Phil Harrison's GDC keynote - Home, LittleBigPlanet & more

[Johnny Awesome]

I just think a mountain is being made out of a molehill here. Home seems alright, but it's not exactly a killer app. A great MMORPG for PS3 would have a lot more impact than Home. Same goes for MS on X360. Make great massively multiplayer games and people will care, but Home just seems like something to goof around with.

Ask yourself a question: What are the most successful free online games? - PC card/mini-game (ie. yahoo games) type games.

Who plays them? - Women and mostly non-hardcore gamers.

Therefore the casual/women non-hardcore gamers are already massively represented on PC. The numbers speak for themselves.

Even though there are huge numbers of these non-gamers on PC, do they play Second Life? - Not in appreciable numbers, maybe 500k.

Thus, I don't think Home (ie. Second Life) on PS3 is going to be hugely significant with this demographic given that Second Life isn't that sucessful with this demographic on the PC even.

 

[-tkf-]

but Home just seems like something to goof around with.

And that makes it very attractive, some of the most fun is ussually had when your goofing around, and it´s something that all that ownes a Playstation 3 can do and i´m sure WILL DO.

 

[NERO]

Who plays them? - Women and mostly non-hardcore gamers.

Exactly friend. Exactly.

Therefore the casual/women non-hardcore gamers are already massively represented on PC. The numbers speak for themselves.

You are correct about the above market segment but that does not stop Sony from trying to get them. I'm curious as to how much - and how effectively - Sony will shill through this platform.

 

[Npl]

...

Fix your quote, I dint say that

 

[Ben-Nice]

I just think a mountain is being made out of a molehill here. Home seems alright, but it's not exactly a killer app. A great MMORPG for PS3 would have a lot more impact than Home. Same goes for MS on X360. Make great massively multiplayer games and people will care, but Home just seems like something to goof around with.

I agree it is not a Killer app but it is something that may very well interest many of the PS3 owners. As far as people going out an buying a PS3 for Home. I don't see much of that happening but it is pretty crazy the LBP makes me want to buy a PS3

 

[patsu]

I just think a mountain is being made out of a molehill here. Home seems alright, but it's not exactly a killer app. A great MMORPG for PS3 would have a lot more impact than Home. Same goes for MS on X360.

Apple and orange. A successful MMORPG is ultimately a profitable game franchise. A successful PS Home is a profitable online service. Both may or may not be system sellers.

Make great massively multiplayer games and people will care, but Home just seems like something to goof around with.

Ask yourself a question: What are the most successful free online games? - PC card/mini-game (ie. yahoo games) type games.

Who plays them? - Women and mostly non-hardcore gamers.

Therefore the casual/women non-hardcore gamers are already massively represented on PC. The numbers speak for themselves.

Even though there are huge numbers of these non-gamers on PC, do they play Second Life? - Not in appreciable numbers, maybe 500k.

Thus, I don't think Home (ie. Second Life) on PS3 is going to be hugely significant with this demographic given that Second Life isn't that sucessful with this demographic on the PC even.

PS Home has mini-games, but that's not its main draw. The comparison with PC gaming behaviour is also flawed because many people play mini-games while waiting for meetings, during lunch time. They do not necessarily conflict with PS3 gaming behaviour (at home). Plus Sony can reach out to the same audience via non-gaming functions in PS Home.

PS Home has SecondLife elements, but a lot more other things too (e.g., integration with PS3 games, clan rooms, movies, streaming + sharing personal media, etc.). What's happening at SecondLife may not be representative here, not to mention they have scaling issues.

PS Home is not just a game or an application. It's a multi-vendor platform like Xbox LIVE, but with a twist. It is an online mechanism for SCE to partner with content providers and other non-game business entities. This is why Sony announced it in GDC (to solicit developer support).

The twist is the consumers get to customize the environment together with Sony and its partners (i.e., the Game 3.0 elements).

EDIT: I'm not saying it will be successful. There are still usability issues to work out. But it is fundamentally different from what you have seen on a console so far. It is a mistake to compare it to "just" an MMORPG.

Another way to look at this is: It is the follow-up to Sony's AOL-on-PS2 that never happened. This time Sony takes matter into its own hands (and the dial-up ISP angle is no longer needed).

 

[cthellis42]

Personalization in games is also very limited. Only a handful of first-party titles use them.

That was more a sly dig at the scarcity of OTHER purpose to the Miis. I think that--until they roll out other features for us to judge--the one thing that will likely be easy and commonplace in games is avatar-inclusion.

I'm disappointed Nintendo commented this way. They've generally been above this tit-for-tat. They've played their game to their rules and let MS and Sony trade PR nonsense.

QFT

Even the messier and sillier PR comments only get harped on my we message-board types (who rank very low and tiny on the scale of "everyone who will eventually own these machines"), but even so Nintendo has so far been above it and let their actions speak for themselves. I'd hate to see them sink into the same ditches. (They could just continue to let other people will do their mudslinging for them. )

 

[wco81]

So the publisher participation in this could be interesting. The PS store is really lacking in third-party demos so maybe Sony has held off on investing in a lot of infrastructure, which could also be why the PS Store is so slow.

You know there was a PS2 game, online, which let you wander around a neighborhood playing various mini games. You could chat I believe between the houses and then enter some buildings to play these games. Forget what it was called but it had cutesy characters. It bombed though.

The other thing is, this will be a menu item in the XMB. So you have to really go out of your way to launch this thing if you happen to have a disc in the PS3 when you boot it up or wake it from sleep.

Now, would you be running Home even if you don't launch it? Would you still use 96 MB combined of RAM if you're playing a game and not even enter Home or the XMB? Oh I guess someone mentioned that there is a button you can hit on the Sixaxis which will launch it? The PS button?

Maybe also why PS3 games are lacking in online features, especially integration of the Friends list. I mean, I added friends and it doesn't sound like any PS3 game so far lets you use the Friends list in game.

Presumably with Home, it will be a different story?

 

[almighty]

All i know is i am really excited about HOME and ill spend hours just showing you losers how to interior decorate

 

[dobwal]

I don't think Home is going to sell alot of PS3, but it will sell alot of keyboards. I doubt socializing on home is going to be that great if everyone is typing with joysticks.

Comparing it to Sims or Second Life is a little superficial since the most online games have underlying game mechanics that are just as important (if not more) than those games' social aspect ,which can't easily be replaced simply by adding minigames and video viewing.

I doubt if Home was standalone game that costed 60 dollars it would be greeted with such ethusiasm. But its free and intergrated in a way that most online PS3ers will use it to some extent and as long at it doesn't impede those who want to get straight to online gaming, it will be a great feature for the PS3.

 

[patsu]

So the publisher participation in this could be interesting. The PS store is really lacking in third-party demos so maybe Sony has held off on investing in a lot of infrastructure, which could also be why the PS Store is so slow.

Yes, developer participation in this malleable world will be key. I have no insider info, so I can't value add on your infrastructure and 96Mb RAM comments below

You know there was a PS2 game, online, which let you wander around a neighborhood playing various mini games. You could chat I believe between the houses and then enter some buildings to play these games. Forget what it was called but it had cutesy characters. It bombed though.

HOME may be able to escape that fate because of the strong Playstation brand. As long as the user experience is great, the same folks in Playstation Flora across the world will likely hop in from time to time.

I am not sure what happened in that PS2 game, There are many pitfalls (e.g., viable business models, sufficient traffic, customer acquisition cost, enough user generated content, ...). At this late stage of the game (and with known failures before them), I assume Sony has already thought through the issues.

The other thing is, this will be a menu item in the XMB. So you have to really go out of your way to launch this thing if you happen to have a disc in the PS3 when you boot it up or wake it from sleep.

Now, would you be running Home even if you don't launch it? Would you still use 96 MB combined of RAM if you're playing a game and not even enter Home or the XMB? Oh I guess someone mentioned that there is a button you can hit on the Sixaxis which will launch it? The PS button?

Maybe also why PS3 games are lacking in online features, especially integration of the Friends list. I mean, I added friends and it doesn't sound like any PS3 game so far lets you use the Friends list in game.

Presumably with Home, it will be a different story?

Yeah, the entire user experience will be put under test in the closed beta. It is prudent to do a soft launch.

Comparing it to Sims or Second Life is a little superficial since the most online games have underlying game mechanics that are just as important (if not more) than those games' social aspect ,which can't easily be replaced simply by adding minigames and video viewing.

That's correct. In its final form, there should be activities for PS Home users to participate in from time to time. You can see them as quests, games or meta-games, but a full game will have deeper and more focused experience. So I don't think Sims Online will be threathened (SecondLife is not really a game though).

 

[Nesh]

I just think a mountain is being made out of a molehill here. Home seems alright, but it's not exactly a killer app. A great MMORPG for PS3 would have a lot more impact than Home. Same goes for MS on X360. Make great massively multiplayer games and people will care, but Home just seems like something to goof around with.

Ask yourself a question: What are the most successful free online games? - PC card/mini-game (ie. yahoo games) type games.

Who plays them? - Women and mostly non-hardcore gamers.

Therefore the casual/women non-hardcore gamers are already massively represented on PC. The numbers speak for themselves.

Even though there are huge numbers of these non-gamers on PC, do they play Second Life? - Not in appreciable numbers, maybe 500k.

Thus, I don't think Home (ie. Second Life) on PS3 is going to be hugely significant with this demographic given that Second Life isn't that sucessful with this demographic on the PC even.

Good points but I think you are just looking at the surface

Second Life isnt free and usually downloaded games on PCs arent glitch free or flawless.
Home is free and easilly accesible. It reminds me of MSN which everyone uses with the difference that its 3D, you can do much more and it has to do with games.

But most importantly Home is a part of the Playstation. Second Life feels alieneted from the platform. Not many know it either or feel it has that something. Many Playstation owners are going to try it, even just out of curiosity. Even more it has direct "communication" with things that interest gamers. Game trailers, game rankings, competition, game upgrades and such as well as file distribution. Second Life lacks this. Home isnt trying to be a game or a substitude to real life either. Its a place for playstation gamers to gather, share information, game footage, compete their scores, watch the latest games. The sense of belonging to a certain group, that of the playstation is there by the time you put the product in your household. Home is a place for that group. Second life is a place for strangers. Nothing specific connects people. Gamers will use it to add to their gaming (meaning the games they buy on disk) experience only, others might use everything it offers, others might use it for the same reasons for example women use them

Its easier for playstation gamers to feel interested in home than PC gamers wanting to give a chance to Second Life. I think its diverisifed enough to gain interest from gamers but not necessarilly to use Home as a g ame

 

[Laa-Yosh]

At the risk of sounding like a prude, I think real life blows that away.

Yeah. A good alternative would be to get a Wii, some beer, and invite friends to your actual home and play there. A lot more fun as well as I've heard, gotta try it someday.

 

[Carl B]

Do all your friends live within driving distance?

 

[Sankari]

It would be great idea for Sony to make sneak previews for movies in Home. Make people pay the movie ticket so they get to watch a movie before it even hits the cinemas. I know this doesn't appeal to many people perhaps but I'm sure this would add extra revenue and if executed properly would make people really want a PS3 knowing they could watch some of theyr favourite movies that Sony owns the rights to before others. I know it sounds silly but to me it would be a wonderful idea. There's so many possibilities with Home really. I like the idea, and if someone doesn't like the idea, don't use the feature, its that simple really.

 

[Laa-Yosh]

I dunno, my main complaint with Home is that it's just too old in its looks and implementations. We've seen the 'chat with dancing customizable avatars' stuff far too many times, same goes for '3D home builder' and so on. I just don't care about this at all...
Again, something like the Matrix from Neuromancer would've been more interesting, but that's just me and my preferences

 

[patsu]

In my experiences, you make/meet different kind of friends online.

I used to spend more time yaking with these online ghosts more than old friends. We eventually meet in the real world. The relationship is different. We talk about different things, and are connected more by deep, common interests but it can be shakey. It is not uncommon for people to break up after the physical contact. OTOH I also have coworkers who marry their online friends after meeting them in real life.

But hey, I'm having a blast killing Chimeras with the GAF guys. They are a great (and funny) bunch. You should try it too.

 

[Npl]

Yeah. A good alternative would be to get a Wii, some beer, and invite friends to your actual home and play there. A lot more fun as well as I've heard, gotta try it someday.

You could also get some more beer and a PS2, actually good games. That way the drunks will only violate your coach and not jumping and throwing (up) themself around in your living room?

You done with your offtopic rant?

 

[Carl B]

I dunno, my main complaint with Home is that it's just too old in its looks and implementations. We've seen the 'chat with dancing customizable avatars' stuff far too many times, same goes for '3D home builder' and so on. I just don't care about this at all...

Oh I know.

It was interesting though your using a console you haven't seemed to have any interest in as the centerpiece of an example of "Home only better." The distance aspect of the analogy was of course just a little extreme, but the fact that you have expressed little interest in Wii or Home, yet the former is selling millions and the latter is premised on similar mass-viral web efforts I think at least indicates that there's something here, even if some don't 'get it,' or more importantly, want it.

What can I say? I'm an adult male, and although I've not played Sims, 2nd Life, or spent much time with any MMORPG, I will have a fly pad in this virtual world. No, I won't spend too much time actually in it, but some very well may.

Ultimately it just comes down to Sony providing something that Microsoft does not, and within the effort, doing a great job of it. Whether the service itself will have a broad effect... who knows. What were the predictions on Wii? (Granted the book on Wii isn't done being written) Some people at least seem excited though. It'll just be a ubiquitous and free option there in the background. Thus, whatever the result does end up being, it will be neutral at worst, and a great positive at best. Either way unless it truly truly bombs, it'll have been worth the R&D $$ put into it over the 10+ years of the service.

 

[Zassk]

I'm guessing Ultima Online, but let me know.

tfk had the right answer, I was talking about Everquest 2, which is another Sony product. I suspect the same development house made Home.

I'll paste a quote that I saw on NeoGaf, which sums up my thinking on Home:

This is basically Everquest 2 (an SOE title), modernized. For those of you who have played it, I'm sure you see the resemblances especially with the living space. I'm guessing that sure, access to "Home" is free. But I bet you'll be paying some form of currency for those nifty clothes and virtual couch you're going to have in your place. Whether it's in the form of money or game earned points, who knows. Or maybe there will just be billboards and product placement ads throughout the place. Interesting nonetheless, but for someone who plays MMOs, not blowing my mind.