SANTA MONICA, Calif.—Sony Computer Entertainment of America ga...
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Sony Computer Entertainment of America gave a demonstration of new features in its PlayStation “Home” 3D community service at an E3 news conference, unveiled at the March Game Developers Conference and on track for a…
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fall rollout, SCE Worldwide Studios President Phil Harrison said. A key new feature is that PS3 users now will be able to launch Blu-ray or PlayStation Network games within Home’s virtual world, he said. A newly designed, exterior Home Square replaces the PlayStation Home lobby concept first shown at GDC. The new open-air space gives internal developers “more flexibility to build upon the community experience,” Sony said. Harrison also said users will be able to get their own personal spaces for Home. Four new apartments, including a beach house, Norwegian cabin, Manhattan penthouse and traditional Japanese house, were introduced, allowing more user choice and personalization, the company said. Users will be able to access Home via mobile phones and display digital photos taken with phones and presumably standalone digital cameras in the real world within Home’s virtual world, Harrison demonstrated. Sony executives spoke via avatar versions of themselves inside the Home virtual world at a few points in the news conference. The PlayStation Network has about two million registered users, 950,000 in North America, SCEA CEO Jack Tretton said, adding there have been 20 million downloads from it worldwide to date. Sony introduced downloadable games designed specifically for PlayStation Network, including puzzle game echochrome, which makes full use of PS3’s Sixaxis wireless controller, the action game Pain and the latest entry in Sony’s WipeOut racing series, WipeOut HD. Also demonstrated were two games to be available via download from the PlayStation Store and on Blu-ray discs: SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Confrontation and Warhawk, an online multi-player air and land combat game. The titles are among more than 40 games and game packs being developed at SCEA for download via PlayStation Network this fiscal year in North America, it said.