Home open beta to go live “weeks” after next Qore issue

I wonder what they’ll do if they finally launch and after a week it’s a virtual ghost town?

Never mention it again.

I still don’t know what it actually does. I don’t think anyone’s really ever explained it properly.

I’m not sure even Sony know what it actually does.

It’s sort of a… hanging around and talking to people and looking at virtual stuff… thing.

I have to call it an “online thing” or a “social networking thing” in stories. I’m honestly not sure what else to call it.

So does anyone know when the next Qore issue is out? Surely they’re on some sort of schedule?

It’s a marketing tool for commercial third parties and Sony first-party interests. That’s what it is.

Whoops. Sorry. Did the “business” thing again.

No, you’re right. Nothing exists in any context whatsoever that isn’t exclusively about what some Joe Bloggs gamer can benefit from. There is no world that exists beyond the living room so there’s obviously no need to factor that into any considerations.

What are you talking about, Shat?

@Psycho: It’s out tomorrow. Edit: Err, I mean today.

Makes my “pre-xmas” Home beta prediction a distinct possibility then.

It’s a shopping mall simulator.

“It’s sort of a… hanging around and talking to people and looking at virtual stuff… thing.”

I really like this description, and that’s how I’d describe it, too.

It basically seems like the same kind of thing that Uru was, and Second Life too for that matter. Second Life less so though because it wasn’t nearly as immersive, due to player content not really matching up and that.

You walk around, you look at stuff, you talk to people, and you poke things. Then you combine this with other people. Then you combine this with other people whilst being drunk. Then you get someone hitting on a Big Daddy.

I think it’s going to be entirely worthwhile, at least for the occasional bit of romp-around entertainment value.

Edit: …and now I really want Home to have split-screen capabilities.

It’s also an avatar based interface and a cross-game party system, two of the main features of the 360 update.

A shopping mall simulator could be great if they add zombies. Yeah, and you can hit people who are infected, but once you’re infected you can only bite. And the only way to cure yourself is to buy Zombie CureAll! Pure profit.

Now if they could turn Home into a game I’d be interested.