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During his Tokyo Game Show keynote delivered early this morning, Sony Computer Entertainment president Kaz Hirai has confirmed that the release of Home, the community-based service for PlayStation3, has been delayed until at least the first quarter of 2008.

PlayStation Home, first unveiled at the Games Developer Conference during March, will provide PlayStation 3 owners with a Second Life-like experience, where people can invite their friends, hang out and communicate, listen to music, play a game or exchange content. Hirai stated that the ambitious online social networking feature had been pushed back to ensure it can “truly meet the needs and feedback of the users.”

PlayStation Home is thought to be Sony’s answer to Microsoft's very popular Xbox Live service, and the company is taking its time to get it right from the start. The service is supposedly operating in a closed beta since May and is now expected to launch in Spring 2008.