Think Sony’s PlayStation Home is a barren wasteland? Time to think again. Sony has released a new chart, showing the growth of the PlayStation Home community and offerings on the eve of its second anniversary. Launched back in 2008, PlayStation Home has been a social networking frontier of sorts, tied directly into the PlayStation 3 and many of its games. Offering users the capability to create virtual characters and homes, players can chat with each other, listen to music via a dance floor, and view trailers and shows like Sony’s own The Tester. PlayStation Home also offers gamers both private and social lounges, based around particular games where the entire “space” is designed and centered around that game. Here users can hang out, talk strategy and discuss their favorite games, and even jump into it together. More on that in a second. Many times, these dedicated game spaces also host related mini games, as well as virtual items and other goodies that the player can collect and use in PlayStation Home. Another feature that is sure to attract gamers is game launching. This allows you to create a group in Home and have users join that group and launch into a particular game together. It’s perfect for when the need arises to organize a group and head into a Socom or Warhawk match. Home not also supports game launching, but also now boasts 236 unique games, all which are free. This can range from mini games for Resistance 2 where users shoot down an oncoming alien fleet to a fully robust MMO experience like Sodium, all which again are free, no matter if you own the original game like Resistance 2 or not. So if you haven’t checked out Home in a while, it’s time for a second look. Also, hit the jump for a much more detailed look at some of the new games, coming to PlayStation Home next year.

[Via PlayStation Blog]