PlayStation Home Beta kicks off in Europe

But gamers won’t be able to join the testing of Sony’s 3D, avatar-based community until the summer, as currently only a small group of internal Sony staff and known Beta testers are involved.

Those interested in registering should head to www.homebetatrial.com for more details.

The Second Life-style online world was revealed at this year’s GDC as part of Sony Worldwide Studios boss Phil Harrison’s vision of Game 3.0. In a later announcement, corporate executive and CTO Izumi Kawanishi encapsulated the idea by adding:

"While the 3D graphics demonstrate the power of PS3 and the PlayStation Network, the most impressive feature in Home is the variety of ways in which multiple consumers, as well as our third-party partners, can experience the next generation of communication by interacting and sharing among each other. I feel strongly that this blend of community, user-generated content, collaboration and commerce will expand the future of computer entertainment."