OK, the last one isn't super interesting, but the Facebook feature would be nice. Looks like Sony caught on before we had the chance to confirm the pics ourselves, but ScrawlFX says it found the them here, here and here. [ScrawlFX via Kotaku]

Remember, technically PlayStation Home is only an open beta. So if it kinda blows, melts your PS3 or sucks your physical body in to a Tron-like world of horror, it's not Sony's fault. You downloaded it. Oh, and apparently you can buy clothes for your avatar from Diesel. Yes, your fake you will dress better than your real you. Full details:

PLAYSTATION®HOME BETA SERVICE WILL BECOME AVAILABLE TO ALL PLAYSTATION®3 USERS ON DECEMBER 11
Highly Anticipated Service Open For All PLAYSTATION 3 Users

Tokyo, Foster City, London, December 10, 2008 – Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) today announced that its highly anticipated PlayStation®Home Beta service for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) will become available for all PS3 users around the world *1 on December 11, 2008. Following the successful completion of the closed beta service, PlayStation Home’s open beta service will continue to evolve with new features and functionality.

PlayStation Home is a ground-breaking 3D social gaming community available on PS3 that allows users to interact, communicate and share gaming experiences. By leveraging the power of PS3, PlayStation Home delivers overwhelming visual graphics and rich gaming social experiences only possible on the PS3 platform. Within PlayStation Home, users can create and customize their own unique avatars and explore the virtual community in real time where they can communicate freely through text or voice chat. PlayStation Home users will not only be able to enjoy variety of entertainment content such as mini-games, videos and special events along with their friends, but will also be able to create their own community by using the “Club*2” feature to create clubs with other PlayStation Home users who share the same interests. PlayStation Home also allows groups of users to launch directly into their favourite online games together from PlayStation Home.

PlayStation Home, available as a free download*3 starting December 11, will launch directly from the PlayStation Home icon on the PlayStation®Network column of XMB™ (XrossMediaBar) on PS3. Users will be able to experience basic features and services of PlayStation Home, free of charge*4. PlayStation Home will allow open interaction among users, business partners, and SCE, and will evolve with additional features including dedicated game spaces, special events and exclusive themed items, to further enrich the entertainment experience on the PS3 platform.

“PlayStation Home is truly a promising network community service on the PlayStation platform, made possible with the powerful combination of PS3's overwhelming computational power and PlayStation Network that covers many countries around the globe,” said Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO, SCE. “We are committed to providing PS3 users with exciting gaming experiences with PlayStation Home and together with our partners and users, expand the new world of interactive entertainment as we move forward.”

For users accessing PlayStation Home in the Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) regions, themed virtual environments will be available to explore. Starting with a themed Far Cry 2 space, PlayStation Home will offer game inspired environments that allow people to discuss the specific games, plan strategies and access content and clues that will enhance the gaming experience. The number of gaming environments such as this will regularly increase, with spaces for Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune™, Warhawk™, Motorstorm and SOCOM following very soon. SCEE is working with leading publishers such as: Electronic Arts, UBISOFT, Midway, Sega and Atari to create engaging environments that will provide users with an on-going gaming experience.

“We are very excited to be bringing PlayStation Home to Europe and the PAL territories, offering users an interactive, social, gaming experience,” said Daniel Hill, Home Service Manager, SCEE. “PlayStation Home is unique to anything else in the gaming world and by partnering with both global and regional gaming and non-gaming brands, we are able to offer exciting and entertaining content that will enhance the PlayStation experience.”

SCEE today also announced the first partnerships with some of the world’s most respected lifestyle brands for the Open Beta. Fashion leader Diesel, contemporary furniture designers Ligne Roset, energy drink Red Bull, film studio Paramount Pictures and video content providers Hexus TV and Eurogamer are the first on board. They will offer resident’s virtual clothing for their avatar, virtual furniture for their PlayStation Home apartments, exclusive video content and a virtual flying challenge: the Red Bull Air Race.

Visitors and residents will be able to explore PlayStation Home with their avatar character and, thanks to Diesel, avatars can look great from the start with Diesel offering the latest men’s and women’s designer avatar clothing, with items ranging from free of charge to €1.50. So for those visiting PlayStation Home, they can dress their avatars in the latest jeans and jacket prior to getting out and about.

On the home front, PlayStation®Home gives everyone their own apartment to spend time in and entertain friends - who will now be able relax on exclusive Ligne Roset furniture. At the virtual store, people will be able to choose from a selection of the most popular Ligne Roset designs, including the iconic Togo and Facett upholstery collections. It will be possible to personalise furniture by selecting from a wide selection of fabrics and leathers allowing a unique and individual look. This is an opportunity to get acquainted with Ligne Roset’s cutting edge designs created by some of Europe’s most talented designers.

As the very first consumer brand space, Red Bull has created the Red Bull Island where visitors to the Island can interact and take part in many of Red Bull’s unique events. Initially there will be the opportunity to get inside the cockpit of a Red Bull Air Race plane and compete against the PlayStation community. The real-world Red Bull Air Race World Championship has become a global phenomenon in just four years, attracting millions of spectators. Now those spectators can leave the stands, become a pilot and tackle the Red Bull Island course themselves. The Red Bull Island will continue to expand, adding new and exciting content in early 2009.

Taking full advantage of the PlayStation Home Theatre, SCEE has partnered with various content providers to enhance the cinematic experience. Offering a wide range of content, the PlayStation Home Theatre will provide lifestyle technology programming from Hexus TV, gaming content from Eurogamer and exclusive film content from Paramount Pictures. Starting with the release of the highly anticipated film, Watchmen, Paramount Pictures International will use PlayStation®Home to promote its latest films. Initially, PlayStation®Home residents will be able to view an exclusive video greeting from Watchmen Director Zack Snyder as well as the latest Watchmen trailer. A selection of virtual Watchmen merchandise e.g. T-Shirts with the smiley face logo, Doomsday clocks and character statues, will also be available in the New Year, ahead of an exclusive Q & A event where cast and filmmakers will meet selected press and competition winners fans within the Watchmen themed environment.

PlayStation Home is exclusive to PS3, free to download and easy to join. It’s the ultimate online community – a place where you can meet friends, try the latest games, hear new music, watch videos, relax in the apartment of your dreams and much, much more. With more and more spaces being created and partners like Diesel, Ligne Roset and Red Bull coming on board, the PlayStation Home experience is just getting started.

SCE will vigorously promote the expansion of the world of PS3 by introducing new services that will open up new possibilities and enjoyment in interactive entertainment.

*1 PlayStation Home will not be available in some regions.

*2 To be a “Clubhouse” owner, user will need to buy the entitlement to run the club.

*3 When the service is available, PlayStation Home icon will appear after booting/ re-booting the PS3 system. To enjoy PlayStation Home, users will need broadband network connection and PlayStation Network account in addition to the PS3 system.

*4 Some content and services are charged.

[Kotaku]

To try Home, which is slated for release in the next 10 days, players must download a piece of free software from Sony’s PlayStation store onto their own PS3.

Just keep in mind that even if Times Online has the scoop, they're a UK publication who may not be speaking for a worldwide release date.

Then again, December 17th up with Sony's own assurances quite nicely...even if it's all a bit too late for pre-Christmas hype. [Times Online via Kotaku]

What we do know is that Sony's been hinting at doing video since they unveiled Home back at GDC 2007, but also doing some fancy things like putting video in public places or doing some interesting social networking type thing within Home for video. What we wouldn't give to be able to watch a video with our buddies, online, and have a group chat with our Home avatars. [LA Times via Game Pro]

Former PlayStation Big Kahuna Ken Kutaragi has finally left the company. However, instead of going home to fish, play Wii or pinch bonsais, he plans to keep contact with Sony, helping them to cut costs on the PS3 after making it so expensive himself. He says he also will advise them on the next versions, while at the same time working "with a much wider world."

"As a matter of course, I have the vision of PlayStation 4, 5 and 6, which will merge into the network."

I also have a vision about Kutaragi-san. It involves rubber chickens, a bathtub full of tar, five bags of marshmallows and a Blu-ray laser on overdrive. Must be the same LSD on my cornflakes. – Jesus Diaz

Kutaragi hints PlayStation 4 plans [CVG]

Stars Customize PS3s in Vegas [Complex]

SplitFish Could Make Sony's SIXAXIS Rumble [1UP.com via PS3Blog.net]

"There's a heck of a lot more under the hood and it costs us more money to make it. . . I think the consumers that get their hands on a PlayStation 3 clearly see the value and not only want to buy one for $599, in some instances they're willing to pay ridiculous prices to buy one on eBay."

Sony Honcho Negs PS3 Price-Cuts [Kotaku via Game Informer]

PS3s in Stock Show Demand May Be Softening [Reuters]

Red and Silver Third-Party PS3s Coming [Kotaku]

Dreaming of a White PS3 Christmas [Kotaku]

Toshiba: We'll Beat Sony to the Living Room [PC World]

Clip: PS3 BC Issues Popping Up [Kotaku]

Does the PS3 Have a Higher Tolerance for Scratched Discs [via Ars Technica]

"Wii is a core gaming device. It's a more fun, intuitive sort of product to pick up, where the PS3 is a broader entertainment solution; so you can have your fun, enjoyable gaming ... but then you have a whole suite of other applications ... such as Blu-ray media playback, the ability to access your music, access your photos and the interoperability with the PlayStation Portable."

PS3 better late than never [Sydney Morning Herald]

•Lots of PS3 games run at 720p, natively.

•Lots of pre-2003/2004 era HDTVs don't do both 720p and 1080i, just one or the other.

•When a PS3 is connected to one of these legacy TVs that doesn't support 720p, the 720p games get dropped to a droopy 480p, instead of the happier 1080i res.

•Sony is working on a fix.

The Xbox acts differently:

•Xbox 360 does not do this; it runs everything at whatever setting you declare in the system menu.

Granted, tons of older HDTVs have this problem. But maybe you early adopters should use this as an excuse to upgrade to a nice flat panel. Use one of our black friday deals. Go ahead, you deserve it. –Brian Lam

Hit the jump for some bonus footage of the night's ultimate booth babe. Hint: she carries two guns and talks with an accent.

– Richard Blakeley
– Louis Ramirez

If you wanna know what it was like for the media, hit the jump for this blogger's account.

7.30pm: Rain begins. We arrive at the Sony auditorium, check in, and are told to wait outside.
8pm: More members of the press congregate in front of the auditorium. We're told we'll have to check in (again) an hour later to receive our badges.
8.30pm: It's a straight out downpour. We're talkin' Noah's ark kinda rain. Sony fan boys are getting soaked as spoiled members of the press huddle together underneath an awning (which didn't help much) wondering if there'll be an open bar inside (there wasn't).
9pm: An hour later, media check-in begins. Everyone rushes to the entrance only to encounter another delay. Why? All the media badges are intertwined in one giant knot. Mysteriously enough, not a single pair of scissors can be found on the island of Manhattan.
9:15pm: Completely drenched from head to toe, we finally make it inside PS3 paradise, home of the lovely PS3 booth babes (more to come on that) and one of the best DJs we've heard in a long time.
10:30pm: By now a good number of fanboys have been allowed into the auditorium. Ludacris takes the stage to introduce Charlie Murphy who does a short, but funny skit. Later Mr. Sony himself, Sir Howard Stringer, makes an appearance to rev up the crowd. (As if the rain hadn't revved them up already).
12am: First console is handed over. Angel Paredes sprints back home never to be seen again by friends or family.

12.15am-?: Numbers are announced Bingo-style over an intercom. Once you're section is called, you make yet another line as you wait to enter the Sony store to fork over your $599 bucks.
12:30am: Fanboys start falling asleep. I head home only to find out that my new iPod Nano (which was in my bag the whole time) has died due to rain injuries. R.I.P.

– Louis Ramirez

Thanks, Michael!

Sony Playstation 3 PS3 System 60GB Premium Presale [eBay]