PS3 Quality Games Coming To PSN HOME

HOME Sony's never ending beta will be getting version 1.5 soon according to Jack Buser PlayStation Home director. Version 1.5 of Home, will be released sometime this Spring, it will provide improved network mechanics to allow for massively multiplayer experiences; physics engine improvements that give developers direct control over mass, velocity and collisions; and graphical improvements that provide for better frame rates and smoother animation transitions.

With the 1.5 update, games on PlayStation Home can become harder to distinguish from standard PlayStation 3 releases, Jack Buser stated. To demonstrate this, Lockwood Publishing CEO Halli Bjornsson demoed a work-in-progress version of Sodium 2: Project Velocity, a multiplayer futuristic racing game with some high graphical polish.

Bjornsson point's out that Home integration will allow Sodium 2 players to walk over to their garage, hop in a customized car, and accelerate directly into a live race with other players seamlessly. The tracks themselves will also be integrated into Home's larger virtual world, allowing spectators unique access, he said.

“You can actually walk up to the game with all the people and step into it,” he said. “The best example is to imagine in Gran Turismo, if you're in the pit and you can see the cars going past. Home offers you a sort of unique relationship between you, the players, and the games you play. Psychologically, we really love that.”