Sony Breathes New Life Into Home With Video Capture Tool

Sony on Friday released a new tool for users of its PlayStation Home virtual world on PlayStation 3 aimed at increasing the service's virality. Called the Loot Active Camera, the tool allows users to position a virtual "camera" in the Home environment to record direct footage from the world. The raw footage can be exported directly to the PlayStation 3's internal memory or to YouTube, the company said. The tool, like everything in the Loot Store within the Home world, is aimed at consumers who create machinima videos through the virtual world -- that is, using the assets available in-world as a virtual theater for scripted films. "With the ability to now record and upload directly to YouTube or the PS3 XMB, it will be easier and less expensive than ever for people to realize their creative visions on the platform," said David Sterling, vice president of business development at Sony DADC, the division that created the tool. The news follows Sony's recent announcement that it would reposition Home as what platform director Jack Buser describes as a "social gaming platform," with an emphasis on exposing the games available to play available on the service.