Sony does something right - shocker

IF SONY WAS a piece of sporting equipment it would have to be either (a) a boxer's punch bag or (b) a boxer's jockstrap - neither is a very enviable a job.

Considering the now common roasting, slamming, furious, uproarious and outrage-related coverage the company gets over one bad decision or another, it's actually refreshing to see that the company can still do something useful. When you consider that the launch of the PS3 has, so far, been an under-whelming and disappointing affair, I was actually heartened by a series of positive PS3 announcements. The first two - shockingly - came from Sony, with the unveiling of Playstation Home and LittleBigPlanet. The other, concerning new, smaller and improved Cell processors, from IBM, herald the anorexically slim chance that we will see cheaper PS3s in the dim, distant future.

On the eve of the launch of the PS3 in Europe, it was about time that Sony had something interesting to offer on the whole ‘experience' side of things. You can hardly say that the current raft of PS3 games or Blu-ray movies can be classed as ‘killer-apps'. The selection of Blu-ray titles is small, and a mixed bag, while the games line-up is not the strongest. That may all change but the PS3 has been desperately in need of something special to sugar-coat that high price. At GDC 2007, Sony came up with the candy. It surprised everyone and, against the odds, hogged the media spotlight with it's Home announcement.

This is an online world - similar in some ways - to Second Life, where PS3 users will be able to congregate. Of course, it doesn't have the scope or freedom of Second Life but it is a massive step beyond the Xbox Live online experience. I'm not knocking the great Xbox Live online offering, so douse the flamethrowers, but Playstation Home - when it arrives in October - will crank the gaming community idea up a few notches.

With Home, you get to create an avatar which Sony claims will be hugely customisable so expect lots of outlandish clothes, hats and footwear. The creation of a virtual world this detailed, that gives players their own visible identity is a smart move. Not only do you get an avatar, you also get an apartment - your own space in that world - which you can decorate to your tastes. We're not talking crappy council flats here, but swish looking slices of contemporary design - the kind most of us could never actually afford. Within that apartment you'll be able to invite others in - 15 of them - to share music, view video downloads or games trailers and generally hang. Just don't expect orgies and Hot Coffee-like frolicking.

Sony is also aiming to expand the concept to homes, gardens and even neighbourhoods. There will be plenty of communal spaces to with stores, a money system and, eventually, an auction offering that will allow people to sell their own user created content to others. Unlike Live, Home is free, although Sony will be expecting to make some cash through downloads, the sale of distinctive virtual clothing and billboard advertising. Getting the balance right will be vital. If Sony pushes the commercial side too much it will turn players away from what could be a very interesting, global social experiment than a mere online gaming community.

That said, Sony hasn't made too many smart consumer-related decisions in recent times so fingers crossed. The other GDC surprise was LittleBigPlanet, a gaming concept from left-field. Take some physics, some cute little characters and lots of jumping, wiggling and grabbing things and you have the basics of an innovative online world. Again, the emphasis is on making your own little avatar and then creating your world from the stuff you find and grab. Players can create their own levels and share those levels with others and can even take time out to help each out. The words ‘cute' and ‘compelling' have been used a lot on this one. A trial version will hit the Playstation Network later this year with a full version coming in 2008.

The big question is whether these two interesting developments are enough to boost sales now. After all, what Sony is pitching is not coming for another 6 to 12 months and are there any guarantees that the experience will match the GDC 2007 show hype? After all, most European users expected to get a PS3 console - like the US and Japanese did - that could play most of their existing PS2 games. In the end, Sony did a little cost-cutting by removing a dedicated PS2 chip, shafting every potential European PS3 customer with some crappy emulator that costs less.

I'm not saying that Sony will screw people on Playstation Home but it has to be remembered that the company's promises are sometimes bigger that its ability to fulfill them. Can Sony's online world - as promised - elevate the PS3 into the uber-next generation entertainment device that the hype would have us believe? I'll wait for the proof-filled pudding first. µ