The Home beta has finally gone live to the public. Of course it’s still in beta because God forbid Home should ever actually be ready. We’ve only been waiting since the Playstation 3’s launch for it. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had access for a while now and it was an interesting jaunt into the cyber world. Firstly I should point out that I’m not about to slag off Home. If you are looking for that you can go and look at just about any other site on the entire internet. I think Home is pretty good and I have reasons for thinking that which I will put forward to you forthwith.
Firstly there is no arguing that in terms of the big console’s avatar creation systems Home provides the clear winner. Mii’s are very cute although almost completely unrecognisable as anything other than little weeble people. The only realistic Mii’s are Brian Blessed and Gordon Freeman which says more about them than it does about Mii’s. Xbox 360 avatars are a little more detailed and have a slightly better choice of clothing. Home avatars are in a class of their own offering incredible detail for what is essentially a little representative figure, there for a bit of fun.
The world of Home itself offers a tad more interaction and fun than a Mii parade or Xbox dashboard. It’s a whole life to live, with your own house, a bowling alley, gaming arcade withing the world, a theatre, a town square and a shopping mall to buy new furniture, clothes and items. It’s a mini Second Life. Second Life is an easy comparison to make, as another free-to-play sim world where interaction and expression is the currency. Of course it’s not a comparison where Home will ever come out on top. Second Life offers you an unlimited amount of freedom and a massive amount of eye-popping adult content. This is where my one issue with Home comes into play. Home doesn’t allow you to make a child avatar, nor is any of its content aimed at children. What child would want a sophisticated waterfront apartment and a visit to the town square to play chess? Yet there is absolutely no adult content available. You can’t even make a slightly naughty gesture never mind dry hump another person’s avatar. In aiming Home at everyone, it may capture the interest of no one.
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| Second Life | Playstation Home |
I would however urge PS3 owners to think of Home as the free interactive hubworld it is. It’s there so you can interact with your friends and as a nice place to launch your gaming sessions from; for its purpose it is astonishingly well designed.
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