The launch of PlayStation Home has been something of a double-edge sword for Sony. While it’s resonated well with many loyal enthusiasts, it hasn’t exactly caught on with the average PS3 gamer. Come this fall, Sony is making strides to change that, with a renewed focus on social gaming.

Home is getting a extensive makeover, with games as the central focus. Rather than starting in a lone apartment, visitors to Home will soon see themselves in a bustling Hub — wrapping up quests, community events and user-generated content in one central location. The existing plaza is being scrapped entirely, in favor of a modern aesthetic. From the new Hub, users can form groups and teleport to genre-themed areas, separated by districts. For instance, the Action district is set in a “gritty, urban” locale designed to carry a look and feel of many first-person shooter titles.

“This is a giant leap in the evolution of the platform,” Home boss Jack Buser told VentureBeat. “We are going to ‘up level’ games as the heart of PlayStation Home. This means that Home itself is going to become a game. The first things you see when you get into Home are games.”

This sounds more like what Sony envisioned Home as from the very beginning. Here’s hoping the streamlined approach makes it a bigger attraction.

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