UPDATE: If you’re having trouble logging into Home, please follow these instructions.
We know that all of our Home-peoples have been waiting with bated breath for the newest version of PlayStation Home to launch. You’ve been messaging us on the official PlayStation Home forums and hitting us up in-world for all of the details. You’ve been leaving us comments on our Blog posts and on the official PlayStation Facebook and Twitter accounts. Some of you have even been chartering black helicopters and following us to and from our secret meetings, surveilling our every move, searching for evidence of the launch date. Well okay, maybe there hasn’t been so much of that, but you’ve been eager for info. And that’s why we’re all pumped to announce that PlayStation Home v1.3 will be coming to your PlayStation 3s this Thursday, October 1st.
For those of you who didn’t catch the official announcement of the client update in August, here’s the high-level overview. Home v1.3 equals the following things:
- Universal Game Launching. Come this Thursday, you’ll be able to launch from Home into any game whose disc you have loaded into your PS3. This is how it works: Titles that fully support game launching (like Street Fighter IV, Resistance 2, MotorStorm, and Far Cry 2) will be identified by separate icons that appear over an avatar’s head and will have varying degrees of additional multiplayer functionality built in. Simplified game launching will take you from Home to the start menu of your favorite games with ease. Never again will you have to sign out of Home to play with (or against) your friends. Simply insert the disc of your choice while in Home and follow the on screen directions.
- In-Store Item Previewing. This feature will allow you to preview items of clothing on your character in 3D (including the ability to check out multiple items simultaneously to see what combinations best suit your taste). You’ll be able to preview all furniture in 3D as well, complete with zoom and rotate options so you can check your potential purchases from all angles.
- New Emotes and Actions. You can flip a coin with your friends to decide whose apartment to retreat to, or play the old “pick a number between 1 and 100” game to decide who is hosting the next party in Central Plaza. You will also be able to pose your avatar in a variety of ways, adding significantly to your ability to express yourself in-world. Heck, there are even new dances to hit the SingStar Rooms with.
- More Item Types. Including limited use items (like the brand new Shrink Cake that lets you shrink your avatar to a tiny size) and portable objects (think: Bubble Machine). These will be available shortly after the launch of the client. This list of objects includes a free camera that you can use to snap pictures from either a 1st or 3rd person view. The photos will automatically be saved to the Photo section of the XMB, from which you can then upload to the picture frames you have hanging in your personal spaces. Dates for the camera and other items will be announced very soon, so stay tuned to this blog (and be sure to check the Latest Updates tab in your Menu Pad, under Community).
- Tons of Improvements. We’ve added some new categories of clothing (composite and outfits) that will allow you to customize your avatar with greater ease. We’ve optimized the targeting system. We’ve fixed a bunch of the bugs you’ve been reporting on the official Home Support forum. We’re even giving you the option to determine your cache size (you can choose from 3, 5, 8, and 12 GB).
Going hand in hand with the v1.3 launch, we here at SCEA will be releasing an updated Central Plaza. We think you’ll find the new World Map Travel Center to be quite handy when it comes to navigating the vast, expansive world of PlayStation Home. This easy-to-use tool will be located right next to the new and improved Listen@Home kiosk, where you can listen to music and participate in community music events. On top of all this, we’ve added leaderboards and rewards to the ever-popular Saucer Pop mini-game and even placed a kiosk in Central Plaza from which you can grab prizes associated with events and a host of other items and content available from the PlayStation Network (in fact, if you check out this kiosk on launch day, you may just find some free items waiting for you). Watch the video below for a sneak peek of some of the new additions to CP.
We probably could’ve stopped there, but we wanted to get as much content to you to celebrate this momentous occasion as we possibly could. If you peep the video below you can get a first look at the new Neptune Suite personal space, also being released this Thursday. In this highly-interactive underwater abode, you can play a variety of built-in mini-games like the multi-player shooter Blast Zone. It even comes with its own pet that interacts with your avatar. And to top it all off, we’re even bringing the popular Hot Shots Golf game space over from Japan for all of you North American fans of this hugely popular franchise. Visit the space this Thursday, participate in our in-world survey, and walk away with a special prize.
See you in Home!
If I have to be honest, Home is completely pointless. What ruins it is the excessive loading. It takes a ridiculous amount of time to load up home and then when you do load it up, there really is nothing to do. It absolutely serves no purpose having this “community”. Also, why would I want to load up Home just to play a game through game launching. Just load up the game and send invites?! The only way home will ever work is if the loading times are non existent and it is integrated into the xmb. Sorry but these are the facts and right now Home is a laughing stock
Uh oh, the second video’s busted.
Home and game launching is a waste of time with all the slow process. Home will be cool until someone can enter in my room for chat without to go to home sing in and be integrated in the xmb. That and the trophy room is the only thing that you need to care most about
I love this update, but I’m kinda worried by the term “limited use items.” I don’t want to rebuy things that I’ve already bought once and enjoy using. Hopefully this won’t be abused in order to get more money out of us.
Just few suggestions:
1-Bring user generated items/contents possible in home, just like littlebigplanet did, you can still sell your own stuff but UGCs are just the key to make addicted people to home – i bet on that!!!!
2- Make it possible to export your home avatar into XMB dynamic theme – this will make xbox and wii people cry
3- Youtube integration in home
4- Virtual lecture room (For education use etc.) – take lips-sync technology from naughtydog guys, and let people give a lecture on anything… imagine schools and university are using Home for educational purposes…sony contact me and i can provide you really good ideas on that…and playstation future motion controller can can be used to write on whiteboards in lecturing room…endless possibilities…
5- Make it possible to launch Home directly when you start the system
6- maybe you are already thinking or implementing of innovative ideas of using motion controller in home… it is just to start a discussion in blog to see what people can come up:)
Keep doing good work – love you sony!
What will be cool to is to have different channels by language. That way everyone can talk to each other without the need to look if that person talk in English or spanish
This is gonna be so awesome. Too bad I won’t be able to afford the spaces though…
Nice! I see at least a couple of features that users have been clamoring for!
Things that I still think need to happen
1.) More instances on games. If I got a full party for bowling, I don’t want to have to wait for a lane to open up. I also don’t want to have to fight to play a more single player games (Like the redbull racing)
2.) Private group voice chat.
3.) I know that legal issues hamper the possible “uploading” of your own music/videos….so why not make TV’s that will only play video from PSN store? Why not make a radio that can play ICE/Shoutcasts? …or even hook into Slacker and/or pandora?
Outside of that, great update! Thanks!
YES YES!! IM CRYING RIGHT NOW THANK U SONY I HAD A BAD DAY AT SCHOOL YOU MADE IT ALL BETTER!!!
If you keep making PlayStation Home better the PS3 will go crazy with the application! (Because its the best thing on the PS3!).
Oh and thanks for the fixes and everything, keep doing a great work! Best of luck.
– FN
HOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT I can’t wait!
When will picture frames have a XMB browser is what I want to know. I purchased picture frames awhile back and can’t use them because my system locks up because the HDD is too big.
And can you tell who ever you need to, that the Singstar space should feature some of the games user uploaded videos so that those that donlt know about it can get a good laugh and it might spark interest for a sale.
Universal game launching is nothing unless there is a party systen that allows you to stay with your friends. Maybe they should look at the great party system the LBP has built-in.
will europe get the picture frames this year? Or are they beeing saved for Home on PS4?
Good update though.
OH!
Another thing. I think there needs to be more reasons to configure and USE your apartment.
So in the future it would be great to see items like pool tables, card tables, chess tables etc….available to purchase and put in our apartments.
You could even limit the quanity of these items per user and even limit how many can be placed per space. Cause 1 is better than 0
Oh and I second that, bring back public voice chat! That’s what made me be there in the first place. Right now its a silent silent world. I’m sure it helped sell the keypad, but now its time to show the headset some love.
listen@Home – I can finally listen to music on my HDD?
The best changes are the Store stuff. Still want some swimming, jet packs and to watch my videos in my apartment.
Awesome news! doing a great job an looking forward to universal game launching, will there be remote hover vehicles? and also i would like to address a feature we need bad a boot player feature for are spaces it sucks to have people we can’t get rid of in are spaces. please, please, please give us some mini games for are space soon like chess,pool,air hockey etc. and TV/radio systems for are media to share with people. keep up the good work, Peace!
This is cool and all but how about actually giving us something to do in the clubhouse I shelled money out for?
We dont care about home, please give us more features for our XMB, like in-game voice chat and voice chatrooms.
Wow… that’s a fantastic update! Thank you to the Playstation Home team!
Will you be back on the blog soon to announce what you’re working on next?
omg… i think i just had an anxiety attack. i can’t wait!!! good job and thanks!
Looking forward to giving this update a spin. Thanks, guys!
Woo hoo thanks! Been excited for 1.3!! Home is awesome!
@ 51
Please speak for yourself. I don’t go into HOME everyday but Its cool that its there and there is always things to do .If HOME was such a laughing stock the media would have jump all over this .You have a choice buddy to never go into HOME it’s your choice . as for HOME itself Good JOB on making improvements every month in HOME.
Awesome. I’m looking forward to spending more time in Playstation Home! Heck, it’s all I can do with my PS3 now that firmare 3.00/3.01 seems to have bricked by BluRay drive.
https://blog.playstation.com/2009/09/ps3-firmware-update-v3-01-now-available/comment-page-16
Great stuff! Thanks for the update!
alright. finally!!
when will we be able to watch a friends game in theater mode for games like batman or other single player games?
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
what are the New dance Moves? also If i had previously bought something in the mall and it still hasn’t shown up in my items or wardrobe,
Who is the Best person to speak to that about?
Thanks for this nice update. also for game launching, does it have to be disc based games? The only 2 I have are gta4 and Socom, will I be able to GL using any of my HDD Games?
I like that new map
Aside from a few early adopters, I don’t think Home is ever going to get much financial buy-in unless the following things happen:
1) Virtual items and clothes cost. too. much. Why would I spend $5 of real money to deck out my characters in game apparel when I could go buy a game on PSN for a few dollars more? If I could deck my character and apartment out for $.10 here, $.25 there, I’d be a lot more eager to consider spending some money.
2) Why should I pay developers to promote their games? Items intended to promote games shouldn’t cost anything at all; in fact, I think SCEA should encourage its developers to make exclusive Home items available to those who register a code from a game they’ve purchased or who buy DLC. That way, gamers are being rewarded for supporting software (and, of course, for buying new games instead of used ones). It’d be totally sweet if I could get access to Street Fighter IV or Soul Calibur IV costumes and apartment decorations simply by virtue of owning the games. I’d use them in Home, too.
3) Home really needs some better integration with the rest of the Internet. It’d be totally sweet to be able to integrate what I’m doing in Home with places like Facebook or Google.
Amazing!
With this and the PSP launch, everybody at SCEA should be taking Friday off!
Damn it… i haven´t HOME :( I´m from Mexico city and here not is possible enter this fantastic virtual world :(
iam pretty sure the community would rather have avatars and dynamic themes….
well dont worry as I cant even get to login and all my friends are on right now and I have important news for them.
niceeeeeeeee… thanks Guys
Are you kidding me? We can’t game launch into any of these games saved on our HDD? What’s the point of having it on the HDD again? I know, because it’s not sold on a Blu-Ray, but other than that?
So much for my friends and I novel idea of having a HVB league night in Home.
Ps3 rocks
^_^ THANKS SONY!!! I can’t wait for this to happen tommorow at Home. (sweet^-^)
Yes I’ve been waiting for this udpate. I can’t wait, October is one great month to be a gamer.
Wow, I’m actually interested in HOME, again. Good work, HOME developers!
they should add a tv that can play videos u have downloaded on yur ps3 that u could put into yur little house thing nd have the movie theater actually play movies possibly ones that r in the real movie theatrs those would be cool features nd a paint gun!!!
will v1.3 speed up various home loading times?
Thanks for bring the Neptune Suite to PS Home! I truly enjoy aquariums & look forward to enjoying the beautiful underwater world from the windows of the Neptune Suite.
On a related note – isn’t it time that the PS3 had a AAA underwater game…possibly a shooter or an adventure game.
@JKar275
“On a related note – isn’t it time that the PS3 had a AAA underwater game…possibly a shooter or an adventure game.”
Bioshock? Bioshock 2?
Sony Sony Sony, give us the ability to chat with up to 4-8 people while in home. In game party chat that works with all games and Home would be a start. Also, give us the ability to buy a tv or radio so we can stream content off our HDD into our home space. If we get this, this would make a lot of people happy. While waiting on a poker game it would be nice to pull up a small window that we can use to watch a movie or some type of media off our HDD.
@#48, stop being such a kiss ass!
But really, its about time, and why no cameras tomorrow? That was announced with the 1.3 post, so it should come WITH 1.3.
cross media chat?
Will we ever be getting custom soundtracks? Not to share, but just to listen to like in some games that support it.
I don’t know if you could do a last minute update of crntral plaza? if so i had saw a picture of it one day and it had a big open room with seats next to saucer pop. If you could do that I think people would like that.