Home offers most "user friendly" experience, says Festejo

  • Posted February 23rd, 2008 at 13:35 EDT by Mike Harradence
  • 33 Comments

Ron Festejo, the Creative Director of PlayStation Home, has described Sony’s forthcoming online initiative as the "best-looking" and most “user friendly” multiplayer experience he has ever witnessed.

"From my point of view, looking at Second Life - because it has been mentioned a lot in the same paragraph as Home, and people make that comparison - I'm amazed at how many people go on there," said Festejo, during an interview with Gamesindustry.biz.

Festejo went on to talk about various issues faced with other Second Life platforms, such as complications for first time users, along with the importance of user interface, of which he considers Home to offer the best.

"John [Venables, Home's lead artist] said in a presentation that for a lot of people, their first experience of online play is to 'log on…get shot in the face, log on…get shot in the face' and actually that's true - people tend to not go into that because of those experiences," he stated.

"Personally, looking at other models, a lot of them are too hardcore, a lot of them are garish in the way they look. I think what we've done with Home is have the best-looking multiplayer world - and actually the most user-friendly that I've seen as well."

"We don't have anything in there that's appealing to that kind of geeky audience that you might find in Second Life."

Venables meanwhile, who has worked with the Home project since it was first conceived on PlayStation 2, stressed that it is important the company maintains a high "quality bar" for the service, pointing to how the PlayStation 3 offers the developers the chance to keep a “polished” look, unlike how things worked with Linden Lab’s efforts with Second Life.

“Essentially, with the Second Life example - and partly the disparity of the graphics, because you have to cater for the lowest-end PC whereas on the PlayStation 3 it's a level playing-field - with something so organic as Home, with features being added, it's difficult to set that benchmark of how many polygons to throw around, and how many to save for future things that we may or may not want to do," he explained.

"I think the PS3 platform has given us an advantage in terms of keeping a polished look, and it not to look like Second Life. I don't want to dis Second Life, obviously they've been successful and they have to cater for people with old Pentium IIs and whatever, so I can understand why it looks the way it does.

"So it's not to criticise them, it's just that as a PlayStation 3 online space it was very important that there is a quality bar that we want to hit."

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What are your thoughts?

  1. Daz | miami2399

    • 1:42pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    This is going to be HUGE. I cant wait

  2. TwiSta | TwiSta

    • 1:44pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    lol This guy loves to rip Second Life! "geeky audience" haha

  3. bloodwarg | bloodwarg

    • 1:53pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    whens it getting released

  4. HazdoTT | Tazmyster

    • 1:56pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    lol sooo true Home+in game xmb will then finally kill xbox recorded :p

  5. sorrow880 | Sorrow880

    • 1:59pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    I honestly can't wait.  We could have ps3forum chats. 

  6. NitroMikeo

    • 2:22pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    lol yh. home is gonna be the best. And with endless posiblities that they could add in as time goes on this is gonna be an unmissable feature for ps3, and even for some people one of the selling points.

  7. PSN-pauls

    • 2:26pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    can't wait for this. this is going to help PS3 alot to take the online crown from the 360. i think this should be coming some time soon because sony had that spring release date!!! i'd say end of march

  8. sjp4d3hfkyfk

    • 2:32pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    PS3 already has the best online,because why... ITS FREE. PS3 its the best thing that could have come to the gaming world. They say that crap box was cheaper, but dumb xbox fan boys didnt think about all the add on it needs. And also the cost for online play. Now, look, we have HOME! Everyone who owns a ps3 will get to meet each other and hang out with everyone. Thank you for letting me rip one in crapbox.

    p.s I'm going to ask them if they would let me start a MTv like cribs on HOME! lol That would be sick!!!

  9. Ezcobar411

    • 2:54pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    I can't wait for HOME

  10. Lithgow

    • 3:20pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    So hyped for this! PS, everyone. Be waiting for something MASSIVE on March 19-20.

  11. killercop | killercop

    • 3:21pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    I'm looking forward to Home, very much indeed.

     

    I've tried Second Life, I have no idea how it can be fun, I couldn't even control my character, it just flew around... :S

     

    Looking forward to it! Make me happy (as always) Sony!

  12. nevertell | nevertell

    • 3:35pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    The anticipation just keeps building for this game.  I am so excited.  I don't think it's gonna be anytime soon though.  Spring is just way to close for it to be released then.  Hopefully by the end of summer it will be out.  We shall see.

  13. Kenshin93 | FredFredBurger3

    • 3:38pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    i hope it gets really soon!

  14. Muzikguy | Muzikguy

    • 3:38pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    Of course the guy working on Home is going to talk good about it. It's funny how he say he doesn't want to criticize Second Life, but already has. What's appealing to the "geeky" audience I wonder? Does that mean I won't be able to walk into a liquor store in Home or buy a porno? LOL

  15. XenoSilvano | XenoSilvano

    • 4:05pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    "We don't have anything in there that's appealing to that kind of geeky audience that you might find in Second Life." - LOL - Ron Festejo is a stone cold badass!

     

    although there are notable similarities between Home and 2nd Life, (ahh forget it I dont feel like finishing that sentance.) you know what I mean.

  16. tabular

    • 5:55pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    I'm gonna love home. Someday this will be THE killer app for PS3!

  17. reccodog | reccodog

    • 6:58pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    MAN OH MAN!!! I can't wait for this to come out!! This is gonna be the bomb that killes Microsoft and its online wat ever it has.

  18. gingo | gingo

    • 9:05pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    psn id: gingo.... this better come soon i want to see if it lives up to the massive hype surrounding it

  19. thats_that

    • 9:18pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    well home would be extremely awesome if you could enter part of home where it was like an arena where you could still chat but you could whip out a 45. and shot somebody right between the eyes and it could only be enetered if you were 18+ age

  20. IONIXX | IONIXX

    • 10:19pm GMT - February 23rd, 2008

    i think people are underestamating HOME, u hear people saying stuff like "oh this wont work, its just garbage", and we all know wat those dumb xbots say about it, but wen it hits, and sinks in, i bet all those people are gonna be quite shocked :)

  21. falky64

    • 1:37am GMT - February 24th, 2008

    When does it come out PSU??? I need a date or I will flip out......

  22. Lp47PS3 | Lp47

    • 3:05am GMT - February 24th, 2008

    Sweet, but lets sing this thing get released!

  23. Nautilus

    • 5:29am GMT - February 24th, 2008

    Sony need to do something..and quick. At the moment the XBOX is clearly ahead in terms of online play.  I own an xbox and purchased a PS3 on release. Sadly the PS3 is just collecting dust at the moment. There is just no need for the PS3 at the moment the way things stand. The best games on the PS3 have been available on XBOX anyway, only better on XBOX because of the fantastic live service. I'd rather pay for an online service that works then have a crap one thats free!!!

  24. digzz

    • 7:14am GMT - February 24th, 2008

    Come on NOw Give US A DATE FOR GOD SAKE!!

  25. chilledbreeze7

    • 1:14pm GMT - February 24th, 2008

    Like everyone else, I wanna know when its coming out!!!!!!!!!!!! But when it does come out I just hope to god it gets release EVERYWHERE at the same time. I dont want to be released in Japan first, then America and then here in Europe where we usually have to wait for everything! :( That would seriously do my head in!!

  26. Alpha2

    • 3:49pm GMT - February 24th, 2008

    GEEZ! these guys are WAAAY too egotistical, in one fell swoop they made home look 50 times better than it actually is and it's just going to dissapoint people if they keep doing it this way! stop comparing it to second life already! that's why people keep thinking Home is a game! They just retooled the user interface for they update this week so how can they say it's better than secnod life if none of us beta testers have had a chance to tell them if it sucks or not?

     

    Seriously they need to just shut the heII up and work on finishing the damn thing.

  27. Ensei-Shiki | djinni001

    • 4:04pm GMT - February 24th, 2008

    lmao, Alpha2, that is so true! lmao. but seriously though i don't care when it comes out; with all this time they have to work on it, this thing better be the excrement!!!

  28. Excelryu | Falryu

    • 6:30pm GMT - February 24th, 2008

    I can already imagine Playstation Universe Home parties. A way to socialize between PSU users.

  29. Ps3_aDdIcT | WuccA

    • 10:01pm GMT - February 24th, 2008

    It's looking better and better, but we will just have to see if it is really what they are saying. Hopefully it is.

  30. PerezStation3 | HYper_MAN456

    • 10:43pm GMT - February 24th, 2008

    I'm so glad to hear about very good things about Home. Its the most anticipated offering from Sony I'm looking forward to, Can't wait to embarass myself on the dance floor XD

  31. fanboybyrights | UNREALGOD

    • 1:24am GMT - February 25th, 2008

    realease home already man.

  32. chubacca

    • 2:17am GMT - February 25th, 2008

    I agree with Alpha2... They are making too much of this, and taking too long. I bet most people are disapointed with the results when it comes out.

     2nd life is old and is not cool - so somebody needs to sh.ut the f.uck up about it. otherwise PS3 users will look like a bunch of gay tools.

    Less talking and more doing please.

  33. Nautilus

    • 12:51pm GMT - February 27th, 2008

    "Home" will probably be as big as a let down as the actual PS3 was.  Starting to wonder why I ever purchased one. I ve always been a playstation guy but im afraid the xbox is clearing up at the moment.........

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