UPDATE:
Following its initial announcement yesterday, Sony has confirmed that Home will launch "early PM UK time." According to ‘TedTheDog’, the Home icon on the XMB will launch as soon as the service goes live, though unless your PS3 is switched off you’ll have to restart your console in order to see it.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
Sony has announced that the early-anticipated PlayStation Home will finally be opening its doors to the public on December 11, 2008.
The long-delayed social networking platform allows users to explore a sumptuous online environment packed with mini-games and other attractions, with users able to create custom avatars and chat with other gamers in real time. Home will be available as a free download for all PlayStation 3 owners.
Europeans can also look forward to a unique Far Cry 2 space to explore, with further areas based on popular titles including WarHawk, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and MotorStorm also in the pipeline.
Other highlights include unique content from popular names including Red Bull, Diesel, Paramount, Ligne Roset, Hexus TV and Eurogamer. Diesel plans to offer clothing for user avatars, while Ligne will be churning customisable furniture.
Kazuo Hirai, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc (SCEI), commented, "PlayStation Home is truly a promising network community service on the PlayStation platform, made possible with the powerful combination of PS3’s overwhelming computational power and PlayStation Network that covers many countries around the globe.”
"We are committed to providing PS3 users with exciting gaming experiences with PlayStation Home and together with our partners and users, expand the new world of interactive entertainment as we move forward."
Sony plans to release additional content and features for the service throughout the New Year.