The Playstation Home portal to get to Pottermore. It opens like the Diagon Alley brick wall.
Since April 3, 2013, Pottermore is available on the PlayStation Home network. PlayStation Home is an interactive chatroom-like 'game', in which you can go to several locations - one of which is Pottermore. Players with a Pottermore account can link it to PlayStation Home to get access to extra items and locations in the future.
This Pottermore is not like the normal Pottermore. At present it is possible to walk around in Diagon Alley (and purchase various items, like pets and robes, for real money) and the Hogwarts Express. It is rumoured more areas will be revealed at a later time.
In some places, some of the extra information released on the Pottermore website can be read.
Account linking[]
It is possible to link the player's PlayStation Home account to their Pottermore Website account. This gives the player several extra's and advantages, not the least of which is the ability to trade Pottermore Cards.
Linking the accounts is done on PlayStation Home. Players need to go to the Navigator, in which they can find an 'app' to link the accounts. After entering their Pottermore username and password, the accounts are linked.
As noted on the UK Playstation website:
"Once you have progressed past the Sorting Ceremony found in Chapter Seven of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on Pottermore.com and are a member of one of the four Hogwarts houses, you'll find some special items in Pottermore at PlayStation Home that are only accessible to those who have linked their accounts. There will also be additional interactive content and spaces in the future that will only be accessible to those who have linked their Pottermore.com account."
It is unknown which items are meant exactly, so it is possible these will only be added in the future, along with the additional content and spaces.
Diagon Alley[]
When going to Pottermore from the central plaza (hub), the player arrives in Diagon Alley. It is visually very similar to the Diagon Alley as seen on the normal Pottermore.
Pottermore PlayStation Home Diagon Alley
At present, the following shops are open:
The end of the street is marked by Ollivanders. Attempting to enter it, however, gives the player the message that is will be available at a later date. It is not yet known when this will be.
Book Herding[]
In Diagon Alley, one minigame is available: Book Herding (2 to 4 players). The player is placed in a closed-off square area, with a cage in each corner. The player is assigned a colour: Blue, Green, Orange or Pink. He then has to move around the square, herding the ten books of his corresponding colour into his cage.
Book Herding as seen towards the end of a game, from the winner's perspective
During the game several spells and items appear on the floor for any player to pick up (by moving over them):
- Dungbombs (the player starts with four of these already) - can be dropped to scare the books, making them jump away from the dungbomb
- Flobberworm Mucus - drops a sticky substance on the floor, to which books stick. Players should attempt to herd the other players' books into the sap and keep their own books away from it.
- Impediment Jinx - slows down the other players
- Smokescreen Spell - casts a smokescreen around the other players, making it difficult for them to see what they're doing
- Unlocking Spell - Unlocks the cages of the other players, releasing all the books they had already captured
- Confundus Charm - Turns the screen and the controls, making it difficult to move around
The player who has all his books locked in his cage first is the winner.
The Hogwarts Express[]
The second area currently available, is the Hogwarts Express. It is made up of three carriages; the first two have compartments in which players can either sit down, trade cards or play the Trivia game. The third compartment has rows of seats and at the end an NPC to start the Wizard Duel minigame.
Trivia Game[]
The Trivia Game can be started in any compartment with a rolled-up scroll. It is not possible to start a game when the table is already taken by another group.
As soon as at least two players have sat down to play the game, a 30-second timer starts counting down to the start of the game. Up to four more players can join during this time, for a total of six players maximum. During the countdown, a candle lights for each player that has joined.
6 players, during the category selection.
The game starts with the computer choosing a category at random, out of the five available categories:
A question is then shown along with three answers. Players must select their answer within ten seconds. The first person to have answered correctly, will get to choose the next category.
The game continues until at least one player has reached 10 points. If two players reach 10 points at the same time, they will have to play a tie-breaker until there is a winner.
Wizard Duel[]
The Wizard Duel can be started by talking to the only NPC currently in the game, the Shady Character. He is located at the end of the third carriage.
Wizard Dueling
Players can choose to play a tutorial first and this is highly recommended, as the controls aren't the most intuitive.
Three spells are available: the Smokescreen Spell, a Knockback Jinx and a Full Body Bind. Players choose a spell with the L1 button, and cast it with R1. It is possible to move around (with the left analog stick) within the players' half of the carriage and there are train seats to hide behind. Aiming is done with the right analog stick.
A stand-off between two players who cast a spell at the same time
It is also possible to block a spell, if the X button is pressed with the right timing.
If players cast a spell at the same time, they enter a stand-off. A series of buttons is displayed on the screen and they have to be pressed in the right order. The player who finishes first has his spell hit.
When a player is hit by a spell, they can shake off the effects. This is done either by rotating both analog sticks at the same time, or by shaking the controller up and down as fast as possible. Which of the two is needed is dispayed on the screen. If the player cannot shake off the effects before the timer is up, he loses the game.
Card Trading[]
Two players trading Pottermore Cards
On Pottermore PlayStation Home, it is possible to collect Pottermore Cards. These cards represent the various items which can be found on the Pottermore Website. When first entering Pottermore on PlayStation Home, players are given about 20 cards. More cards can be found lying around, and they can be won with the games. Whether a card is awarded for winning a game seems to be random.
Duplicate cards can be traded with other players. Throughout both Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Express are Trading Spots where some cards are lying on top of a barrell or table. Approaching this stack of cards opens the Card Trading. When two players are at the same trading spot, they can trade cards with each other.
There are more than 100 trading cards to be acquired, according to the UK PlayStation blog. When looking at the card collection, it is clear that there are currently 104 cards to be collected.
Items[]
On Pottermore on PlayStation Home, various items can be purchased. These items must be purchased with real money. Some items are given to the player for free and can be used for dress-up.
| Madam Malkin's | ||
|---|---|---|
| Item | Gender | Cost |
| Boys' Gryffindor Uniform Pack | Male | £2.79 |
| Boys' Gryffindor Cloak Pack | Male | £1.99 |
| Girls' Gryffindor Uniform Pack | Female | £2.79 |
| Girls' Gryffindor Cloak Pack | Female | £1.99 |
| Boys' Hufflepuff Uniform Pack | Male | £2.79 |
| Boys' Hufflepuff Cloak Pack | Male | £1.99 |
| Girls' Hufflepuff Uniform Pack | Female | £2.79 |
| Girls' Hufflepuff Cloak Pack | Female | £1.99 |
| Boys' Ravenclaw Uniform Pack | Male | £2.79 |
| Boys' Ravenclaw Cloak Pack | Male | £1.99 |
| Girls' Ravenclaw Uniform Pack | Female | £2.79 |
| Girls' Ravenclaw Cloak Pack | Female | £1.99 |
| Boys' Slytherin Uniform Pack | Male | £2.79 |
| Boys' Slytherin Cloak Pack | Male | £1.99 |
| Girls' Slytherin Uniform Pack | Female | £2.79 |
| Girls' Slytherin Cloak Pack | Female | £1.99 |
| Twilfit and Tattings | ||
| Black Suede Top Hat with Ribbon | Male | £0.79 |
| Blue Suede Top Hat with Ribbon | Male | £0.79 |
| Brown Suede Top Hat with Ribbon | Male | £0.79 |
| Brown Leather Top Hat | Male | £0.79 |
| Black Leather Top Hat | Male | £0.79 |
| Purple Leather Top Hat | Male | £0.79 |
| Black Pointed Wizard's Hat | Male | £0.79 |
| Green Pointed Wizard's Hat | Male | £0.79 |
| Blue Pointed Wizard's Hat | Male | £0.79 |
| Black Wizard's Hat with Buckle | Male | £0.79 |
| Red Wizard's Hat with Buckle | Male | £0.79 |
| Green Wizard's Hat with Buckle | Male | £0.79 |
| Black Hat with Bow | Female | £0.79 |
| Dark Blue Hat with Bow | Female | £0.79 |
| Burgundy Hat with Bow | Female | £0.79 |
| Black Pointed Witch's Hat | Female | £0.79 |
| Green Pointed Witch's Hat | Female | £0.79 |
| Burgundy Pointed Witch's Hat | Female | £0.79 |
| Black Witch's Hat with Buckle | Female | £0.79 |
| Purple Witch's Hat with Buckle | Female | £0.79 |
| Brown Witch's Hat with Buckle | Female | £0.79 |
| Black Bonnet with Bow | Female | £0.79 |
| Green Bonnet with Bow | Female | £0.79 |
| Brown Bonnet with Bow | Female | £0.79 |
| Blue Bonnet with Bow | Female | £0.79 |
| Eeylops Owl Emporium | ||
| Barn Owl | Both | £2.39 |
| Screech Owl | Both | £2.39 |
| Tawny Owl | Both | £2.39 |
| Brown Owl | Both | £2.39 |
| Magical Menagerie | ||
| Tabby Cat | Both | £2.39 |
| Ginger Cat | Both | £2.39 |
| White Cat | Both | £2.39 |
| Siamese Cat | Both | £2.39 |
| Black Cat | Both | £2.39 |
| Crested Toad | Both | £2.39 |
| Harlequin Toad | Both | £2.39 |
| Natterjack Toad | Both | £2.39 |
| Common Toad | Both | £2.39 |
| Western Green Toad | Both | £2.39 |