PlayStation Home dated for October

Sony's PlayStation Home online service will be released on PS3 this October, it has been uncovered.

The news comes from a third party relations PDF on Sony's developer website, which says that the initial download will arrive at "under 500MB" with later patches integrated via a streaming system.

The PDF also reveals Sony's plans to expand the service over time. For example users will only be able to seamlessly jump in to multiplayer games with friends from Home once Sony has finished coding that feature in, and to start with you'll only be able to visit other people's apartments when they're online.

"If you consider Home to be a simulacra of the real world then most goods and services found within the real world could theoretically be replicated within Home," the PDF reads, noting that it will even be possible to "develop small demo-areas within Home that promote new titles, or to re-publish an old IP as mini-games within Home Space".

A closed beta test for around 15,000 users is currently planned to take place between April and August, followed by an open beta for 50,000 between August and October.

via cvg