1. Sony gives PS3 owners a Home
2. Sony shows off LittleBigPlanet
3. Sony says they have an Edge
4. Microsoft episodic Halo project and more

1. Sony gives PS3 owners a Home:

Sony just gave every PS3 owner a Home

Accessed via a new menu item in the cross media bar, Home will give PS3 gamers a virtual space where they will receive and store achievements they get in games -- like Xbox 360 Achievements, but times a 100 geek points. Maybe a thousand geek points. I'm a little rusty on my rule sets.

Sony's Phil Harrison revealed the initiative last night at a press-only, NDA-bound event, and is just going public with it now during his GDC keynote.

And it's more than just virtual trophies in a Fortress of Solitude-style virtual space. Sony -- with an underlying concept call "Game 3.0" -- the "service will feature a detailed three-dimensional environment with graphics and physics on par with many next-gen games." There will be a lobby (where you can have MMO-like interactions); entertainment spaces (a cooler implementation of the Xbox Live Arcade); movie theaters (where you can watch trailers or "sit down" and watch films, a la Xbox Live Video Marketplace); decorate-able apartments (where you can "hang out" with friends, throw virtual parties and play music stored on your local PS3, etc.).

And it doesn't stop there, because Sony's gotta make some cash, too. Besides the expected pay-for-play movies, gamers will likely be able to pay for upscale apartments, clothing, and accessories. In addition, publishers could conceivably build whole neighborhoods -- paying Sony for the right to do so. And, of course, there's in-game advertising.

Set to beta this April and go live (at least for the U.S. and EU) this fall, we'll have to see what the final application looks like -- and what Microsoft does in the interim.

• GDC 07: PS3 phoning Home this fall (GameSpot)
• GDC07: Sony Unveils Home (Kotaku)

2. Sony shows off LittleBigPlanet:

Following up on its "Game 3.0" announcement last night, Sony revealed LittleBigPlanet, from Mark Healey (Media Molecule) and Alex Evans (the dudes behind Rag Doll Kung Fu). LittleBigPlanet looks like an accessibly playground for users to make their own platformer. The description and screenshots are impressive, and Kotaku now has video up.

While I'm impressed, I'm bummed this seems pretty narrowly focused -- I was hoping Sony was announcing something for Indie developers to compete in the XNA space with Microsoft.

• GDC 07: Sony Reveals LittleBigPlanet (Kotaku)
• GDC07 Clip: The PS3's Home (Kotaku)
• GDC 07: Sony Unveils New World (IGN)

3. Sony says they have an Edge:

I'm not sure if this is the XNA competitor, but Sony revealed "PlayStation Edge" -- new development tools Sony is offering to PS3 game developers free of charge. Free is cool, but is there an XNA Creator's Club-like offering, so wannabe Sony developers can publisher their creations on non-debug PS3s? I'm trying to get more info, because a lot of the press coverage seems to focusing on the apparently lackluster Killzone 2 clips -- the game that's been missing in action for nigh on 2 years.

• GDC 07: Killzone footage used to hype PlayStation Edge (GameSpot)

4. Microsoft episodic Halo project and more:

Not new news, but at least it's good to know the project's not dead, and there's a tweak. Microsoft's Shane Kim said Microsoft and Bungie Studios are currently planning two different episodic gaming series for the 360 (with Peter Jackson). Kim said the first series will be set the in Halo universe -- implying the second will not.

• Microsoft Talks Episodic Halo Xbox 360 Series (Gamasutra.com)

• Game Developers Conference (Official Site)
• Gamasutra.com
• GameSpot.com
• IGN.com
• Joystiq.com
• Kotaku.com