Sony finally opens Home, and we’ve got video

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After years of development and promotion, Sony is launching its PlayStation Home service today. Home, as we’ve described in a previous post, is the much-touted virtual world that will be open to those who have connected their PlayStation 3s to the Internet.

After logging in to Home, players create custom avatars and explore a virtual 3D environment that looks like a pixel-perfect cross between the Metreon shopping center in San Francisco and the boat docks in Sausalito. There are also virtual shopping malls, clubs with themes based on Sony games and theaters to watch game trailers or other video.

Home is Sony’s answer to Xbox Live, the online marketplace and player matching service operated by Microsoft for its Xbox 360 game console.

Sony isn’t divulging its business plans for Home just yet, saying it wants to see how its PlayStation 3 customers use the service before fleshing out the offerings. What are the possibilities? The Japanese electronics giant has built in the technical ability to sell virtual items, digital music, games and video. For now, the company is starting out small by giving players a virtual place to hang out, go play online games or watch a few game trailers.

Watch this space for updates on how Sony will remodel PlayStation Home.

-- Alex Pham

Video by Sony