Ok for anyone else who says that its "Worth the wait" so that the finished product will be better, why in a game that is being constantly updated and ever-changing do we need to wait for it to be released? They already have a completely playable product.

SleazySaint

It does seem unfair for people to be upset that Home has not been released yet, esp. Kotaku, since this site is the one that more or less forced Sony to admit there was a Home. At the same time, Kotaku did not force Sony to put a release date on Home or have them push it back. I want Home to come out, but I think it's worth the wait to have a good product. I wish the in game media bar would come out already.

rogueslayer0

Still no clue what this is.

[www.colorize.net]

DelSource

@m1lkb0ne: that was awesome! maybe if I knew more things about things and had more patience i could articulate a thought so eloquently. "Shut up and wait" sounds so crass in comparison and that doesn't bring anything worthwhile to the discussion. but really, all of yous.bitchin and moanin, shaddup and wait.

bkN00b

Oooh that is my birthday, I hope that it comes out on that day.

polarenvy

@celery:
Why is it impossible to put deadlines on complex software projects?

It's not impossible, but very difficult to do so accurately. The primary reason is that one doesn't understand the nature of the problem until one tries to solve it.

For simple projects, it may be the case that the goal can be completely defined beforehand, a solution worked out, and finally implemented in code, which can be tested against the specs.

But for something as complex as a video game or XBL or Home, the goal is a moving target because the initial problem is ill-defined (in the mathematical sense). So the developers are actually discovering the nature of the problem in the process of solving it. And very often one finds that his initial concept is so far from being practical or even desirable, that it has to be completely reanalyzed. So you take what you learned from your first attempt, and more-or-less start over again. If you're unlucky, this may be an iterative process, having to be done several times. The earlier efforts are not wasted, provided one learns something important from them.

there should be clear requirements, design docs, and roadmaps

Software managers have long sought some kind of formal process that is supposed to ensure a project is completely-defined up-front, and implemented step-by-step with well-defined milestones being met on schedule. The reality is that it almost never works out that way. Because human creativity (and falliblity) cannot be reduced to a process. Nor, really, should we want it to be, because if it could be, software could be written by the computer itself. There have been attempts at automated software production, but they've all been spectacular failures, except for the very simplest classes of problems.

People aren't automatons, and they shouldn't aspire to be. The very humanity which makes us fallible is also the source of our creativity.

m1lkb0ne

I can't wait for HOME and am growing weary of all the info we get "leaked". It seems every time we hear something it pushes it back further. April is what I had on my best bet. I want a firm date and want it to be soon. Sony - You need to realize that the more HOME gets worked up and the longer we wait the higher the risk that we will feel that what we get is not what we expected. After this much time and expectation HOME has a lot to live up to, real or imagined. Hurry Sony - HURRY!

Awoken

I've been part of the Home "team" since the beginning and i'll reiterate what AJ above has said.Not only is the world devoid of anyhing useful or fun, what there is(like bowling,pool,arcade machines)are not very much fun to use.It's almost as if Sony can't decide what exactly Home is going to be.IMO they ought to close the thign down and make pretend it never existed.If it releases in ANY semblence to the condition it's in now, it's goin to let EVERYBODY down bigtime.

Sugaray

@JKPierce: nah, i think they got a picked apart because of half-truthes and whatnot. Even when they were telling the truth, media was ripping them (which was unfortunate...i'm looking at you 1..*ahem* back to topic). Now Sony seems humble to me and really i wouldn't mind if they just came out and say what's the hold up. i'm pretty patient with things; usually because there's a reason associated with it. but hey, that's me. although i kinda want to see what kind of things MGS4 has in store for it...if it does.

jun581

This site forced Sony to jump the gun on the announcement. But Home seems nowhere close to coming out. And I say this each time there's a post or some news and people get their hopes up.

There have been so many updates which changed how things worked, or removed features. Or the one that wiped everything and started over again with a complete overhaul of the environment. Heck, right now there's very limited items for the apartment.

I personally think this is the kind of thing that the PS4 should have or should come out late in the PS3 lifecycle with the intent that on PS4 it will be a smoother, bug free program.

Sony should just focus on getting us in game messaging. And getting devs to quit passing along shoddy ports. I'm not too sure how to do that last part, as EA seems committed to claiming ignorance on how to program for the PS3 properly.

AverageJoes

@scarlet:

thats the mistake you can never fix with hardware, i hope you know what im referring to.

mentalboy11

@celery:

and i'm sure you're a professional in business then?

you must have majored in business in college, otherwise, i dont think you could do their job better than them.

mentalboy11

@m1lkb0ne: Why is it impossible to put deadlines on complex software projects? If I was management, and someone proposed a complex software project, the first thing I'd ask for is a deadline. And that's what people do. No one goes into a big project blind and groping, there should be clear requirements, design docs, and roadmaps. Sounds to me like Sony has bitten off more than it can chew.

celery

They didn't announce it? I mean didn't they show a trailer for it like last year.

Inferno_22

The thing is as a PS3 owner from the beginning, I think its users have been patient enough. Honestly it still lacks in game messaging, custom music, these features have been done years ago by other consoles.

I realize PSN is free, But I would not mind paying $8 a month if it meant a better online service and more content.

Inferno_22

Lest we all forget, Sony's hand was forced with regards to even admitting Home existed. They didn't want to announce a thing, but some gaming news site :) started talking about it and they used some heavy handed tactics to try to silence them. In the end they just gave up and admitted it exists.

But they didn't want to announce back then, and everyone knows they didn't want to announce it back then, so getting all angry about them announcing it that long before it's out is just disingenuous.

cheviot

@jun581: They should go back to last year, in which every statement was viciously picked apart by bloggers and gamers alike.

Or not.

The current model of waiting until they're dead certain on something seems to be working pretty well so far. Less bias, less quotes taken from their context.

JKPierce

@rzac30:
"Have they allowed the streaming of videos yet?"

as of yet no.

DarkTravesty

If it were released today we'd all be inundated with the incessant bitching about how broken it is. Shut up, play something else and learn patience. Jesus H. Christ.

bkN00b

well i found something interesting in this video the comment of the owner:

PSPHaCkErAOD (5 days ago) Show Hide
Marked as spam
Reply
fake, im testing until 5/31/08 there is currently no offical release date from sony

+ Watch video

TEXHAYASHIBARA

@Darksider71:
some folks have seen it but nobody else ever will!!!
I've seen it.

@Inferno_22:
when the heck is Sony actually going to release the damn thing
when it's ready, not before. Which it ain't.

@TheIrishNinja:
if this thing's not ready to go by the time of MGS4, seriously, theyre missing a huge opportunity
True, but they are making significant progress. Dunno if there'll be enough by MGS4, though.

Home is essentially Sony's answer to XBL. It's gonna have all the headaches associated with an world-wide system like that, plus a very complex, Sims-like or Second Life-like iinterface. There are real possibilities for a rich set of user-interactive experiences in Home, but like all complex software products, it's next to impossible to estimate how much effort it will take to accomplish, or how long it will take to implement. And it's something of a risk that gamers will prefer it to a simpler menu-driven interface like XBL.

I'm pretty critical of Sony on a number of issues, but at least they're giving something innovative a try. I think it will be worth the wait, but YMMV, of couse.

m1lkb0ne

@wisconsinista:

It's not like your just taking a server and throwing content up.It's just a little bit more involved in it and with all the testing.If I was Sony I wouldn't have even announced it until this year.

enewtabie

For those that are in the Open Beta just a quick question. Have they allowed the streaming of videos yet? As in someone can share whatever media is in his/her PS 3, with other owners? I still think that if Sony allows this, it'll make the PS 3 the ultimate media center...

rzac30

It's been built up for so long I've placed enthusiasm for it on low as the let-down quotient is high. I remember when we were supposed to get this in October of last year. I want a job with no deadlines. Sony may be just the gig.

wisconsinista

It can't be that far off, for all intents and purposes it was pretty much done last year before Kaz delayed it. I'm looking at this as an end to all beta stages which means I'm looking for the open beta to start sometime in April and then the release in mid May if this is to be believed which I'm not sure it can be

Sparx

yah, the home delays are pretty annoying! i expected this quite some time ago.

but the wait will be worth it if it means there will be like.. ZERO bugs, and many more features because of the delays.

even still.. blah.

joelface

I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with Home. Don't get me wrong, I love my PS3, but I tend to put a disc in and hit play. Why am I wandering around a virtual village beforehand? I'm sure I'm just missing something.

kingclip

@scarlet: Oooooh. Sounds like someone's talking smack about the 360.

Kidding.

FIRST!!!

I'm starting to think that the release of Home will be highlighted by its first in-Home playable app -- Duke Nukem Forever.

If you catch my drift.

A Pimp Named Daver4470

@mentalboy11: sodium chloride! wow, i can't believe i remembered something from the periodic table of elements. wow, i can't believe i just remembered what it was called.

hopefully you won't be seeing another one of those extended dates as many of us are eagerly waiting and our patience growing ever so thinner with no news of a release date

@scarlet: you're right! i forget this when waiting in anticipation for something huge until someone mentions this. but how long is too long?

kw4k

I read that in game messaging will be available this summer on the sony site. So this might just all be related, and home will come, will it be the begin all and end all some people seem to think it is? That im not sure about.

PS: I liked the Loch Ness monster anology.

gnudna

Something tells me Christmas will come before Home ever will. It's as if Sony is using it to keep us interested in the PS3, but will continue to delay it.

FIRST!!!

never made the private beta, mebbe an open one - but again, if this thing's not ready to go by the time of MGS4, seriously, theyre missing a huge opportunity to start fresh with a lotta new consumers.

TheIrishNinja

may 15th IS a Thursday...who knows, I am tired of waiting and the hype has died down for me.

Seiven

the thing that irks me is the lack of info and the subsquent market talk that always follows (especially from Erip Lempel). Sometimes, companies don't realize that flat out transperancy/honesty is cool.

jun581

FYI, im in the home beta.

it said October as the date it ended.
Then January...
and now may.

so take it with a grain of NaCl.

mentalboy11

I'd rather then get it right then rush to put something out and have to fix it later.

scarlet

@aurahack: Yeah sorry about that, I got a lil crazy with the exclamation points.

Darksider71

I am sick and tired of all this Home talk and beta this, when the heck is Sony actually going to release the damn thing for its users? I want in game messaging and friends list for EVERY game, xbox360 had this 3 years ago.

Heck we are just getting rumble this year now lol. As a PS3 supporter I am beginning to question my support for Sony.

Inferno_22

So is the expectation that Home will just roll in with a firmware update, or be an optional, separate download enabled after a firmware update? I'm just curious, I'm kind of hoping Home just appears with system software, to make it easier for the less technically saavy PS3 owners to hop right in.

DaiMacculate

@Darksider71: Despite the massive amounts of exclamation points, that's just about the best analogy I've seen linked to Home.

aurahack

Why did they announce this and LBP in February 07?
I can't wait for LBP, and Home, but they said both would come out in mid-late 2007 and the wait has been pretty bad.

mywhitenoise

Home is the lochness monster of games...some folks have seen it but nobody else ever will!!!

Darksider71

how long will we have to wait for this?! *sigh* at least this is more of a sign of ps-home coming sooner, but so is x'ing out the days on my calendar

kw4k

Mine has had that message two or three times, originating back in October. I still have access, just no longer on the beta section of the site.

JKPierce