Sony Issues Eviction Notice for PlayStation Home Users

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Sony Issues Eviction Notice for PlayStation Home Users

PlayStation 3 users' virtual 'Home' away from home closing its doors next year "due to a shifting landscape".

It's been six years since Sony first gave PlayStation 3 users their own little slice of virtual real estate, courtesy of PlayStation Home. Since then, the online world has promoted movie premieres, hosted video game launch events, and even served as a virtual E3 booth for those unable to attend in real life. Now it seems that Sony is sticking eviction papers on Home users' doors in North America and Europe, outlining its plans to shut off the lights and lock the doors on the social hub community early next year.

According to a Community Manager post [http://community.us.playstation.com/t5/PlayStation-Home/PlayStation-Home-Update-September-26-2014/td-p/44552202] on the PlayStation forums today, PlayStation Home will soon begin the process of winding down its operations. Citing "a shifting landscape", the post announced that Sony will stop publishing new content for Home on November 12, and allow users to download content up until December 3, with a total closure scheduled for March 31, 2015.

News of the pending shutdown shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, as Sony Computer Entertainment Japan had already announced its closure of Home services last month. Still, there had been hope from some users that the service would continue to operate in other markets, possibly even carrying over to the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita consoles. A version of Home had previously been in development for the PlayStation Portable back in 2009, but never went further than the beta testing phase in Japan, ultimately halting development before ever seeing the light of day.

Despite the fact that users won't be able to take any of their virtual goods with them when the service shuts down, Sony still plans to release a series of free content prior to Home's closure, "as a token of our tremendous gratitude to the community."

Source: PlayStation forums [http://community.us.playstation.com/t5/PlayStation-Home/PlayStation-Home-Update-September-26-2014/td-p/44552202]

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[Roxas1359]

Wait, Playstation Home was still going!? I thought that place shut down ages ago. I've had my PS3 for ages and I never even once have gone in there.

 

[FogHornG36]

uhh... you know people payed real money for furniture, homes, and outfits for that right? what happens to that?


Ah... play-station home, i played on it a few times, it sure was ok.

 

[Scars Unseen]

uhh... you know people payed real money for furniture, homes, and outfits for that right? what happens to that?


Ah... play-station home, i played on it a few times, it sure was ok.

The same thing that happens to virtual items in every other game that shuts down. Paying microtransactions doesn't make one more entitled than paying a subscription does. It's just another business model.

 

[Kroxile]

Nooooo!!! My Megaman 10 shirts that I only ever looked at once!!

 

[Something Amyss]

Oh no, that thing I used for 20 minutes a few years back is closing down.

uhh... you know people payed real money for furniture, homes, and outfits for that right? what happens to that?

Same thing that happens to any such content.

This is why we need to change the way we look at games.

It's also why I tend not to pay for extra stuff anymore.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Oh yeah, that was a thing.

I've used it maybe twice, and it was... interesting... Kinda forgot it was there most of the time.

To be honest, the only time I've ever gone into Home after that was by sheer accident when I meant to click on something and it brought me there.

 

[Draconalis]

Despite the fact that users won't be able to take any of their virtual goods with them when the service shuts down, Sony still plans to release a series of free content prior to Home's closure, "as a token of our tremendous gratitude to the community."

Translation: We'll let you keep spending money till we close our doors. We've got no problem taking your cash.

 

[fix-the-spade]

uhh... you know people payed real money for furniture, homes, and outfits for that right? what happens to that?

You get +1 life experience.

You can put it into any of your upgrade trees, most players add it to cynicism, forward planning or financial skill. A few will use it to further max out the blind faith skill, but that's only really useful for converting money to XP more efficiently and experienced players mostly consider it under powered.

 

[Jacked Assassin]

Despite the thousands I've spent on PS Home & the hundreds I might spend before they pull the plug I'm relieved that this addiction will be going away!

Also until then I will gawk at my Female Kitty's outfits while contemplating which MMO environment I might switch to IF I don't try to go cold turkey.

 

[weirdee]

online gaming: you keep em until you don't

 

[Remus]

I hoped they might port a version to the PS4 - there's still a market for these kinds of virtual communities, and I'd hang in one just for the Cheers aspect inherent, plus the free movie theater. That was always kinda neat. Ah well. Guess I can go back to dropping in on Second Life once a month.

 

[Flammablezeus]

It never seemed to me like Playstation Home was ever actually complete. It always seemed like an early-alpha version of something that actually had some promise. It could have been fun if they'd spent some actual time and effort on it. Oh well, I can't miss what was never really there.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

man, that was a concept that went nowhere. Seriously, Home was still around? Sony didn't do much with it post launch and I really don't see what the point of it was.

 

[Brian Tams]

I...!

...wasn't even aware this existed. So meh. Hard to feel bad about the removal of a feature I didn't even know my PS3 had.

 

[Leemaster777]

Okay, first off, I wasn't even aware that Home was still going. Just goes to show how much I used it.

Second:

uhh... you know people payed real money for furniture, homes, and outfits for that right? what happens to that?

Pretty much the first thing I thought of when I read this story.

Pro tip: Never spend actual money on vanity items in online-only games. Because sooner or later, that plug is gonna get pulled, and that vanity item disappears forever.

 

[Big_Boss_Mantis]

Even though Playstation Home is not really my sort of thing (virtual game-like environments without a real objective, lack of progression and goals always feels like time sinks to me and gives me a sensation of wasting my life that I don?t get from fun gameplay experiences) I have to agree with the ones that said that it could have worked if it had reached its full potential.

But, hey, that?s Sony for you. Shooting ideas aimlessly all around, trying on every front, and releasing fairly interesting products and services without much focus and, the worst, without any post launch support, making everything feel half-baked. See also: Playstation Move, Xperia Play, Playstation Vita. Coming soon to this list: Project Morpheus.

 

[Rozalia1]

Hey I knew it still existed, it had a trophy update not long back people. I got in and fetched my 100% knowing time was short for Home.

They should maybe try a PS4 version.

 

[AnthrSolidSnake]

I used it a couple times. I gave up because no one else I knew bothered with it, and the loading times between areas was abysmal. Plus, it was one of those things that you had to invest money in, and again since no one I knew used it, I didn't bother. I almost did once. When it first came out. And I was younger. When was that? 2009 maybe? Earlier?

I'm sure if they tried for a much better version on the PS4 it might actually catch on, but eh...like with ZombiU and Ubisoft, it wasn't profitable "enough", so they won't bother with a superior sequel.

 

[BeerTent]

[...]

I noticed your avatar... Can... Can I pet it? That is all.


On topic:

Isn't Playstation Home that thing that allowed people to stream weird shit, or straight up pornography? I was considering a PS3 on the down-low... but now that this is no longer a thing, I'll just have to pass.

well, I still have that HDMI cable to my TV. I can just turn on the TV, and the OS will handle the rest...