PSVR 2 needs a social space and a PlayStation Home return could be it

Date:
Mon, 26 Jul 2021 09:49:00 +0000

Description:
A VR social Sims-like app could be just what PSVR 2 needs.

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Remember PlayStation Home ? The ill-fated social hangout space that was on
the PlayStation 3 ? It could be making a return for the PS5 generation.

Part chatroom, part Sims-like design app, PlayStation Home was closed in 2015 and never saw a resurgence on the PlayStation 4 . But a new trademark application , submitted on July 21, 2021, suggests Sony is seriously considering bringing back the service its the third time in three months
that Sonys made applications regarding PlayStation Home.

Sonys latest trademark application has seen it secure the name until October 2028, categorising PlayStation Home as goods and services within computer
game software suggestive of a free-to-play model, much like the first incarnation of Home.

At present, Sonys made no official announcement that PlayStation Home could
be returning but it may prove better timed in the present day than it ever did in the PS3 era. The messy, doomed journey of PlayStation Home PSVR 2: everything you need to know Analysis: A post-Covid PSVR 2 social space?

Its been a world-changing two years since the Covid-19 pandemic reared its ugly head, changing many of the daily activities we used to take for granted. Not least among these are social norms who thought wed all be wearing masks every day, actively maintaining distance from our peers and avoiding any social gatherings with anyone other than our household members?

As such, the rise in digital hangout options has surged whether youre on a WhatsApp call with your mum, or taking a business meeting on Zoom, face-to-face interaction has been largely replaced by digital chats in the past two years. With broadband and mobile connectivity as good as it has ever been, weve been able to relatively painlessly jump from text-based messaging services to video calls en-masse.

But theres another wave of interactive social apps that Sony is looking to capitalize on here not just those like Second Life, which let you create a digital avatar to explore an idealised world with (though the original PlayStation Home did most closely resemble that). The real money is in the likes of Fortnite , which is able now to host huge in-game concert events
with real-world stars, and generate a fortune in the process. PlayStation
Home could be the perfect intersection point for Sony to tap into a
generation reared on digital interaction, and monetise them at the same time, with the power of the PS5 and its quick loading times making it a friction-free portal.

But one step beyond that still is Sonys virtual reality ambitions. We already know that Sony has a PSVR 2 headset in the works, expected to release in time for the end of 2022. As seen with the success of Oculus Quest 2 , virtual reality is quickly approaching mainstream status, and PS5 could offer the power to make social experiences on a PlayStation VR 2 device more fulfilling than ever before. As were now getting used to staying at home in order to speak to distant friends, PlayStation Home on PSVR 2 could let us invite pals to our virtual living spaces, and still have a sense of presence alongside them too. Best PlayStation VR games : jump into Sony's virtual worlds



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/psvr-2-needs-a-social-space-and-a-playstation-h ome-return-could-be-it/


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