are using it. YOU, on the other hand, have no knowledge, experience, or statistics to back up your uneducated guess. If you want to be a jerk…go right ahead, but don't expect anybody with any common sense to actually take it as truth.
I'm done posting anything relating or replying to you. You've argued that the writer of this column was unsuccesful…yet you open your mouth and give your opinion? You've argued against anybody that doesn't think your way just for the sake of argument…then started talking about how Sony won't fail. You've made your opinions quite trivial on this matter.
Wanker…you want us to think you're an intellectual but your arguments are like those from grade school child.
You argue in circles and to no end. You are only isolating yourself and in turn invalidating your credibility.
You need to seriously think before you type anything. I think in this thread alone over 15 people (21 to be exact I think) have voiced their care about HOME versus 5 of you who are all PROBABLY Xbox fanboys.
Like I said…numbers don't lie. We outnumbered you in this thread and since you weren't around a year ago–let me point out this website was an Xbox fan haven last year. If you don't believe that, just go read my blog.
Your theory on people using HOME is already proven incorrect. As I said, I'm in the beta. I know how often people are using it. YOU, on the other hand, have no knowledge, experience, or statistics to back up your uneducated guess. If you want to be a jerk…go right ahead, but don't expect anybody with any common sense to actually take it as truth.
I'm done posting anything relating or replying to you. You've argued that the writer of this column was unsuccesful…yet you open your mouth and give your opinion? You've argued against anybody that doesn't think your way just for the sake of argument…then started talking about how Sony won't fail. You've made your opinions quite trivial on this matter.
I love how anyone who is critical of Home is considered an XBox fanboy. Home is going to be good but my impressions of the Beta so far is fairly dissapointing. My one big knock against it would have to be how time consuming getting around is, and the vast amount of load times between areas.