Is Home ever coming out of beta?

After years of hype, speculation and delays, Sony finally released Home earlier this month -- in beta. The "open beta" was meant to allow all PS3 owners a chance to check out the new service, while still providing Sony plenty of cover if there were bugs and glitches that had yet to be fixed. Because we all know that nothing wipes away the stench of failure quite like saying, "Well, it’s still in beta, so there are going to be a few kinks left to work out." At that point we all just nod our heads, mutter "Oh yeah, that’s right" under our breath, and then move on with our lives. But the question then becomes, when will the service move out of beta and into its final release? The answer, apparently, is perhaps never.

In the latest Kotaku video podcast, Home director Jack Buser has gone on the record as saying that Sony doesn’t really know when the service will reach its final maturation point, and that it might remain in beta "indefinitely." Buser also took some time to talk about bandwidth issues, the future of the service, and even the ever-so-sticky issue of Crecente’s caveman beard.

What does permanent beta mean to the average gamer? Well it would seem to be not a whole lot. Unlike a game, Buser believes that Home is not one of those things that will ever stop adding content, therefore it is appropriate to keep the "beta" tag. Of course, this way Sony can hide behind that qualifying word anytime new content is added and everything goes massively wrong.

The service itself is not exactly setting the world on fire, with many seeing it as little more than a place to be sexually harassed by rude teenagers and a place where Sony can slowly drain your wallet for microtransactions on everything from t-shirts to new places to live. The service still has potential, with the possibility of gathering with friends to watch movies or play games, but for right now it’s just an ever-so-slightly less creepy version of Second Life. Oh well, at least it’s just in beta, I’m sure the final product will be much more reasonable and mature.

TGR Verdict: Rumor Very Likely