There are a few things though that aren’t touch here that may be important.

First there’s the cloud gaming that Sony promised to put on PS4. This is something that easily applies to Home. On cloud gaming a PS3 at Sony’s website will run Home and the PS4 just connects to it and relays the sound and picture and controller input via the internet. This allows Sony to run Home without the cost of create a new client program for the ps4. What Home can do on a PS3 will work because it IS a PS3 running Home. Sony seems dedicated to creating cloud gaming not for Home, but so that the huge library of PS3 games can be used on a PS4 which will help sell PS4s. It’s a valuable selling point. And Home can ride that wave.

I think one thing that will be critical to Home will be developer interest in creating content. Without new content, Home becomes boring for alot of people. Don’t get me wrong. Some hardcore users will always stay with Home. But for many others, their interest in Home wanes with less content or less interesting content. We already see this happen on sunday and monday nights. As more and more people leave, there’s fewer friends on your list in Home. And with less friends, more people drop.

I think the best future for Home is to go multiplatform. It’s a great idea, HOme is a great idea. And I think it would thrive outside just the playstation. And it makes sense for content to reach as many as possible. Once a developer creates a chair, or shirt or dress, it can be copied infinitely and across multiple platforms will pure profit. But like John mentions above, there seems little desire on Sony to do this.

John mentions its always possible a programmer will go nuts and save Home. But I think a more likely possibility is if Home lives long enough, someone will create something like Home on another system, be it internet, pc or cellphones. And if someone does make a pile of money on a virtual world game. Then Sony might start thinking….”HEY! we have something like that! What can we do to jump on the band wagon?” Just like how despite how great an idea Star Trek revivals were back in the 70’s, it wasn’t until STAR WARS hit the scene that made it possible for Trek to come back.

anyways, that’s just my long stream of thought…

I think something uniquely in Home’s favour compared to other online games is all the 3rd party developers it has.

It’s not just a case of Sony killing an in-house Sony MMORPG and ignoring the irate consumers on their forums. They will also hopefully face some pressure from the 3rd party devs, small though they may be, to keep the platform alive because it’s an important source of revenue for them.

So as many here have already said, it’s up to everyone, from consumers up through 3rd party devs, to keep supporting Home so Sony has a reason to support it too.

It’s very much in line with my predictions of Home’s future that it will get the support on its current platform as long as the consumers support it back.

I eventually will not be using this forever but for those that want to keep the dream alive, your advice is the soundest -- spend, enjoy rinse, repeat.

There is still a lot of work to be done and it all starts with better communication. Not just between Sony and the community but all of us. Sony, Community, Developers. There has to be established trust. There has to be consideration. There has to be procedures that cut time on getting products out. Streamline. attitude’s and non working relationships need to enter this Home. This goes for all of Home top to consumers.

Support. If everyone steps up then everyone wins.

Your passion for Home is a wonderful thing!

I get the feeling that Sony just doesn’t know what to do with Home, and as strange as that sounds I like it! I like being part of a small yet powerful community.

Almost every other gaming title in the world has a per-destined path, where consumers are faceless money sources with no say. Here on Home that’s not the case. For whatever the reason the Home community keeps this thing going, and Home has grown to the point where I feel Sony would rather see where it’s going, rather than the effort of hitting the brakes.

I feel as long as we participate in this thing called Home, there will be a Home, and this is something outside the box for most people to understand. Traditional gamers who, buy a game, beat the game,get the trophies and move on have never understood it.

Home is not a traditional game, it never will be, there is no “beating the game” in Home, and that’s what makes it so special. Unfortunately being a peculiar thing means we have to put up with a lot of questions and some doubt about its future.

But, as long as we are a community we get the very special privilege,that most never get of having a say directly or indirectly. We are unique and that’s why I love Home!

Thanks for a great article John!

You touched on the idea of some engineers going on a “mission from god” to do something hard for the sake of achieving the goal and being able to say “we did it”. I think this might be a window to what Gaikai is. Not many are talking about Gaikai as there’s so little concrete information on it, but we know it’s to be a streaming service for the back catalogue of PS games, and if this is true, then I see no reason to why the Home app couldn’t be streamed in the same way to a PS4. It’s always online, so that fits nicely into what could be part of the Gaikai service. And hey, if you require Plus to access Gaikai, and so in turn Home, then that’ll reduce the troll accs by a fair bit in Home!

After all that being said though, and as you stated in your article, Sony’s track record of keeping things alive long after the latest and greatest points to Home being accessible via PS3 for years to come regardless. I for one won’t be changing my spending habits for a while at least.

Some info in there I had not thought of or not known.

SONY has financial problems which may or may not have something to do with the future of HOME and where it will be (the 3 or 4 or both). I think both because if they can bring back old games then why not HOME on the 4?
Besides,

HOME needs to stay open if for no other reason then Kevin Butler has no where else to go.
Christina Lee at least has a chance elsewhere.
Not poor Kevin.

My typing is getting better but I’m still not ready for programming.
I’m an idea person and a thinker, not a numbers guy which is why I don’t belong in Vegas.