Tech Shout!

Microsoft and Nintendo go one up on Sony now!

Sony has announced that it is delaying the release of the Home virtual community service for its PlayStation 3 (PS3) game console to early 2008.

Originally slated for an October launch, the Sony 3D Home online service, the delay has been made to improve the product quality further, said Sony Computer Entertainment.

In a keynote speech at the Tokyo Game Show 2007, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai said, “I’m sorry about the delay, but since we want this to be a worldwide service — our territories all have their own wishes for it — it’s taking a bit longer for us to develop. We want Home to be satisfactory to all types of users around the world, so we decided to delay it.”

Adding, “This is going to be a worldwide service that needs to offer a wide range of functions required in Japan, in the US, in Europe and in Asia.”

The postponement of the service will give Sony an opportunity to include a new feature called Dress: Everybody’s Fashion Entertainment, while has reportedly been requested by users in the Alpha test. No further details about this feature were revealed. According to Hirai, the main reason for the delay was to continue to meet the requests of users and develop the platform.