Hi everyone,
Yes, the big day is finally upon us...after 2+ years in the planning, Open Beta is happening tomorrow! If you already have access to Home, which most of you do, you won't have to re-download it, but you will be prompted to download an update for the new version when you click on Home tomorrow.
Home will only be down for a brief two-hour window tonight, from 2am - 4am Pacific (5am - 7am Eastern). Once it's back online we will be running version 1.03 and all those with the current version will be offered a patch. The patch simply supports the server changes being made to support Open Beta.
Some *important* things to be aware of:
-from Open beta onwards the age limit for Home within SCEA will change from 18+ to 13+, so it will be even more important to keep your language clean
-there will be a brand-spankin' new, redesigned Central Plaza with a new game called "Saucer Pop"
-there will be a bunch of new songs to choose from in Listen@Home
-Clubhouses created during version 1.0 will go away, but you can re-create them and they will stay post-Open Beta. Clubhouses will now be available for purchase for a one-time fee of $4.99, but they are yours for as long as you want them.
-Uncharted and Far Cry 2 spaces will be back
-the Closed Beta forums will be taken down (content will be archived for Home staff and moderators for reference) and the PlayStation Home forum will now be the only forum for everyone. Now you will be one big happy Home family! You can find that here:
http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board?board.id=ps3hom
e
-there will be some new Mall items, but there will be MANY more new virtual items coming next week, so sit tight for that
-Home will be available to everyone who has a PlayStation®Store
As we said in the PlayStation.com Blog, Home Open Beta is the start of a long journey. Home will continue to evolve in exciting ways over the years to come. We want to thank you for your excellent feedback and dedication to Home as closed beta testers. You have played a big part in the development of Home and helped us get to this point. Thank you! Enjoy your new Home!
~CydoniaX and Locust_Star