Hirai: Home will be worth the wait

Author: Tim Smalley
Published: 22nd July 2008
Comments (12) Stumble
Hirai says that Home will be worth the wait and won't be an anticlimax.

Hirai says that Home will be worth the wait and won't be an anticlimax.

Sony Computer Entertainment head honcho Kazuo Hirai has said that the eagerly-anticipated PlayStation Home service for the PS3 will be worth the wait.

Home has been heavily delayed after being originally slated for launch last October and it's now expected to come out from under the covers later this year.

Speaking to GI.biz, Hirai remained bullish when asked if Home would be an anticlimax given the hype and anticipation surrounding the service.

"I would put it the other way around," claimed Hirai. "Because we've got so much buzz, had we launched it be thought it was the right time and the right features and functionality to launch it – with the high anticipation, people would go there in droves the first time around, they would check it out and say, 'This isn't fun at all, so I'm not coming back again.'"

Hirai said he doesn't regret the way the situation played out. He is happy to take the flak for the open beta delays and the constant 'dinging' that's been going on. "If I know we're doing it for the right reasons and that once we launch the service this Fall it's going to be something that the consumers once they go there see that it's actually going to be a fun service, that to me is a lot better than doing it the other way around," he said.

"I've said this on many occasions, and right now we're aiming for a Fall open beta programme, but no beta should be opened before its time, and it's important enough of an initiative for the platform and for SCE, that we don't want to prematurely launch it and then be dinged for having a bad service," added Hirai.

Are you looking forward to Home, or do you think it's going to be the anticlimax Hirai says it won't be? Share your thoughts in the forums.
Quote DougEdey 22nd July 2008, 12:09
So it's worth the wait for a game which appears to be almost exactly the same as Second Life?
Quote freedom810 22nd July 2008, 12:14
I think it looks pretty sweet, the cinema thing sounds pretty cool.
Quote BlackMage23 22nd July 2008, 12:36
Am I the only person that does not see what the fuss is all about. When Home comes out it is not gona make a load of people go "OMG I must have a PS3"
Quote Ghys 22nd July 2008, 12:43
you could actually be surprised. We, as enthusiasts/hardcoregamers, say the same thing every time a Sims game comes out but guess what, a crapload of people buy those games. The 40+yo market is bigger than we think
Quote K.I.T.T. 22nd July 2008, 14:51
...funny isn't it how the new release date is set to fall in line with the massive Xbox 360 dashboard overhaul.

I think Home will probably be a really good thing and work just how everyone wants it to but its no going to make me go out and by a PS3 or even want one
Quote Juppun 22nd July 2008, 15:20
Not overly crazy about Home, had a go at Second Life before and couldn't see what the fuss was all about. I think Home will be a good distraction, say if a few friends were planning on playing a match of Warhawk but one buddy isn't online yet then the others would go play some virtual pool/bowling or just hang out at one friend's place to kill time.

I think I'm probably more interested in the game specific areas, probably some interesting stuff to check out there once game devs pump them out alongside their releases.
Quote devdevil85 22nd July 2008, 15:26
Quote:
Originally Posted by K.I.T.T.
...funny isn't it how the new release date is set to fall in line with the massive Xbox 360 dashboard overhaul.

I think Home will probably be a really good thing and work just how everyone wants it to but its no going to make me go out and by a PS3 or even want one
It's the other way around. Isn't it funny how MS is planning on overhauling their dashboard once the beta debuts this fall (crosses fingers).

Secondly, Home is not supposed to make you go out and buy a PS3 or else you're an idiot and don't know how to spend your money on a console. Home is supposed to add more reason for someone to want a PS3, but shouldn't be the reason to go out and buy one. Home (from what I've seen) is going to be neat and once it comes out all the people saying "Second Life clone" are going to see the advantages of leveraging the service not just for the social aspect, but for gaming as well. I personally don't see myself roaming the world of Home, but I still see it as an advantage of owning the console, so stopping your hating atleast until the service rolls out this Fall and you can see/experience it with your own eyes.
Quote ParaHelix.org 22nd July 2008, 15:40
PC had this kind of stuff years ago, programs such as ActiveWorlds for PC has been around since the dawn og computer grahics and is still been developed. www.activeworlds.com
Quote hodgy100 22nd July 2008, 18:12
DAMN they are hyping this too much!!!!!!! it's good but if they dont keep the content flowing when it releases it will become boring, i hardly go on it now. only to check if there are updates.

apart from that home is turning out to be an excellent SERVICE :)
Quote Timmy_the_tortoise 22nd July 2008, 21:56
I thought Kaz left Sony...

I'm glad to hear he's still around... Genius... "RIDGE RACER"... The joke's old, but it gives me that nostalgic feeling every time.
Quote Tomm 23rd July 2008, 10:20
What the hell is 'dinging'?
Quote willowthewhite 23rd July 2008, 11:14
I'm not to bothered about Home, But it's nice to see a company wanting to release something that works, rather than release a bug ridden product and patch it later
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