ps home: the casino

I’m pretty happy with all the upgrades Playstation Home released lately. PS Home is a 3D virtual social gaming network available only on the Playstation 3. It’s been completely overhauled since its launch back in December of 2008. There are hundreds of free “games” available now, including some RC Car racing action and a few First Person Shooters. As you may or may not know, the biggest gripe I had with PS Home was the loss of the EA Sports Complex dedicated space. In that space, between the obvious advertising for popular EA Sports games, were Texas Hold’em poker tables. These tables were pretty much the closest thing to console gambling you could get without spending real money. Well, time has passed, PS Home has improved and gambling is back on the menu! This time with some actual money involved, kinda.

playstation home report

Did the shit just get awesome? A massive overhaul to Playstation Home leaves past visitors wondering if the recent teaser video of PS Home is too good to be true. Could PS Home become all it could be, with free games, things to do and, most importantly, the return of poker? The teaser promises a new main spawning point (replacing Central Plaza), new spaces and dozens of free-to-play games. We dive into PS Home for a look for ourselves.

ps home report 01

PLATFORM: PS Home
RELEASE DATE: 12/2008
DEVELOPER: Sony
ESRB RATING: NA

Is it really a gambling addiction if there isn't real money exchanged? I've spent countless hours exploring Sony's social gaming platform Playstation Home. Home is the gathering place of the PS community where everyone person with a PS3 can join as an avatar and explore the numerous spaces available; all for free. By far the most popular of these spaces is the EA Sports Complex. Surprisingly, the main draw is the poker tables and trying to build your avatar's bankroll up, rather than focusing on the many successful EA Sports franchises.

Never mind the brand new games I have, or the freshly downloaded content, I always find myself back here. Texas Hold'em is what's playing on the the three colored game tables in the space. Green felt for the novice, red for the skilled and black for the expert games. The red and black tables require a buy-in that you can build up to with your bank roll from playing on the green tables. Playing with the PS Home "friends" that I remember or with strangers, it's always the same game, but just like real poker it's always a different experience.