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PlayStation Home had a little trouble winning people over when it finally launched in November 2008, but it seems it picked up considerable steam since then. Sony has announced the online world has been downloaded over 7 million times, with over 6 million virtual items downloaded within it as well. And according to Peter Edward, Home director for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (via Gamasutra), it's a service that will "become an essential component" for every PlayStation 3 game in the future.

Sony provided a number of interesting figures concerning Home, including the fact that 80 percent of its inhabitants are males age 18-35 (which is actually better than the 90 percent Sony was expecting). But probably the more reassuring numbers for Sony are the figures associated with unique promotional events that have been conducted in Home in the past. The Red Bull Air Race, for instance, has generated 2.5 million visits and 575,000 hours of gameplay. And temporary movie campaigns, including "Watchmen," "Star Trek," and "Transformers," have also generated big numbers.

But Edwards assured that Sony has much bigger intentions for Home than just promotional tie-ins. "For Sony, revenue isn't the main driver for Home. We're in this for the longterm," he explained. "Home is the starting point for PlayStation 3 online, and that's something that gamers are going to expect as more games support Game Launch from within Home."

More and more PS3 games have received dedicated Home lobbies, including Warhawk, Little Big Planet, and >Street Fighter 4. And by the sound of it, it's something that may eventually be standard with all PS3 games. "Players can set up their teams, choose the map and talk tactics before jumping into the game," Edward said. "This will become an essential component for all PS3 games."