Microsoft Calls PlayStation Home Outdated Tech

[Keane Ng]

Microsoft Calls PlayStation Home Outdated Tech

Microsoft group product manager Aaron Greenberg didn't mince words when commenting on Sony's recently released [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/88052-PlayStation-Home-Enters-Open-Beta-December-11] Home service for the PlayStation 3, referring to it as outmoded technology and saying there's "a huge gap" between Home and Xbox Live.

"What Home feels like is Second Life for hardcore gamers," Greenberg said in an interview [http://kotaku.com/5106920/microsoft-prepared-for-the-winter-of-our-economic-discontent] with Kotaku. "It doesn't feel like it broadens the experience and invites people in."

Greenberg suggested that Home's long development time played a large part in the problem. "When they unveiled it, it seemed innovative," Greenberg said. "I think what's happened is now here we are a couple of years later and we feel beyond that. It feels like 2005 tech in 2008. I'm not sure that's what people want."

Not surprisingly, it seems that what people do want is Xbox Live, according to Greenberg. Shooting down any hopes for a future Xbox Live Gold price drop, Greenberg said that the reason they haven't (and won't) lower the price for Live's full services is because people think it's worth paying for. "I think we have seen people are willing to pay for the premium experience," Greenberg said. "When they compare Live to Home, there is still a huge gap."

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[TheBadass]

Newsflash: Microsoft says their product is better than Sony's. More at eleven.

 

[kapzer]

Actually, I think Microsoft are right. Home was delayed so much and held back. I think it actually was in development from since the PS3 launched, was it not?

 

[Baby Tea]

Actually, I think Microsoft are right. Home was delayed so much and held back. I think it actually was in development from since the PS3 launched, was it not?

This.

People waiting this long for a graphically enhanced IM program?

I thought people bought a gaming system to play games, not 'deck out' their virtual apartments and sit in a virtual chair discussing games they could be playing.

 

[Skrapt]

It's a nice idea, but in my view certainly not for the console market. Current generation consoles are used for playing games, streaming/watching content from the internet/movies etc. And a second life kind of thing doesn't fit into that, it's not a game that can really be enjoyed any more then the social aspect and it doesn't really count as watchable content. Second life for the PC has a target market, Home for the PS3 is trying to target a market that will be uninterested in their product which is a bad combination.

Their time would have been better spent creating and improving upon their online capabilities making it more compelling, more consistent, giving it more functionality etc. In the time it's taken them to create home they could have created a very solid online experience with all the avatar customisation/Instant messenger/etc. the users wanted.

 

[Brokkr]

I never really understood the major appeal of Home anyway. Pretty much this:

People waiting this long for a graphically enhanced IM program?

I thought people bought a gaming system to play games, not 'deck out' their virtual apartments and sit in a virtual chair discussing games they could be playing.

 

[AceDiamond]

Glad people are coming back around to the realization that Home is nothing more than a glorified IM program.

Or if you really want to be mean to it: Home = Second Life.

 

[WingedFortress]

Call me a fanboy but... oh wait, they're kinda right. DAMN IT!

Hahaha. This made me laugh.

That being said, I havent been home(lolz) yet to check out the new service, but after a long day of browsing the web about the intial impressions, Im not too excited.

 

[SaintWaldo]

Remind me again, who asked them?

 

[sneakypenguin]

How long till indigo gets here? Anyways yeah If I bought a console so socialize and interact with other gamers I would have got a PC and just fooled around on the internet. Plus navigating a 3d environment to chat and see trophys or w/e is more time consuming than a menu driven experience.

 

[AceDiamond]

Remind me again, who asked them?

Probably the same people who keep asking Sony what they think of Nintendo's products, leading to hilariously catty statements like "The DS is a kids system"

I'm sure that doesn't sound bitter at all when it's kicking your ass.

And no I'm not saying this wasn't petty of MS to say, but at the same time Home opens itself up to this kind of ridicule after so many delays, plus the fact that it's created a new visual medium for e-peen waving.

 

[Eldritch Warlord]

Remind me again, who asked them?

"What Home feels like is Second Life for hardcore gamers," Greenberg said in an interview [http://kotaku.com/5106920/microsoft-prepared-for-the-winter-of-our-economic-discontent] with Kotaku.

 

[SaintWaldo]

"The DS is a kids system"

But my impression from looking at the system and the titles is the it mostly _is_ a kid's system.

And no I'm not saying this wasn't petty of MS to say, but at the same time Home opens itself up to this kind of ridicule after so many delays, plus the fact that it's created a new visual medium for e-peen waving.

Could you maybe explain that last sentence a bit? How is Home a "new visual medium for e-peen waving"? Is this any different an accomplishment than, say, gamertags?

 

[SaintWaldo]

Remind me again, who asked them?

"What Home feels like is Second Life for hardcore gamers," Greenberg said in an interview [http://kotaku.com/5106920/microsoft-prepared-for-the-winter-of-our-economic-discontent] with Kotaku.

Yeah, I thought I smelled the king's of all flame stoking at the bottom of this. I'm still pretty sure that MS rep was stoked at such a grenade of a question.

 

[Frapple]

Actually, I think Microsoft are right. Home was delayed so much and held back. I think it actually was in development from since the PS3 launched, was it not?

Agree.

To little to late, launch is a disaster as well.

If it was a feature from the start...

Spoiler

as well as all the cross media thing, and had a headset by default, and PSN didn't suck, and wasn't overpriced, had some better gaminghardware for the 18+ month delay.

...it might have succeeded.

 

[kapzer]

In my honest opinion, [please do not regard me as a 360 fanboy, for I am not], Sony has lost this generation's battle. Even with the hardware problems the 360s have had for a long time [ref: RRoD.] they have still been getting attention from gamers, and people STILL bought the consoles, even though they knew many of them were faulty.

 

[y8c616]

home is just a waaaay better version of that new xbox live thing they released; niether producs are stictly neccesary oor groundbreaking, but sonys is clearly better. And free. and the xbox avatars are blatant mii ripoffs

 

[DamienHell]

OH NO HE DIDN'T!

 

[Avida]

As a member of both xbox live gold and the Home beta this pisses me right off.

"What Home feels like is Second Life for hardcore gamers," Greenberg said in an interview [http://kotaku.com/5106920/microsoft-prepared-for-the-winter-of-our-economic-discontent] with Kotaku. "It doesn't feel like it broadens the experience and invites people in."

There is NOTHING 'hardcore' about home, it feels calm and freindly and a nice place to be - theres no hardcore alienation, theres bubble machienes and impromptu mexican waves, chess games in the park and a strange, tranquil mood as people sit in a circle by a waterfall and chat. Its lovely, which is a weird descriptive for this sort of situation but it just is..

Greenberg suggested that Home's long development time played a large part in the problem. "When they unveiled it, it seemed innovative," Greenberg said. "I think what's happened is now here we are a couple of years later and we feel beyond that. It feels like 2005 tech in 2008. I'm not sure that's what people want."

Prehaps, i wont criticise this too much because its down to opinion but its surely not as black and white as that - the hair on characters is a bit 'sims 2' and and its pretty much all been done before but its beautifully composed and the skin textures are wonderfull enough for me to mention. However i will say that with the time they've had whats here isnt enough, theres verry few clothes options, no other houses yet, the shopping center isnt up, and there isnt much space to explore.

Not surprisingly, it seems that what people do want is Xbox Live, according to Greenberg. Shooting down any hopes for a future Xbox Live Gold price drop, Greenberg said that the reason they haven't (and won't) lower the price for Live's full services is because people think it's worth paying for. "I think we have seen people are willing to pay for the premium experience," Greenberg said. "When they compare Live to Home, there is still a huge gap."

Is he conestly comparing an application to a semi-vital service? Prehaps i havnt got a true perspective but a major reason for buying xbox live is the community, to be with freinds, and that as a concept is not to do with xbox, its just popularity snowballing. Almost everything xbox live offers the PS network does too, and home is just an extra that mircosoft seems a bit sore over.