PlayStation Network
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A PSN outage knocked gamers offline Tuesday afternoon
The PlayStation Network is down, cutting off multiplayer gaming and more.
A PlayStation Network outage is affecting certain games
Sony says PS3, PS4 and PS5 owners may have trouble launching certain games or playing online right now.
Sony tries to clear up confusion over voice chat recording on PS5
There is no opt-out of this — if you use voice chat on PS5, someone in your chat can clip your audio and submit it for review by the moderation team.
Sony fined $2.4 million over illegal return policy in Australia
Sony Europe broke the rules outlined by the Australian Consumer Law, and now must pay a $2.4 million fine.
GOG's Galaxy 2.0 game launcher is available without an invitation
After launching in a limited, invite-only beta earlier this year, GOG Galaxy 2.0 is now available to anyone who wants to try it. You can join the open beta by visiting the GOG Galaxy website and downloading the new client on your PC or Mac.
GOG Galaxy 2.0 aims to put all your digital games in one place
Competition is supposed to be good, right? It means a bigger selection and better prices, so it's great for consumers. But when the Epic Store launched last December, gamers were pissed. Because it meant their digital games collection was now fragmented between even more services. Gamers like having their collection all in one place, and for most that means sticking with Steam. That isn't great for rival sites like GOG. While it was created as a place to buy classic titles, it's evolved into a marketplace that sells a lot of indie games and even some AAA fare. It added some Steam-like features in its GOG Galaxy launcher, which incorporated things like play stats and leaderboards. But still, there was the fragmentation problem. Galaxy 2.0, now in closed beta, is designed to fix that problem by bringing everything back together.
Sony automatically replaces PSN IDs it deems offensive
When Sony finally allowed PSN Online ID changes, it mentioned that you could revert to your old ID as long as it didn't "violate the Terms of Service." But what if your existing name runs afoul of the rules? We now know what will happen. If you choose an ID that Sony deems offensive, such as swearing or bigoted language, it'll automatically assign you a temporary alias ("TempXXXX," where the Xes are numbers) and ask you to choose something more civil. Although that sounds harsh, it's much gentler than what Sony did before name changes were an option -- it would outright ban people who chose offending names.
Sony finally allows PSN Online ID changes
After months of teasing and years of waiting, Sony is finally letting you change your PSN Online ID. As of later on April 10th (April 11th for Europe), all PlayStation 4 users can change their handles either on their console or through a web browser. The first change is free, while any subsequent changes will cost $10 (£8 or €10) if you aren't subscribed to PlayStation Plus, and $5 (£4 or €5) if you are. You can revert back to an old ID for free, and you don't have to worry about someone poaching that past alias.
PlayStation's original programming future depends on 'Powers'
Powers is the first series to come from Sony PlayStation's original programming push, a partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment, and it's not rated "E" for everyone. With comic books as its source material, the racy superhero cop drama from creator Brian Michael Bendis is a custom fit for the PlayStation user base, especially users that pony up $50/year for Sony's PlayStation Plus subscription service. And it's that particular demographic the PlayStation group is keen to pursue with any future projects. "We are a gaming company, so we want to do what's best for gaming and for our gamers," says PlayStation VP of Platform Marketing John Koller. "We're going to make a decision here after we see how Powers does. But whatever we do, it'll be very centered on the gamer and the gaming audience and what caters best to them."
Sony accepting claims on 2011 PSN data breach settlement
If you were a PSN, Qriocity or Sony Online Entertainment user at the time of the April 2011 Sony hack that disrupted the PlayStation Network for nearly a month and compromised 70 million user accounts, now's your chance to get a piece of the class action settlement levied against Sony last year. To qualify, you must have held a PSN, Qriocity or Sony Online Entertainment account on or before May 14, 2011. Each service is eligible to receive different claims, but PSN users are able to receive either one or two games - if you already received a free game in Sony's 2011 "Welcome Back" promotion, you're only eligible for one; if not, you're eligible to choose two - from a list that includes standouts like LittleBigPlanet and God of War HD. Notably, none of the games on offer are for the PlayStation 4. If none of the games tickle your fancy, you can instead choose free dynamic themes for your PlayStation 3 or free PlayStation Plus subscription time. After wading through multiple pages of bureaucratic legalese, you'll find everything you need to make your claim at the PSN-SOE settlement website. [Image: Sony]
Here's the code you need for Sony's 10 percent PSN store discount
Sony took a bit of flack over the Christmas break when its PlayStation Network was hit by a devastating denial-of-service attack. It took a few days for the gaming service to recover from Lizard Squad's assault and, to make up for the festive downtime, Sony is now rewarding its players with a five-day PSN extension and a one-time 10 percent PSN store discount. Today, we've finally got the all-important UK code: T6R3KB529K. It's valid until 9am on January 26th and can be applied to the total value of your PS3 or PS4 basket. There are a few exceptions, however. Sony says the code won't work for video rentals, game pre-orders, PS Plus and Music Unlimited subscriptions -- that's quite a list, but at least you can buy some digital games to tide you over until Evolve's release next month. Oh, and if you live outside of the UK, head to the source below for all of Sony's other codes.
UK teen arrested over suspected involvement in Xbox Live, PSN DDoS attacks
An 18-year-old male was arrested as part of a larger investigation into the attacks which brought down the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live in 2014, according to a statement released earlier this week by the UK's South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU). Craig Jones, head of SEROCU's Cyber Crime Unit, attested to working with the FBI on the investigation, which also includes numerous "swatting" offenses. "This investigation is a good example of joint law enforcement cooperation in relation to a type of criminality that is not restricted by any geographical boundaries," Jones said. "We will continue to work closely with the FBI to identify those to who commit offences and hold them to account." The alleged cyber criminal was brought in under suspicion of unauthorized access to computer material contrary to section 1 of Computer Misuse Act 1990, unauthorized access with intent to commit further offences contrary to section 2 of Computer Misuse Act 1990 and threats to kill contrary to Section 16 of Offences against the person Act 1861. [Image: Microsoft/Sony]
Destiny tops PS4 downloads in 2014
Bungie's Destiny topped the PlayStation Store's PS4 best-sellers list for all of 2014, Sony revealed today. The store's top sellers on the current-generation console don't include many surprises; Grand Theft Auto 5 took the second spot, followed by Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Minecraft and The Last of Us Remastered to round out the top five. GTA 5 was the most purchased PS4 game in the month of December. As for PS3 games, Minecraft led all purchases on the system in 2014 on the PS Store, followed by GTA 5, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Destiny and Battlefield 4. Likewise, the list of top-selling PS4 and PS3 add-ons are a mix of Destiny, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Call of Duty: Ghosts DLC for the most part; Battlefield 4 Premium and The Last of Us' Left Behind DLC swooped in to the third spot in the PS4 and PS3 lists, respectively. Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment was the highest-selling game last year on the PlayStation Store for Vita. The Bandai Namco RPG was trailed on the handheld system by Minecraft, Killzone: Mercenary, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z and Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster. [Image: Activision]
PlayStation Network offline, Sony investigating [Update]
Update 2: According to the PSN Support page, PlayStation online services are back to normal. Sony offered no reason for the outage. Update 1: Sony has upgraded its online support status from red (offline) to yellow ("Heavy Network Traffic"). Some users may experience delays in signing in, with the PSN console and web store and more. Those attempting to log into the PlayStation Network may be met with connection issues. According to the PSN Support page, the network is listed as offline. The cause of the outage is currently unknown. "We're aware that some of you are having issues connecting to the PSN. Engineers are investigating," the official Ask PlayStation account tweeted. Additional PSN-related services, including the Sony Entertainment Network store, are experiencing problems. Sony's PSN ended 2014 on a down note – an issue that also plagued the Xbox Live service – due to an apparent DDoS attack on its servers. Service, however, was soon restored. Sony has scheduled maintenance for the PlayStation Network on January 15, during which the service will be unavailable from 12PM EST and through 4PM EST.
PSA: PlayStation Network comes down temporarily on January 15
Owners of Sony gaming devices, take note: The console manufacturer has scheduled PlayStation Network maintenance for January 15, which will bring the online service down for approximately four hours. During the downtime, PlayStation owners will not be able to access the PSN Store, any streaming entertainment apps or online gameplay functions. However, if you just can't go four hours without shooting somebody over the Internet, you can get around this problem by signing into PSN before the network comes down. As long as you don't sign out of the PlayStation Network, you'll be able to play online while everyone else is forced to interact with reality. Barring any last-minute changes or unexpected problems, the downtime is scheduled to occur at 12PM EST and last through 4PM EST. [Image: Sony]
PSA: Players report sporadic PSN connection issues
Sony is currently investigating PlayStation Network connection issues affecting a number of users this morning, citing "heavy network traffic" as a culprit via its support page. "We're aware that some players are seeing drops on PSN," the official PlayStation Twitter account confirms. "Engineers are on the case and investigating." Today's reports follow up on the recent restoration of PSN service after a disruptive DDoS attack on Christmas Eve. A timeframe for a fix is not yet known. [Image: Sony)
Lizard Squad hacker arrested for cyber-fraud
A form of justice may have come to bear on one of the members of Lizard Squad. Today, police in Britain have arrested 22-year-old Vinnie Omari, who has connections to the hacker group, for alleged cyber-fraud. The arrest is unrelated to some of the recent activities of Lizard Squad, which includes shutting down the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live over Christmas, DDoS attacks on Destiny this past September, and a bomb threat made on a plane carrying SOE President John Smedley last August. Omari was sought in connection to PayPal thefts from 2013 to 2014.
Joystiq Weekly: Awesome Games Done Quick, Kalimba review, DIY Mario and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. It was a pretty quiet week thanks to the end-of-the-year holiday lull, but things should pick up soon! Like, today even – Awesome Games Done Quick has just kicked off a week-long marathon of high-skill and speedrun-oriented livestreams, with all donations benefiting the Prevent Cancer Foundation. If supporting a worthwhile cause isn't enough of an excuse to watch talented players blaze through games, what is? ... Yes, okay, other than free puppies. While you're waiting on something of interest that's buried in the event's schedule, catch up on what you might have missed while you were doing relaxing, vacation-y things. PlayStation Network users got good news regarding last week's service outage, Contributing Editor Danny Cowan's relationship survived his Kalimba review, and we explored the history of do-it-yourself Mario and the technical shift in Mortal Kombat X's gore.
Do these Sony offerings make up for the PlayStation Network outage?
Sony's PlayStation Network was hit by a devastating denial-of-service attack over Christmas. Now that the gaming service is back online, should the company be offering players some sort of peace offering? If so, what's a reasonable gift in this scenario? It's quite a conundrum, because the festive downtime wasn't predominantly Sony's fault. A hacking group called Lizard Squad orchestrated the attack (they also targeted Xbox Live) causing all online functionality to collapse. It meant new console owners on Christmas Day were unable to redeem game download codes or create new PSN accounts, while existing PlayStation owners were locked out of the online multiplayer modes for their favorite games.
Sony to compensate PSN users with Plus extension, discount code
Sony's offering five days of extra PlayStation Plus membership as its way of making up for the recent network outage. The gesture of goodwill isn't limited to Plus subscribers, as all PlayStation Network users are getting a one-time 10 percent discount code for the PS Store. Sony's Eric Lempel said the company "wanted to show our appreciation" for users' patience after last month's PSN outage, which saw services like the Store and online multiplayer go AWOL. Both PSN and Microsoft's Xbox Live service went offline on Christmas Eve following distributed denial of service attacks.
