In an official press release, Sony promises to have PSN up and running this week and they outline their "Welcome Back" program.
The GamePro staff has already talked about what they want to see from Sony following the nearly two weeks of interrupted PSN service. Well, Sony finally has a response.
Although specific details were scarce, a press release on the PlayStation Blog confirms that users will:
- Receive free "selected PlayStation entertainment content," which will vary by region
- 30 days access to PlayStation Plus
- 30 days access to the Qriocity music service
- Other unspecified "entertainment and service offerings"
Details on these incentives to continue using your PS3 will be rolled out in the coming weeks. While these offers will apply to all current PlayStation owners, it's unclear if anything will be done above and beyond this for current PlayStation Plus and Qriocity subscribers.
While no specific timeframe was given for their "Welcome Back progam," the blog does say that some services should be back online as early as this week, including: online gaming, Qriocity access, movie rental access, PlayStation Home, and friend list/chat functionality.
When the service becomes available, a planned patch will allow users to access their account management details and will force them to change their current password. According to the blog: "That password can only be changed on the same PS3 in which that account was activated, or through validated email confirmation."
Sony confirmed that the reason for the outage was a "criminal cyber-attack on the company's data-center located in San Diego, California," but they also maintained, despite conflicting reports, "there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken."
Details are vague, but the blog also lists some of the new security initiatives Sony will put in place following the attacks, including "enhanced levels of data protection and encryption," and "additional firewalls." The company is also adding a security czar to their team in the form of Shinji Hasejima, who will be the company's official Chief Information Security Officer.
Did you miss any of the updates along the way? Check out our information hub for previous PSN updates.
Source: Daily News from GamePro.com
Sunday, May 1, 2011