Consumer Electronics Show [CES] 2009 News

PSU: What to expect from EA Sports’ Home space

By now, you’ve read our article that gives you the slight announcement in regards to Home and EA’s plans to infiltrate it with their own personal space. Today, however, we had the chance to get a full eyes-on look at the entire space itself. From mini-games to potential opportunities, EA Sports has built a space for Home worthy of VIP access.

For starters, as the video below will indicate, EA Sports is unfolding an entire Texas Hold’em poker lounge for players to meet up and compete in one of the hottest card games on the planet. However, what isn’t mentioned is the fact that your bankroll will have a progressive system that will gain you not only attention via the online leaderboard, but will allow you access to VIP seating and arrangements. There is nothing cooler than being a virtual high roller player at the age of 19.

Furthering this interactivity is the race track that follows a similar design and style to that of the old Virtual Micro Machine games. Up to four racers can compete at any time and each user is given four laps in order to record their best possible lap time. For those of you worried about some guy hogging the machine all day, EA let us in on the fact that once your turn is up, your Avatar will render back a good 10-15 feet away from the machine, allowing others to easily access it before you can again.

While these were the only two active and playable mini-games at CES 2009, we were informed about what was to come and speculated about the potential that other areas of the space could bring.

As you can also see in the video, there is a rendering of a golf course. This is going to be utilized as a virtual driving range for players to get their stroke on. According to the design team, the drive system will function much like it does in Tiger Woods. This means you can expect a full-on swing stick.

Outside in the center of it all, you see an empty boxing ring, a basketball court, a football field, and a soccer pitch. While their lips were sealed on these parts of the space, we had some clever speculation as to what we thought may follow.

Boxing Ring: 1 on 1 avatar sparring.
Basketball Court: 3 on 3 half-court scrimmages.
Football Field: Potential drills competitions or even 5 on 5 two-hand touch.
Soccer pitch: Potential 1 on 1, Goalie Vs Striker games. If not a fitting 3-4 on 3-4 style match play.

If all of that hasn’t blown your mind, here is a full look into the world of EA Sports’ Home.