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Microsoft's New Xbox Experience will compliment its Live site and is set to launch on November 19, while Sony's Home experience, which has been mooted for some time now, will be available for PS3s later this year.

These "virtual worlds" will be similar to Second Life, which started out with a hiss and a roar, but has been struggling to keep people on board due to competition from consoles and other interactive sites.

New Xbox Experience will feature a new user interface that performs a similar function to Windows Vista's Aero interface – games, TV shows, and movies will be easier to find and access, claims Microsoft.

Other tools include Xbox Live Party, which allows to seven people chat and share pictures over a television screen while playing games. A Personality Plus tool will let users create avatars that will represent them throughout the Xbox world.

There it not too much know about Home other than the claim that aim is to create a community led world whereby users can build and buy things.