PlayStation Home (Finally) Launches Today

If you own a PlayStation 3, then you might want to pay attention to a rather significant launch that will be available to you at some point today. After well over a year in closed beta, PlayStation Home, or simply “Home” for short, is finally hitting open beta status, and anyone who has the console is able to join in on the fun. It will of course require a download, and a USB-based keyboard is also recommended for the sake of conversation.

Home might have had a good reason to take a while, because it’s an ambitious project. Similar to Second Life kind of, Home delivers an open environment where you can walk around, converse, play games, and even buy things. So it’s like reality… but from your couch.

In the end, Home is nothing more than one heck of a marketing tool, and you’ll be sure that a lot of game developers, and other companies, will take full advantage of the new medium. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though, as it adds a bit to the realism, and if the marketing sells you something you actually like, then it might be a win/win all-around. I’m still unsure of the service myself, but I’ll give it a try soon and see if my doubts fade.

If this will be your first time in PlayStation Home, be sure to talk to folks that have been around for a while, as they can show you the ropes. We also have a tutorial built in that will get you started with the controls, as well as help menus for you to reference in the Menu Pad. If you don’t have a USB keyboard or Bluetooth headset paired with your PlayStation 3, now is the time to do so – either option will allow you to easily talk and meet everyone.