The PlayStation Itself Becomes a Game
Imagine this: You turn on your PlayStation, and instead of being greeted by a static menu with a list of your installed games, the PlayStation itself is a game.
Your digital avatar appears in a shared virtual space—a living, breathing PlayStation world. Instead of browsing a menu alone, you can see which of your friends are online simply by walking around. Their avatars are right there, hanging out in virtual lounges, playing games, or just wandering the PlayStation world.
You want to play Call of Duty? No need to navigate a menu. Instead, you and your friends simply open a Call of Duty portal, step through it together, and boom—you’re instantly launched into the same lobby. Want to join a racing game? You and your friends spawn cars and then race to see who can get to the portal first - Launching the game becomes a game in itself.
The entire console UI could function as a social gaming space, keeping you connected to your friends at all times, and gaming at all times—unless you choose to opt out and and go for a more conventional console experience.
And this isn’t just limited to flat-screen gaming.
With PSVR2, this PlayStation world could be experienced in full virtual reality, allowing players to physically interact with each other, just like in VRChat or Rec Room. Sony already has the technology—they just need to put it together.
This isn’t just PlayStation Home. This is PlayStation itself, reimagined.
Is This Just the Metaverse Again?
If all of this sounds a little like the Metaverse, well… that’s because it kind of is. But this time, we can actually do it right.
The Metaverse, as envisioned by Meta, was a disaster from the start. It was built on empty promises, NFT scams, crypto jargon, and corporate nonsense—all of which felt completely disconnected from what people actually wanted. It was a solution looking for a problem.
A revived PlayStation Home, however, wouldn’t be some generic digital playground for corporate meetings and weird legless avatars. It would be for gamers. By gamers. It wouldn’t ask you to “own” digital real estate in some fake city or spend real money on “exclusive” NFT skins. Instead, it would reward you for doing what you already love: playing games.
And this is where Roblox comes in.
What PlayStation Home Can Learn from Roblox
I know, I know—Roblox isn’t exactly seen as a “real gamer” platform. It’s a chaotic playground filled with kid-friendly, user-generated content. But after watching my kids play Roblox, I’ve come to realize that it does one thing better than most AAA games today:
It rewards players for playing—not just for paying.
Of course, Roblox has microtransactions (they make billions from them), but the core of its experience is built around earning cool stuff simply by playing games.
Imagine stepping through a portal in PlayStation Home and seamlessly launching into Horizon Forbidden West. You spend a few hours exploring its vast landscapes, taking down robotic dinosaurs, and immersing yourself in the adventure. When you exit back into the shared PlayStation space, you're rewarded—not with a pop-up ad or a microtransaction prompt, but with something tangible in the virtual world. Maybe it’s a robotic dinosaur mount that you can now ride around in the Home environment, showing off your time spent in Horizon Forbidden West.
As you roam through PlayStation Home, someone spots you and asks, “Whoa, how did you get that?”
Your answer is simple: “I played Horizon Forbidden West.”
It’s not about buying your way to cool gear. It’s about earning rewards by actually playing games, You know - Like earning trophies, but better and more tangible.
And that’s the magic of this idea.
The best players—the ones who truly explore PlayStation’s world—would have the most to show for it. Imagine seeing someone decked out in a Kratos-inspired Spartan armor set while wielding a customized Final Fantasy Buster Sword—not because they bought it, but because they earned it through play.
This would make PlayStation not just a console, but a fully connected gaming ecosystem—one where every game you play contributes to a shared, rewarding experience.
Why PlayStation Home Failed the First Time
When PlayStation Home launched in 2008, it had an ambitious vision. The problem? The execution never lived up to the concept.
For starters, it was slow and clunky. Everything took forever to load - now we have an SSD. Navigation was awkward and interactions felt like a chore rather than an immersive experience. You could barely connect a microphone back then - now you have a built in one in your controller. The social spaces, meant to be vibrant and engaging, often felt empty and lifeless, Mostly because the PS3 hardware couldn't handle too many people at once - Not a problem now.
Then there was the problem of content. Sony promised a gaming hub, a place where you could easily jump into multiplayer sessions with friends. But instead, it became a corporate-sponsored wasteland, filled with advertisements, overpriced digital furniture, and lifeless environments. It wasn’t a gaming space—it was a badly disguised shopping mall.
But beyond all that, we weren’t ready for it.
The Next PlayStation Should BE PlayStation Home
At the end of the day, Sony doesn’t need to simply bring back PlayStation Home as an optional extra. They need to go bigger.
The next PlayStation itself could function like this.
Instead of just a menu with tiles of games, your entire PlayStation environment could be a living, social gaming hub. You log in, and you’re not just looking at a static dashboard—you’re walking around a virtual PlayStation world, seeing your friends, exploring events, and stepping into games as naturally as walking through a door.
It wouldn’t be a gimmick. It wouldn’t be a fad. It would be the future of gaming.
And the best part? It could actually work.
Final Thoughts – The Time Is Now
PlayStation Home wasn’t a bad idea. It was just too early.
Now, in an era where we spend more time in digital spaces than ever before, the idea of a persistent, social gaming world makes more sense than ever.
Sony already has the pieces in place—powerful hardware, VR integration, a massive player base, and a thriving ecosystem. All they need to do is bring back PlayStation Home… and do it right this time.
The question isn’t if we’re ready for it.
The question is: why isn’t it here yet?
