Microsoft Calls PlayStation Home Outdated Tech

Microsoft group product manager Aaron Greenberg didn't mince words when commenting on Sony's recently released 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 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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Newsflash: Microsoft says their product is better than Sony's. More at eleven.

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?

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?

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.

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.

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

Baby Tea:

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.

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.

zee666:
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.

Remind me again, who asked them?

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.

SaintWaldo:
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.

SaintWaldo:
Remind me again, who asked them?

Keane Ng:

"What Home feels like is Second Life for hardcore gamers," Greenberg said in an interview with Kotaku.

AceDiamond:
"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.

AceDiamond:
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?

Eldritch Warlord:

SaintWaldo:
Remind me again, who asked them?

Keane Ng:

"What Home feels like is Second Life for hardcore gamers," Greenberg said in an interview 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.

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?

Agree.

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

If it was a feature from the start...

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.

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

OH NO HE DIDN'T!

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 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.

my experience is this, home will be something that most people with a ps3 will check out for the hell of it but not ever really give much, if any, time or attention to. probably the only people that will use it are those who have no life and/or jaded fanboys who give sony their undying affection no matter what.

the problem with home is that there is no integration outside of the service. with xbl everything is integrated so you and everyone can see everything easily at pretty much all times, with home you have to start up the "game" just to take advantage of its features.

home in my opinion was a waste of resources. sony has no idea what they are doing, or at least no idea of what they should be doing. the online features that the ps3 has are lackluster at best. the online stor has very little content.

home is a niece service for lifeless sony devotees and the resources used in making this second life CLONE would have been put to better use improving the online experience.

This is the kind of thing that fuels fanboy existance.

Microsoft saying they're better then everyone else?! What will happen next?!

I do agree with them though; Home is kinda outdated and seems like Second Life.

To be fair, at least the "Second Life clone" gives the avatars a reason for being there. I haven't found any use for my Xbox Live avatar other than just standing there looking out of place on a mostly adult orientated console.

I don't see what the point of Home is... You create a house in a virtual universe? Why not build a REAL house in THIS universe? I dunno... Just seems like a strange idea to me.

Sony always has something to tease players with. So fanboys can always say "well 360 will suck ass next year when home or killzone 2 is released". Although both shouldnt be that far away so Im a little exited, though home does not appeal that incredibly much to me.

Microsoft says that Home is bad but in a year the Xbox 360 has "Live" (theory). It's Home but it looks idfferent! That's what Microsoft does.

I think Home has more of a better concept than the Avatars that Microsoft are offering. Outdated or not, Sony are taking a leaping bound towards a better gaming community. Microsoft are just picking at it because they couldn't think of it first.

I realize my post makes me sound a bit fanboy-ish, but I assure you, I'm just speaking my mind :)

ratix2:
my experience is this, home will be something that most people with a ps3 will check out for the hell of it but not ever really give much, if any, time or attention to. probably the only people that will use it are those who have no life and/or jaded fanboys who give sony their undying affection no matter what.

the problem with home is that there is no integration outside of the service. with xbl everything is integrated so you and everyone can see everything easily at pretty much all times, with home you have to start up the "game" just to take advantage of its features.

home in my opinion was a waste of resources. sony has no idea what they are doing, or at least no idea of what they should be doing. the online features that the ps3 has are lackluster at best. the online stor has very little content.

home is a niece service for lifeless sony devotees and the resources used in making this second life CLONE would have been put to better use improving the online experience.

Actually over the PSN everything is quite integrated. Home is just like taking the scenic route. There is no reason to play Home unless your tired of playing your games that you have or for the same reason one might toss in wii sports. There isn't much to gawk at the moment, but I've had a lot of fun doing social experiments with friends and just learning how to play the minigames on there. It's also a great place to meet like minded people to create teams for multiplayer games. Yeah it is a just a IM program if that's all you want to see it as, but there are plenty of ways to make your own fun in the game as well. The way I see it is that PSN is always improving and it has almost everything that XBL has except the price tag.

Gormers1:
Sony always has something to tease players with. So fanboys can always say "well 360 will suck ass next year when home or killzone 2 is released". Although both shouldnt be that far away so Im a little exited, though home does not appeal that incredibly much to me.

You'll be happy to know that Killzone 2 has been finished for a while, but the publisher decided to push back because they thought it would do better after the holiday season. Not to mention by time your finished with you can jump on God of War 3.

Well the Microsoft guy seems to have come over as incompetent to me. Home and Live aren't directly comparable. PS3 users don't just get Home for free, they get the PSN. If he thinks Home alone is close to Live then I'm wondering why I should pay for what must be an inferiro service if only one aspect of the opponents product is at a comparable level.

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

This guys hilarious, all he has done is post anti - Microsoft for some reason.

Home IS a glorified IM service, get over it. If your trying to get your point across, some decent spelling might be nice.

but Sony's is clearly better

I bet you, you can't back that up with clear evidence that ISN'T opinion.

The obvious copy that Microsoft did on the Mii's was worse. Not many people like them and some people just want the old pictures back. At least Sony is being a bit more original.

Sony shot themselves in the bum by not releasing HOME a year -or more- ago. That was a huge mistake. If you're aiming to make your console the centre of a home entertainment experience, you have to have a platform to make it feel like that. HOME is that, but it has come too late.