General
What is Home Laboratory?
An open-source collective that preserved and revived PlayStation Home. The servers run. You can walk into the world again on a PS3 or through RPCS3.
Is this official Sony?
No. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It is a fan preservation project.
Is every original space back?
A large portion is: Central Plaza, the Mall, many game spaces, thousands of items. Limited-time and brand events are the usual gaps. Cache donations still fill holes.
How can I help?
Donate an original cache, report bugs, write docs, contribute code, or tell people who still have a 2008–2015 install. Start at Contact or Donate Cache.
Technical
How do the servers work?
Multiserver reimplements Home’s network services: Horizon (Medius, DME, Muis) plus custom APIs for accounts, content, and multiplayer. It speaks to both consoles and RPCS3.
What tools exist?
- Nautilus — unpack and repack Home file formats
- Content Preserver — analyse and archive content
- RTRC — web remote control and inventory
- Debugging and traffic tools used internally
Can I host a private server?
Yes. Multiserver is on GitHub. It takes some configuration. Docs are in the repo; people on Discord have done it.
PS3
What do I need on a console?
- Any PS3 model
- 4.92 HFW + HEN, or Evilnat 4.92 CFW
- The Home client (XMB icon or PKG)
- Internet
QA and Retail both connect without a custom DNS. Full steps: PS3 guide.
Do I have to jailbreak?
Yes. HEN or CFW. 4.92 is the firmware that restores the XMB icon and matches the server software.
Do I need custom DNS?
No. Neither QA nor Retail needs a custom DNS anymore. Retail used to; a TSS DNS override made that step unnecessary. Ignore older guides that still list 104.37.190.154.
RPCS3
What PC do I need?
- CPU: i5-8400 / Ryzen 5 2600 or better
- RAM: 8GB min, 16GB better
- GPU: GTX 1050 Ti / RX 570 or better, Vulkan
- 25GB free
- Windows 10/11, Linux, or macOS
How do I set it up?
Use the pre-configured package (RPCS3 v0.0.29, firmware, QA Home, settings). Extract, run, create an RPCN account, test it, launch Home. Guide: RPCS3 setup.
Can I use an RPCS3 I already have?
Yes. Install the Home PKG and apply the custom config. No DNS change. The package is still the simpler path.
Preservation
Why keep Home?
It was an early, fully produced virtual social world with a real economy and seven years of spaces. When Sony turned it off, the places disappeared. The point of this project is that they can be entered again, not only described.
How much is saved?
Most core public spaces, thousands of clothing items, many apartments and decorations, a large set of mini-games, and many promotional venues. Limited-time and rarely visited rooms are the remainder. That is why original caches still matter.
How do cache files help?
Visiting a space downloaded models, textures, scripts, and other assets to the PS3. Different people, regions, and years cached different things. Together they reconstruct rooms that no longer exist on any official server. Details: Donate Cache.
Will there be new content?
Preservation of the original world is the job. The same tools can also ship community-made spaces and items that sit beside the recovered ones, so Home can stay a living place without erasing what it was.