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Sony Play Station & Web 2.0 -Om Malik

If one console manufacturer is fully on board the social games movement, it appears to be Sony. The company just announced a slew of new features to its PlayStation Home community that aims to be the PS3’s user-generated epicenter. PlayStation Home will attempt to recreate the Second Life experience for PS3 owners, complete with customized avatars and outside advertisers. Sony also disclosed details on their upcoming SingStar game confirming their desire to become the YouTube of karaoke.

These announcements are significant for several reasons. First, the embrace of in-game achievements and customized game avatars by Sony give credibility to what Microsoft and Nintendo have already done on their respective systems. Sony’s mashup of sorts could take the idea further. Second, Sony’s betting big on the social games movement, something that’s in its infancy. If they can execute that strategy, they’ve just significantly diversified their PlayStation revenue model. Lastly, with the world’s largest home console maker backing user-generated content, it’s likely its existence on consoles is here to stay.