by Phoenix, HSM team writer

What if Sony offered an in-Home currency, say Home Dollars, or Sony bucks? What if this currency could purchase specific items? Special add-ons to your spaces, the wharf-side below the Harbour Studio, mini-games, clothing, art work, all this only available to those with Sony bucks.

These bucks might be a reward for PS Plus members. PS Plus members have recently been awarded some special benefits in Home, with the implementation of update 1.75. Members now have the ability to create new hair colors, and makeup colors for the lip and eye, as well as save an additional twelve avatar slots in the wardrobe. There are now eight additional popup colors, along with a Plus icon that can be displayed after members’ names. This was a welcome reward for many. Benefits like free games, games at discounted prices, free avatar icons and screen savers, have been available from the start for Plus subscribers, as long as you remain a member. These new rewards aimed at Plus Home users have been a long time in coming.

An in-Home currency could be the thing that finally makes the Plus program seem like a real reward program to Home users.

Could these new perks mean that change is coming — the possible beginning of more rewards from a reward program that should offer something that appeals to all its members? Would Sony see more Plus enrollment if more Home content were available in the program? I, for one, renewed my Plus membership whenever a game was offered that I wanted to play. I admit my membership lapsed several times in between the offers. Now, with the Home benefits, I feel I am more likely to keep the membership going. Yes, I know if it lapses I will still have the benefits in a kind of frozen status. But the color I created for my hair will be inaccessible, as will some of my new saves, until I am an active member again. Because of this, I will probably keep my membership active.

I like the idea of Sony getting in on the developer-specific currency trend, if it means we could get items unavailable any other way through a reward program. After all, reward programs should have ways to entice and reward members. They should offer things no one outside the program has. With Sony developer currency, I could purchase, say, a personal space exclusive to the Plus program, or a mini game to which I would keep access, even if I didn’t renew my membership. I can see several uses for Sony currency.

I could even see a link to the SCE online store where, after earning so many Sony bucks, it would be possible to purchase real-world items, such as tote bags, sun visors, T-shirts, game cases, key rings, phone sleeves, etc. This is something that other game companies do, such as Nintendo. Something like this could add more to the rewards program in the way of incentives. Other developers could even get in on it — a purchase from them could increase your Sony currency. A purchase from LOOT could get you some loot!

What if the currency could be made available to everyone? There could be other ways that any Home user could earn it, not just the Plus members. All of us in Home love games and quests, or new ways to earn things. Why not earn Sony developer currency? Perhaps completing a survey at the end of a digital game purchase could earn 200 Sony coins. Or there could be a specific game currency reward that came with the  a hard copy of a game, in the form of a coin code for Home. There are already gift shops in some of the club skins, where you can find items that can’t be purchased anywhere else. Special items connected with the Sony currency could also be sold there. There could be a Sony gift shop in Home, at the Mall or a club space. This Sony currency could even purchase add-ons to spaces. Again, we are back to the add-ons we want, not the “here you go, see if you like it” rewards we sometimes get. This not to say I don’t like the random rewards, but without a delete button… well you understand.

With developer currency for a reward program, the possibilities are endless. What other reward programs would you like to see?

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