[Titanio]

Didn't expect we'd need this thread quite so soon, but a media briefing last night has leaked a few concrete details on Harrison's GDC keynote, so here we go I guess. The other GDC thread was aimed at 'smaller news', and this ain't that. We can keep all further news/details/impressions from the conference in here I guess.

The keynote itself is taking place at 10.30am-11.30am PST, hosted of course by Phil Harrison.

What we know so far

The short version

- Sony to unveil Home, a 3D online community taking cues from Second Life and The Sims, with hooks for games to export trophies and game-specific objects - to be released in the Fall.
- Sony will unveil LittleBigPlanet. Not much is known on this yet, except that it will allow players to make the game themselves (?!)
- Sony privately showed off Killzone Tuesday night. It will not be shown publically today, we will have to wait until E3.

The long version

The NYTimes reports from a media briefing on Tuesday night that Sony will unveil Home, a Second Life/The Sims style online community.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/ar...ref=technology

Moving to enhance its PlayStation 3 game console, Sony today plans to announce new online capabilities for it, meant to draw gamers into Sony’s cyberspace community and allow them to share entertainment content they have created, à la YouTube.

The centerpiece, a new service called PlayStation Home, is to become available to consumers in the fall, said senior game industry executives, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the plans. PlayStation Home is meant to build on and surpass somewhat similar offerings from Sony’s competitors Microsoft and Nintendo by allowing users to create persisting online identities that record players’ achievements in different games. As players progress through a game, they will unlock various virtual prizes that they can then show off to friends and rivals, the executives said.

It is a deficiency that Sony seems well aware of and that today’s announcements are meant to address. Kotaku (kotaku.com), a popular gaming blog, reported preliminary details about PlayStation Home last week. Mr. Harrison would not discuss specifics of today’s planned announcements but he laid out a clear road map of how Sony intends to improve and augment its online service.

“Last year was a year of hardware,” he said. “It was all about the hardware launch, specifications, hardware technology. This is the year of software, about developing new services and, crucially, the migration from pure packaged goods, which has been the traditional delivery mechanism in our industry over the last 25 years, to something that blends the network and online services into the game experience.”

MarketWatch has more:

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/stor...1AC5E68B4AE%7D

Sony sees social gaming as next evolution
Electronics giant launches 'Home' network for PlayStation3

...

The main component of the company's new push is a service called Home. Accessed through the PlayStation3 console, Home allows users to build identities known in the online world as avatars. Users can move through the 3D online Home world to interact with other users. As in "Second Life," users can also purchase items such as apartments, clothing and decorations.
One feature of home will tie into other PS3 games. Players will be able to collect trophies and other objects from their various console games and add them to the Home world.

Also shown at the briefing, to be demonstrated at the keynote, is LittleBigPlanet. Not much is known except this:

In a demonstration to media outlets on Tuesday night, Harrison also unveiled a new title, "LittleBigPlanet," which allows users to create their own games using materials found in the virtual world.

Also worth noting that Sony showed off Killzone a the same briefing - however, it will not be shown publically today at GDC. It won't be shown to us until E3.

That's everything for now!

[Arwin]

Home and LittleBigPlanet should be the same I think. Home being your own space in LittleBigPlanet where your 'trophies' are stored and so on.

[Titanio]

LittleBigPlanet doesn't really sound like just a place to store trophies though It sounds like a seperate game that stands on its own, not related to Home directly.

There's a brief comment from a journalist on GAF hyping it as something special. I'm at least as intrigued to see this as much as I am to see Home now.

[inefficient]

A Little Big Adventure sequel announcement would have got me even more aroused!

Since the news is so close, I don't even want to bother talking about the Sony stuff till tomorrow. But I am excited.

[slider]

Originally Posted by Titanio

LittleBigPlanet doesn't really sound like just a place to store trophies though

It sounds like a very free-form concept.

Hmm, the mind boggles. I won't make a fool of myself and speculate. Better to wait a few hours I think!

[Rangers]

We'll get killzone video impressions and I would bet, leaked cellphone video at some point though.

[Titanio]

Originally Posted by Rangers

We'll get killzone video impressions and I would bet, leaked cellphone video at some point though.

The former seems probable for later today, as for the latter I guess that would depend on security at that briefing

There's a thread here in anticipation of that information (and the little that is there already).

[TurnDragoZeroV2G]

Perhaps just a date for a trailer or release. The former seems especially likely. Seeing Killzone given what we've heard so far doesn't seem very plausible, and all...

[DieH@rd]

Ladies and gentlemans, the keynote will start in few minutes!

But gametrailers have already posted videos of Playstation HOME and Little Big Planet!!!

[Carl B]

Hey, is there some site live-blogging the keynote?

We should zero in on this thing, it being 7 minutes away.

[almighty]

Little Big Planet

[DieH@rd]

Liveblogs:
1UP - http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=...UserId=5844217
Eurogamer - http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=73821

[speng]

Trailer is amazing for what they have planned. If this is more than 80% complete, unless MS has been hiding something this is a big Bomb!

http://www.gametrailers.com/downloadnew.php?id=17559

I can already see my Clan trophy for Socom: 4

Speng.

[patsu]

I watched the LBP trailer with my son. Judging from his reaction, I have to keep my PS3 locked now.

I am impressed by this little title. Are the objects captured from the real world ?!

[TurnDragoZeroV2G]

Sony has finally, really blown me away.

I mean.... WOW. 'nuff said.

[Synergy34]

Wow, LBP looks very interesting, looks like it could be this gens Katamari. The graphics are incredible, I know its a very simple looking game but they definetly don't disappoint.

The pic of Home above has me very curious, not like what I was expecting at all. Heading to gametrailers to check it out.

Good stuff so far from Sony

[-tkf-]

Ehmm who said 2nd life the fun version?

Edit:
Little big planet: http://gamevideos.com/video/id/9841

[dobwal]

I hope "PS Home" becomes more than a social feature. The thought of showing off a trophy room isn't something I find appealing nor would I have a need to see other people's trophy room.

I think "PS home" would be a nice feature if it offered built in games where your avatar is actually serving as your controllable character such as going to the gym to a play a pickup game of basketball, engaging in a street fight or a game of paintball, basically games that are built in seamlessly into home. Other than that and I would see it as nothing but a glorified 3d game lobby.

[speng]

http://www.gametrailers.com/

http://www.gametrailers.com/downloadnew.php?id=17559

This looks absolutely sweet!!

Great stuff coming for PS3.

Speng.

[almighty]

Pic



Looks

["Nerve-Damage"]

Originally Posted by almighty

Pic



Looks

[DieH@rd]

Originally Posted by almighty

Pic



Looks

OMG, this is sick. Like SIMS on steroids!

[Tap In]

Originally Posted by almighty

Pic



Looks

yep, looks really cool

oh and in a way Home is similar to what 2K Sports games has been doing for several years in all their games with a virtual home (skybox) where you have a trophy room and a virtual playroom with air hockey and such and a jukebox and a way to design with furniture and other features.

that was not interactive with other users however, nor this deep, but the core idea is similar.

[assen]

Is that "in-engine" or is it a target render? It seems too clean to me, too perfect soft shadows...
Which of the first-party studios is doing this?

Edit: I'm wondering about the Home videos, the LBP movie are more in-game-like (and 100x more appealing).

[-tkf-]

Originally Posted by assen

Is that "in-engine" or is it a target render? It seems too clean to me, too perfect soft shadows...
Which of the first-party studios?

Seems he is demostrating it live right now, so..