PlayStation Network outage update

[Spudgun]

Its no worse than what has happened already.

[Adam43]

Nearly there, but not quite for UK users...

[Hepatic]

have had the firmware update and enforced password reset today. not tried anything else tho.

[beau1]

Details of the Welcome Back programme for Europe (seems to be roughly the same around the world):

Now that certain PSN services have been restored and you're once again enjoying online gaming, it seems a good time to confirm what is being offered as part of the Welcome Back programme.

Once we restore PlayStation Store, which will be just a little while longer, you will have the opportunity to claim your Welcome Back gifts. Please note that the Welcome Back programme is only available for those countries with access to PlayStation Store*.

All existing PlayStation Network members will be able to access the following from PlayStation Store*:

Two PS3 games from the following list:

LittleBigPlanet
Infamous*
Wipeout HD/Fury
Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty
Dead Nation*

For those with PSP accounts, you will also be eligible to download two PSP games from the following list:

LittleBigPlanet PSP
ModNation PSP
Pursuit Force
Killzone Liberation*

- 30 days free PlayStation Plus membership for non PS Plus subscribers*

- Existing PlayStation Plus subscribers will be given 60 days free subscription.

- For existing Music Unlimited subscribers, you will be given 30 days free subscription.

- We are working on a Welcome Back offer in PlayStation Home and will share that when it is confirmed.

I would like to thank all of the developers and publishers involved in this programme for their support in making this happen. We certainly couldn't have done it without you.

You will be able to access this content once PlayStation Store comes back online and we are doing everything we can to make that happen as soon as possible.

Thank you for your support and keep checking back on the blog for more information.

For eligibility for the welcome back programme consumers must be an account holder on 20 April 2011. Specific details about these offers and eligibility requirements will be posted as the services go live. All existing PSN registrants have 30 days from when the welcome back programme goes live to redeem their content.
For the German market, InFamous and Dead Nation will be replace with Super Stardust HD and Hustle Kings in the selection of PS3 games.
For the German market, Pursuit Force and Killzone Liberation will be replaced with Everybody's Golf 2 and Buzz Junior Jungle Party in the selection of PSP games. Killzone Liberation will not offer online gameplay functionality.
Access to the 30 days free PS Plus subscription is only available for those countries where PS Plus is offered. You will have access to the PS Plus content planned for May for 30 days. Access to the free games and exclusive features finishes at the end of the 30-day subscription period. Anything you buy with exclusive discounts, dynamic themes and premium avatars are yours to keep forever

Sony just owned 360 as far as welcome back gifts are concerned. Now, to making the service better

[Knowlesy]

Yeah. They sure owned Microsoft this past month.

Jesus.

[beau1]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

Yeah. They sure owned Microsoft this past month.

Jesus.

As I said. 'Now to making the service better'. It took 360 2 weeks to tackle a minor glitch, it took Sony 3 weeks to re-build their entire network.

[Adam43]

So which of these whould I get?
LittleBigPlanet
Infamous*
Wipeout HD/Fury
Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty
Dead Nation*

[beau1]

I'll be getting Infamous and Wipeout. Two full games basically and infamous is meant to be good. I'd get LBP if I didn't already have it. Once, Microsoft stop blocking the password recovery e-mail and I can access my account that is. Typical.

[Knowlesy]

It wasn't two weeks though. The main online downtime was under five days, and there were some minor glitches on the marketplace network thereafter for a while (which was mildly crap).

I kind of expect services to drop out once in a while, in the same way broadband providers have glitches and troubles now and again. But having to rebuild entirely because of a security issue is unacceptable. Reading the ideas of what has gone wrong has been concerning and Sony just keep on ****ing up. It is why people are losing confidence in them. Long term it will have serious repercussions.

It is sad really. I can remember the golden days when they usurped the Nintendo/Sega old guard. There will never be a finer console for it's era than he original Playstation. Now Sony are a mess on every level.

Of the free games I'd probably get Wipeout (deffo!) and Ratchet. Little Big Planet is the one big title there but it is incredibly dull.

[beau1]

Sony will be fine. . No console has got it right this gen and they are all equally matched. Remember when everyone was going to abandon 360 because of RROD? Or stop buying wii's because it didn't have any games or short-circuited if you put it next to a christmas tree. It didn't happen.
A 16 year old hacked NASA's security a year and a half ago, these things happen.
Although, I must admit Sony invited the hackers somewhat by ****ing them off over the last 4 years.

Finally got the e-mail to re-set my password now too.

[beau1]

By the way: Infamous is a huge game to give away too. It's a bit old now but its perfect publicity for people to buy the sequel.

[JAG]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

It wasn't two weeks though. The main online downtime was under five days, and there were some minor glitches on the marketplace network thereafter for a while (which was mildly crap).

I kind of expect services to drop out once in a while, in the same way broadband providers have glitches and troubles now and again. But having to rebuild entirely because of a security issue is unacceptable. Reading the ideas of what has gone wrong has been concerning and Sony just keep on ****ing up. It is why people are losing confidence in them. Long term it will have serious repercussions.

It is sad really. I can remember the golden days when they usurped the Nintendo/Sega old guard. There will never be a finer console for it's era than he original Playstation. Now Sony are a mess on every level.

Of the free games I'd probably get Wipeout (deffo!) and Ratchet. Little Big Planet is the one big title there but it is incredibly dull.

They're not in that bad shape, the PS3 has recently overtaken the 360 in worldwide sales, I'd also say they have the finest development studios, and invest in diverse projects.

It's only a matter of time before every major online service is hacked, time and again, it's something we're going to have to get used to.

[Hepatic]

not sure myself, possibly infamous & wipeout but yet to decided.

[Knowlesy]

Is overtaking a rival console five years after launch, towards the end of their lifespan, considered an achievement these days?

And we won't know the effect of this PR disaster until much later. It has been an absolute disaster, a nightmare for Sony.

The next consoles for Microsoft, and even more Sony, have to launch perfectly. Nintendo can probably relax.

[beau1]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

Is overtaking a rival console five years after launch, towards the end of their lifespan, considered an achievement these days?

And we won't know the effect of this PR disaster until much later. It has been an absolute disaster, a nightmare for Sony.

The next consoles for Microsoft, and even more Sony, have to launch perfectly. Nintendo can probably relax.

Considering the 360 had a year (and a half in Europe) more sales then I suppose it is an achievement. The point is, Sony haven't fallen behind. The others have just caught up, as soon as the Wii came out, there was no-way either the 360 or PS3 would dominate the market. The good thing for Sony and Microsoft is that that the Wii has failed to do much since launch.
I can't see anyone making a console as perfect as the PS2 for a good while.

This hacking business may have been a PR disaster at the time for Sony but they are already winning back fans with the compensation.

[chunder]

"The Wii has failed to do much since launch" Do your research mate

Get over yourself fella! I am not a fan but when was the last time a console came out that totally revolutionised gaming.

Games written solely with families and women in mind, ( a market utterly ignored by most developers other than Nintendo for decades since Atari 2600) hardware that gets you out of a seat and onto your feet, games written to be simple, easy yet challenging for every gamer and colourful.

The Wii is the standard bearer for any console company. It opened new markets and introduced millions of new customers to gaming. They might have only bought a WiiFit, but they werent buying anything before.

[Spudgun]

I have to agree with chunder here. Nintendo have pitched at a different market and succeeded. Wiis were hard to come by for months after launch, and they were sold for a profit right from the start. I believe PS3s and 360s now sell for a profit, but they certainly didn't at their respective launches. Nintendo made hay while they could.

I was lucky enough to get hold of one about two weeks after launch and I remember travelling 30 miles just to find someone who had another controller and nunchuck in stock.

[beau1]

Originally Posted by chunder

"The Wii has failed to do much since launch" Do your research mate

Get over yourself fella! I am not a fan but when was the last time a console came out that totally revolutionised gaming.

Games written solely with families and women in mind, ( a market utterly ignored by most developers other than Nintendo for decades since Atari 2600) hardware that gets you out of a seat and onto your feet, games written to be simple, easy yet challenging for every gamer and colourful.

The Wii is the standard bearer for any console company. It opened new markets and introduced millions of new customers to gaming. They might have only bought a WiiFit, but they werent buying anything before.

That is all very nice but as far as games are concerned, its done absolutely F all to appeal to other markets of gamers. It's tried but failed miserably. It's good at what it does and its been doing the exact same thing since it came out.
It's got a good thing going on and I gotta give them credit but the idea that its best console on the market because attracts more gamers is a bit like saying Justin Bieber is the world's best musician.

[Matt Hunter]

If nothing else I still end up having a nice Blu Ray player on my TV unit.
Nice that I'll probably be able to pick up Wipeout gratis. Classic game
I'd love to see the XBL figures during the PSN outage. I wonder if they've been higher recently...

[JAG]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

Is overtaking a rival console five years after launch, towards the end of their lifespan, considered an achievement these days?

And we won't know the effect of this PR disaster until much later. It has been an absolute disaster, a nightmare for Sony.

The next consoles for Microsoft, and even more Sony, have to launch perfectly. Nintendo can probably relax.

Next gen consoles are years away, increasing resolution from 720p to 1080p, or extra AA isn't a good enough reason to pay out another £300+ on a console, not when experience and better coding can give similar gains.

In the PS3's case the best first party games started to appear twelve months back and each incarnation, i.e. Uncharted to Uncharted 2, and now three, look significantly better.

In Nintendo's case the question is once you've sold motion gaming, who's going to buy it again, if all it offers is better graphics.

[chunder]

Who cares really, they have made billions out of it! Job done.

[beau1]

Originally Posted by chunder

Who cares really, they have made billions out of it! Job done.

Most people that have been gaming more than a couple of years and are older than 10 are not going to pick the Wii over the 360 or PS3 if they can afford it. It just doesn't have the wealth of games or features compared with the other two.

[Matt Hunter]

....especially as both consoles now offer their own takes on motion gaming (some more technicall impressive than others!)

[chunder]

Well my comment and post was based not upon what peopel are doing or most gamers.

In fact I was just mentioning that the Wii has been very, very cleverly created and marketed to attract a totally new audience, when was the last time women would not only buy games, but also a console?

I agree they are not for gamers like the rest of us, in fact consoles per se are not. If you are a true gamer the PC is the main place to get serious!!

But you must admit that the Wii has ontroduced new ideas, getting out of the seat, being active and with the DS they have started to get people thinking by making brain train, fashion games, and things like cokkery software.

Whether you want to play it or not, or buy into their ideas, Nintendo have not only changed gaming for some, they have creatred a whole new market, and for me that is far more worthy of praise than simply selling more games or having better software. It's easy to sell crap games to punters crying out for them, look at GT5 or some of the Simbin stuff or even WRC, it's rot really.

[Knowlesy]

Nintendo always look to innovate.

This generation has brought motion games, pioneered by Nintendo. Less impressive, but nonetheless important, MS has introduced the achievement system. Both of these have been latterly copied by their rivals.

Sony have given us a Blu-Ray player and hacked accounts. Wow, creaming myself here.