PS3 Home and LittleBigPlanet

FlyACL · 07-03-2007, 08:53 PM

OK, so I was not sure if I should even bring it up do to the last PS3 related thread not going over all that well. So if we could all just be nice I think there is some great stuff to discuss here for a couple of reasons.

First, I have a PS3. Selfish I know to start a PS3 related thread on my beloved 360 forum. But I do it because I have found the level of maturity around here verses other boards to be much higher and I think we can all handle it. Not to mention, I want to talk about it and worst case I can blame Nelson cuz he put it on the front page.

The second reason is a bit more 360 related. I firmly believe with the launch of the PS3 and the Wii, the whole console industry is going to get very exciting over the next year and beyond. The 360 has made some amazing progress. But to keep its place at the top I think they are going to have to stay one step ahead and one better then the competition. So announcements like these from Sony can only mean we will see bigger and better from MS. For that reason I think it is a great topic to discuss and comment on our likes and dislikes of all the new game related stuff coming out.

So on to the news! If you have not seen it, today at GDC Sony announced two pretty big things. One is what they are calling PlayStation Home and the other being a game called LittleBigPlanet. I would ask that in the interest of useful conversation people take a look at the two video clips from GDC posted on Gamevideos.com. The links are below~

PlayStation Home Video

LittleBigPlanet Video

First PlayStation Home. To me this is a combo of all the best parts of things people like. Like the title of Nelsons front page story, Live+Miis+Achievements+2nd Life and I would add The Sims. From the video I really like what I see. Almost like a mini game in its self. Walk around do stuff, play games, talk to people. All of it sounds good to me. The ability to create your own apartment and stack it with achievements and your own pics and videos is great. In theory I love the concept.

But, I can also see some downsides. One it will take all of one day for people to turn the whole thing into some kind of weird porn, sicko, hangout. I also hope this does not mean I HAVE to participate in the whole home experience. I would still like the option to launch my games and do stuff with out having to be included in the Home World or whatever they call it. I also hope it does not turn into some kind of micro-transaction money pit. MS had to forge ahead and figure out what they could and could not get away with. Lets hope Sony has learned from that and does not try and rape me day one. Last, as always they have made some pretty big predictions and I am not 100% they can follow through. For that we will just have to wait and see.

LittleBigPlanet! To this I say WOW. I think the whole thing looked pretty freaking amazing. No so much for what my limited mind can do with it. But the idea that people smarter then me can create these levels and things and then let me play around is pretty neat. I can not wait to see more of what this can do and what it turns in to down the road.

So, from a 360 perspective I am really looking forward to see what MS does next. I firmly believe they will have an answer to what appears to be some great new stuff. Assuming Sony can pull it off. For now MS has a great system, Sony has a great idea.

Thoughts... Comments... ??

Blasterpez · 08-03-2007, 01:00 AM

Comments: That's a big ass post.
Thoughts: How long have you had your ps3? And, has it had any issues? More or less then 360? I only ask because i saw a whole pile of them at best buy the other day and i am tempted, ooo so tempted. But I just never buy new technology because it's, well, new and it breaks a lot or has a lot of bugs. However, i have seen several posts around here that say its pretty damn stable (i am not concerned with online play and its OS thing that is like the psp, i am concerned with quality components, good picture, good sound, and good high def blu ray movie playback).
Sorry if i am going away from your main discussion points, but i never get in on these ps3 threads early enough (before the name calling and such) to post anything legit.

FlyACL · 08-03-2007, 09:03 AM

That is a huge post isn't it... I didn't quite realize it till I was done. Funny... Don't worry about the off topic questions, doesnt seem like anyone was to interested in this subject anyway.

As for your questions about the hardware. I have had zero problems. Not one freeze or hiccup, ever. Everything seems to be very well built. The unit it self is very heavy and feels solid. The controllers feel very different then the old PS2 ones, but only because they are super light. I assume this is because they took the rumble stuff out. But I don't know for sure. Picture, sound, blu-ray are all top notch IMO. I have seen posts at other PS3 forums on scaling issues, but to be honest I have not noticed anything like that myself.

Keeping it hardware related I would have only two complaints. The first being the Blue-tooth headset set up. It works well, better then the MS wireless one IMO. But it can be a real hassle to get set up and working. My understanding is the old Socom USB headsets work but I don't care for wires anymore. Being a bit more tech savvy then some, I got it working fine but I can see where people would have problems. Although there are some workarounds that work well. The easiest being to just use one BT headset for the PS3 and not try and share it with your cell phone. The constant pairing and un-pairing can get old real fast.

My second complaint would be the rechargeable controllers. The manual shows how to take the battery out, but I have never see a replacement battery for sale. This could be a problem down the road. You also have to use a USB cable that is connected to the PS3 to charge it. The cable that comes with it is literally 2 feet long. Way to short to play and charge at the same time. The PS3 also has to be on to charge. It would have been better to allow you to charge when it is off. So you can just plug them in when you are done and have them ready to go for next time. But I am sure Nyko or someone will come out with a charging station soon (if they have not already).

Other then them two issues (and they might just be my personal preference) I am very happy with the system. All my other complaints are really software related and I fully expect them to get fixed and improved over time.

Take care~

Blank · 08-03-2007, 09:55 AM

I like the look of the Home thingy, looks like it could be pretty good.

MasterFramer · 08-03-2007, 10:13 AM

I have no interest in dressing up a doll and walking around a world to find people to play with. And the mini games? Im sure they will get boring really quick just like most of the xbox live arcade games. This is Sony's big plans? Its a joke.

Tanzein · 08-03-2007, 10:38 AM

Been thinking on this whole "Home" idea for some time, and will have to learn more about it before jumping to any firm opinion. It seems to be a cool idea, but like FlyCL said I would want to beable to jump on and play. It would suck to hear a new arcade game came out and I have to walk my virtual person down to the arcade, taking a good 15 min, to check it out only to find out it is a new Q-Bert game hehe.

I don't have a PS3 yet, but have always planed on getting one (MGS4 & FFXIII once they hit the shelves). This new "Home" idea really does not have me hyped enough to run out and get a PS3 now.

I can see it becoming a "weird porn, sicko, hangout" was my first thoughts also. But I don't hang out in Vegas, not saying Vegas is a bad place, just a great place to visit not to live there. "Home" might just be a nice place to visit at the end of the day.

remixFA · 08-03-2007, 10:48 AM

well, i see the first virtual console w/ a strip joint comming.. in .. a month or less after release.
i just dont see a point in it. if your a sims freak, im sure your exited, but i just dont like walking around doing all that stuff w/ virtual dolls. howabout actually HANGING out w/ your friends, not just their virtual doll?
As for the little big world, im letting the video finish loading now..
ok.. watched most of it..
wow, that was fantastic... may be just a simple side scrollin lookin thing, but between the mechanics and the teamwork, that looks to be infinitly fun. MS needs to do something like that, as this is a perfect way to show system performance. I really hate to give props to sony, but this game actually looks incredibly fun

FlyACL · 08-03-2007, 11:00 AM

I guess what I like about the home stuff would be that you and your friends/clan could all be in the same room talking but also have something to do while you were in there. I have different themes for my dashboard, so this seems to be a step further then that. I also like the idea of being able to add your own personal pictures and video to the space that everyone can experience. Plus having the different arcade games be customizable by the user is pretty cool.

I agree it does look kind of Sims like and the Sims is not really my thing. But if you look at the top selling games, the Sims and the Sims expansion packs are all right up there. So I can understand why they took the road they did.

If it works, I will be very excited to see what comes after it. I think it would be cool to check out exclusive video trailers and things like that. From the demo it looked like you could just jump to where ever you wanted and not have to walk there. And outside of the virtual porn shop that is bound to happen, I think it would be cool to see what other people create and to check out their trophy cases and stuff.

I don't know, maybe I am just a bit of dork. But IMO, they have taken all the best parts of some very popular things and combined/improved them.

As for LittleBigPlanet, my jaw is still on the floor. Just amazing! That IMO is what should be shown to define Next-Gen...

Blasterpez · 09-03-2007, 01:20 AM

this time i'll stay on topic fly.

I tried to watch both videos. I got 2 minutes into the biglittleworld one and it stopped, even though i 'downloaded' the whole thing. But i was able to see enough of it to start seeing some of the stuff. It did look pretty cool. That kung fu ragdoll thing they showed first looked pretty novel as well, but kind of disconcerting.
As for the home thing (hehe, thought their demo machine froze up for a sec...that would suck.

)...i just look at my online activity as finding a good server and playing a game. not to interested in meeting people. And virtually meeting them is even less appealing. i think most people on line are big liars, and this kind of thing bolsters that mentality where a person can be anyone they want to be. i'd have to agree with remix in that this setting, and these freedoms, can turn into some type of predator, myspace-sims thing, pretty fast.
Also, it has a teeny bopper feel to it....especially when that guy is rambling on and on about clothing, and changing clothes, and buying new clothes. I'm thinking, is the ps3 trying to cater to 14 year old girls that go to the mall?
I think it is a pretty neat idea and a new way to approach interaction (or is it? thought i saw this somewhere before...something similar on some other wii type console....hmmm, i just can't think of it). that's my 2 cents.

Thechampishere · 09-03-2007, 08:23 AM

hmmmm Im definately getting a PS3 for x-mas but not without a rumble pad. Thats one of the main purpose why I play these games.

FlyACL · 09-03-2007, 08:47 AM

Yeah, I can live without it for a lot. But like racing games, IMO rumble is a must! I would think by XMas they will be back in the box as part of the package. I expect by end of summer they will be on store shelves for guys like me to buy. The sad part is MotoStorm will never have rumble. Unless on the very unlikely outside chance they included the code with the hopes rumble would return. But I highly doubt it. F1 will most likely have the same issue. Sad...

simon1 · 09-03-2007, 10:03 AM

I'll probably get a PS3 in time (probably not until next year) but i wasn't that excited about the Home Demo. Maybe gettin a little older but not really into that thing.
On the other hand, LittleBigPlanet, OMG!!!. I thought it looked fantastic. Just watching the demo had my smiling and laughing at the screen. It was a really good demonstration.

iFester · 09-03-2007, 10:25 AM

The cross media bar annoys me. I don't like in much in Windows Media Center. The Dashboard to me is simplistic and that's how I like to roam. The longer I watched the videos the more I see Sony in the center of ideas. Nintendo = fun, but a bit childish, Sony = fun, but for young adults and Microsoft = fun, but for adults.

I'm conflicted on a Mini Wheats level. I want to have fun, but also want my entertainment to be wholesome. Yes, theat was a horrible metaphor.

Grindstone · 09-03-2007, 11:32 AM

I'm not a big fan of the "Home" idea. I think it'll just be a breeding ground for adolescent players and potential pedophiles. I would support it if Sony letme be a "moderator" for them, and my banning powers included an AK-47 + frag grenades. But in reality, I am not interested in living a second life.

As for the new game concept, I think it is neat. I'll wait until we have more on the subject, however.

FlyACL · 09-03-2007, 08:24 PM

There was some more details that have come out about this. Specifically regarding parental controls. It seems that Home would follow the same parental controls as the console and you would be able to remove people from your "world" with the press of a button.

Not much to go on, but at least they seem to have thought about it.