The Xbox 360 and PS3 each have their strengths and weaknesses (sorry, fanboys, but it’s true.)  The PS3 boasts superior storage technology, a free online community, a respectable selection of classic titles, and a vast lineup of AAA titles.  The 360, along with its own extensive catalog of HD games, features a massive network of gamers, a hugely popular Achievement system, and a user interface that most gamers see as more intuitive and robust than the PS3’s.  One other thing the 360 has over the PS3 is its Indie Games section, which showcases titles made by tiny development groups, and sells them for a virtual dollar.  Sony is looking to remedy that, and have announced a partnership with indie game label Codename.
 
The partnership, announced via press release, will bring a variety of indie games to the PlayStation Network by way of PlayStation Home.  The first four titles have been announced, and will be released over “the course of the next few months.”  The debut group will include Dueling Gentlemen from Odd Gentlemen, the makers of The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom, and Cogs, a 3D puzzle game from Lazy 8 studios.  Both of these games will play out on stage in PlayStation Home’s Central Plaza, and will see Home avatars competing head-to-head.  The other two titles will be Super Awesome Mountain RPG, a board game/RPG hybrid from Codename, and Minor Battle, a team-based platformer from Peanut Gallery.
 
Admittedly, these games aren’t quite as “indie” as what you’ll find on the Xbox Live Arcade (there’s no Try Not to Fart or Baby Maker Extreme to be found here), but it’s nice to see Sony jumping on the indie game bandwagon in some form.  If nothing else, it will give me a reason to go back into PlayStation Home, which I visited once, and have never felt compelled to do so again.

Press release follows

    Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) today announced a series of new games from Codename, an independent video game label, that have been created exclusively for PlayStation® Home. An agreement between the two companies will bring indie developers from all over the world together to collaborate and create exclusive, new, never-before-seen games for the PlayStation Home platform and to the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) entertainment system.

    Codename will introduce a series of new games to the PlayStation Home community. Designed by a mix of fan-favorite, die-hard experimental and undiscovered first-time developers, these games will further solidify PlayStation Home's place as a leading social game platform. Each game will provide unique experiences for users, allowing them to share, interact and communicate with new and existing friends across PlayStation Home.
    Codename will introduce the following titles for PlayStation Home over the course of the next several months:

    · Dueling Gentlemen, created by Odd Gentleman, players strategize the right moves on a giant stage in Home's Plaza, to outsmart opponents and win this old-time battle for honor and prestige.

    · Minor Battle, created by Peanut Gallery, winner of the IndieCade 2010 Audience Award, a team-based game where two teams run around a cube of four screens to beat each other in a capture-the-flag style platformer.
     
    · Super Awesome Mountain RPG, created by Codename, a blend of tabletop board games and fantasy RPGs, where players ascend a fantastical mountain in Home's Central Plaza using a custom animated figurine.
     
    · Cogs in 3D multiplayer, a multiplayer version of Lazy8's diabolically clever Steampunk-style game, this gear-based puzzler will also be a dynamic public spectacle in Home's Central Plaza.

    "We're thrilled to be partnering with PlayStation Home to create and develop games that step outside the parameters of traditional game development and we're really looking forward to the creative opportunities that lie ahead," said Founding Codename Partner Jesse Vigil. "Our model of pulling together teams of developers and allowing them to make their creative dreams a reality has only one main tenet -- any game created for PlayStation Home is graphically and visually entertaining to both play and watch, at the same time."

    With over 14 million PlayStation Home users worldwide, the community is ripe for new and entertaining games. PlayStation Home's venture with Codename comes at a critical point in its lifecycle and will serve a key role in extending the social gaming experience for PlayStation Home users, while attracting new users with never-before seen experiences.
    Today, PlayStation Home offers gamers more than 100 ready-to-play games, over 50 discreet public and private spaces to experience, and over 5,600 virtual items to collect, with new store fronts available from LucasArts, Lockwood, Loot, Activision and Disney. Additionally, more than 400 community events have been held in PlayStation Home since its launch, many organized by the PlayStation Home community.