PlayStation Home beta opens to all users on December 11

Sony's answer to Second Life isn't quite ready to lose it's beta tag, however the doors are being opened to the general public at some stage later today. You'll need to reboot your console and sign in to a PlayStation Network account before the icon appears in the XMB.

The first round of partnerships has been announced, allowing users to dress their avatar in Diesel clothing, furnish their apartments with Ligne Roset furniture, and even compete in a virtual Red Bull Air Race. Paramount Pictures will be using Home to promote their movies, starting with Watchmen, and video content from Hexus TV and Eurogamer will available in the PlayStation Home Theater.

Game-specific environments will allow people to access bonus content, meet others playing the game, discuss strategies and eventually jump straight into the game to act them out.The first themed environment available to European regions is the Far Cry 2 space, with spaces for Uncharted, Warhawk, MotorStorm and SOCOM to follow soon after. Sony is working with publishers such as EA, Ubisoft, Midway, Sega and Atari to create similar spaces for their future titles.