Open Beta For Home Starts On April 18?

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Trying to secure an official launch date for PlayStation Home is a futile endeavor at this time, but that doesn't mean evidence for a date doesn't exist. In fact, the Internet is a-buzz with many reports regarding an open/public beta in North America; it might actually be available on April 18!

According to Sarcastic Gamer, game forums around the 'Net, and a variety of e-mails and messages we've seen in our inbox, it seems that Sony has sent out e-mail invitations to participate in an open Home beta. It is supposed to start on April 18, but we're currently trying to get someone to send us a copy of this e-mail so we can confirm its existence. We'd hate to think all these reports are coming from pranksters, but hey, you never know... The final roll-out date for PlayStation Home is another big "TBA," but we figure we won't see it until the beta is complete. Or, if there is no public beta, we may not hear about an official launch date until E3 in July. We'd rather not wait that long, of course, but we may have no choice in the matter.

As of now, we keep hearing that the open beta for Home will "open" on April 18, and that's all we can tell you. Obviously, Sony isn't going to issue anything concrete, so it's nothing more than a rumor, but it's one rumor that could turn into fact very quickly. We'll keep you updated.

3/24/2008 Ben Dutka