psn-outage-2011
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PSN will be 'fully restored' today [Update: PlayStation Store back in North America]
Though there weren't that many days left in this week in which to relaunch PSN, Sony has officially narrowed down the date for reactivation of the PlayStation Store and other services -- to today (June 2). Qriocity services will also come back. In a brief press release sent out tonight, Sony announced plans to "fully restore" services everywhere but Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea. Additional details about each region's "Welcome Back" package (like, we assume, how to get it) will be announced soon. As for the strange timing of this press release: it was issued from Tokyo, and thus timed for Japan but ... Japan is one of the three places that isn't affected by this news. Just something to think about as you're reading this at like 1 AM. Update: Still up? Go browse the PlayStation Store! The PlayStation Blog details a bunch of new content available on the now-active store, including Wizardry: The Labyrinth of Lost Souls on PS3, the Turbografx-16 classics Alien Crush, Bomberman '94 and Bonk's Adventure on both PSP and PS3, and Sega Rally Online Arcade. There's also a single-player demo for MotorStorm: Apocalypse. There's ... a lot to take in. What you won't be taking in yet is the Welcome Back stuff: it's " currently in the final stages of testing."
PSN to undergo maintenance today
Before PSN returns in full force this week, we must relinquish our ability to play online games one more time. The UK PlayStation site reports that the service will be down for maintenance from 4:30 PM GMT today (12:30 PM EST) until 7:01 AM GMT Thursday (3:01 AM EST). If you do want to keep playing online, though, you'll have to make sure that you're signed in to the service before they pull the plug today. Sony hasn't announced anything for other regions, but if there's one thing we feel safe about assuming, it's a PSN outage. And if it results in renewed PlayStation Store functionality, we are prepared to sit one more day out.
PSN to be 'fully restored' by the end of the week, Sony says
Sony announced this morning that it will "fully restore all PlayStation Network services" to America, Europe and Asia by the end of this week. Regions being omitted from this final push include Japan, which recently began its own phased restoration, and Hong Kong and South Korea. The full functionality includes use of the PlayStation Store, voucher and code redemption, full use of Qriocity and Media Go. The company says that customers can now purchase games and videos from the PSN for PS3 and PSP. (We're checking to find out if there will be a PSN Tuesday update today.) This also means details on the "Welcome Back" program and, more importantly, the method for redeeming those free games, should be available shortly.
Sony Network Entertainment head addressing US Congress next week
Following Sony's announcement of the PSN data leak, Congress sent an inquiry to the company seeking more information about the breach and Sony's response to it. And Sony responded to that with ... an open letter. Now Sony Network Entertainment president Tim Schaff plans to make an actual, personal appearance before the House subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, to discuss follow-up questions sent to the company by Representative Mary Bono Mack. The questions speak to the nature of the stolen data, the method through which it was stolen, and how Sony plans to keep data safe in the future. Schaff will be joined by a representative from Epsilon, a marketing company who suffered its own recent data breach. We're guessing the members of the subcommittee will all have their "Welcome Back" copies of InFamous hand-delivered.
Engadget Podcast 241 - 05.27.2011
It's all about doing new stuff, right? This week, we're doing a lot of new stuff: paying for soda pop with our cell phones, reading books on E Ink displays, and waiting for Duke Nukem Forever. OK, well maybe none of those things are actually new, but we're doing them in new ways this week, kind of. Listen to the podcast, is all we're saying.Host: Tim StevensGuests: Brian HeaterProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: 10yr - Regulate02:30 - Kobo unbuttons for $129 eReader Touch Edition, we go hands-on (video)03:52 - Barnes & Noble announces new touch-enabled Nook for $139 (video)13:43 - Barnes & Noble selling Nooks for $99 on eBay18:03 - Live from Microsoft's Windows Phone VIP preview event!22:00 - Windows Phone 'Mango' search offers location-specific results, app integration (video)29:36 - Windows Phone Mango and Bing Vision hands-on32:05 - Live from the Google Wallet press event!33:50 - Google Wallet mobile payment service, Google Offers announced35:16 - Google Wallet vending on Nexus S hands-on43:21 - Droid Incredible 2 review48:53 - Spotify and Facebook partner up, send Europe a friend request?50:55 - Sony makes good, doles out identity protection activation codes for PSN and Qriocity users51:28 - TweetDeck and Twitter, together at last54:00 - Duke Nukem Forever goes gold, will meet promised June deadline (really!)Hear the podcastSubscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)LISTEN (OGG)Contact the podcastSend your questions to @tim_stevens.Leave us a voicemail: (423) 438-3005 (GADGET-3005)E-mail us: podcast at engadget dot comTwitter: @tim_stevens @bheater
Atari: Daggerdale to miss May 31 PSN launch, game may fall into publishing queue [update]
Atari addressed fans waiting for the PS3 version of Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale today, announcing on Twitter that the game would miss its planned May 31 launch on the platform. The reason stated, however, is far more interesting than the news of a delay -- according to Atari, it "looks like Playstation Network is not gonna be ready for #Daggerdale release on 5/31." Despite an internal memo from Sony stating that the PS Store would be up as early as this past Tuesday (which clearly didn't happen), and statements from the company that "all services" would be restored by the end of May, it seems (at least for this publisher) that the PS Store may remain offline longer than expected. The tweet also says to "Stay tuned for more details today." We've reached out to both Sony and Atari for comment, but had yet to hear back as of publishing. Update: The PlayStation Store's revival might not miss its targeted launch date after all. An Atari representative responded to us, explaining, "Our recent tweet was not intended to speak to Sony's service coming back online or being delayed, but to inform our fans that we expect Daggerdale to be placed in PSN's publishing queue behind other titles that were meant to launch during the service outage and that it might not hit the May 31 date."
PSN service coming back in Asia tomorrow, Welcome Back package detailed
While there were some extra ... hurdles before PlayStation Network services could be restored in Japan, Sony announced that the phased renewal of network services for Japan and other Asian territories will go through tomorrow -- except for Korea and Hong Kong, whose service renewal "will be announced as soon as ready." Like North America and Europe, the services coming back include online play, sign-in (with password change), and Home. The torne DVR thing will also be usable again. When the PlayStation Store does return, PSN members in Asia will have their own PS3 and PSP Welcome Back packages, from which to choose two games for each system. And they're ... different. Instead of games like Dead Nation and Infamous, PS3 owners can choose from the following five games: The Last Guy LocoRoco Cocoreccho! echochrome WipEout HD Hustler King And for PSP, the choices include: Yuhshanokuseninamaikida or2 PSP® the Best (What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!? 2) Everybody's Stress Buster (Hot Shots Shorties) PATAPON2 PSP® the Best LittleBigPlanet Portable LocoRoco -Midnight Carnival- Users also get 30 days free PlayStation Plus access, Home stuff, free "select" movie rentals, and a month of "Platinya" membership for the weekly news program/cat minigame collection Weekly Toro Station.
Sign up now for free PSN identity theft protection
Sony is making good on its offer of free ID theft protection for PSN members. It's posted the form through which you can sign up for Debix's AllClear ID service, which " uses advanced technology to deliver alerts to help keep you safe" and also includes "identity theft insurance coverage" and access to investigators. Sony is only offering access to the free service until June 28, so you should sign up now. "AllClear ID PLUS is a service offered by Debix and not by Sony," the company notes. Sony meant this as a warning, so you'll read the AllClear ID site carefully before signing up -- but we admit that when we first saw that, we kind of thought the implication was that it was less likely to be hacked.
Dirt 3's 'VIP Pass' can't be disabled for PS3 owners
WB and Netherrealm earned some goodwill from PS3 Mortal Kombat owners recently, by disabling the "Kombat Pass" and allowing players to fight online without redeeming the one-time-use code in the PlayStation Store (which is down). Unfortunately, such a concession won't be possible for Dirt 3. "We've looked into doing something similar for Dirt 3 but it's not technically possible," a Codemasters rep told Eurogamer. "It's hard-coded into the game." Removing the VIP pass requirement would involve a patch, the publisher explained, which would likely take longer to push through than it will take for the Store to come back online. An alternate solution to this problem (though not for Dirt 3, since it's already out) would be to cut out Online Pass schemes in general. We wonder if anyone has suggested that.
PSP firmware update 'guides' users through PSN password change
Sony has already issued new firmware for PS3s, to fix security issues and enable a password change following the PlayStation Network megahack. But those measures leave out a few dozen million affected devices: PSP systems. Oh yeah, those do also connect to PSN! PSP firmware 6.39 is now available, which guides PSP users who have yet to change their PSN passwords through that vital, vital process. "Also," the PlayStation Blog notes, "system software stability during use of some features will be improved." Note: PSN is under maintenance right now, so you have plenty of time to charge your PSP before you can get back online and change your password.
PSA: PSN maintenance today, no Store update
The PlayStation Network will undergo maintenance today, according to an announcement on PlayStation Blog. The downtime is scheduled to begin at 11AM ET (in 10 minutes!) and conclude eight hours later, at 7PM. That might sound like perfect timing for the return of the North American PlayStation Store's weekly update, but ... it's not happening. "For those asking about the PlayStation Store, we're still targeting restoration of all services by the end of this month," adds Jeff Rubenstein, the Blog's manager. "Contrary to reports, the Store will not be publishing today." Rubenstein notes that some users may have trouble signing into PSN during the maintenance, but assures that "the majority of consumers will be able to play online as well as sign in to external sites that require PSN authentication" -- only account registration and management (including password resetting) will be inaccessible. On the European PlayStation Blog, manager James Gallagher suggests you sign into PSN and remain online before maintenance begins -- so, like, ASAP! -- to ensure connectivity throughout the day.
PSN breach and restoration to cost $171M, Sony estimates
In the lead-up to its fiscal year 2010 earnings report this Thursday, Sony today released a revised forecast -- forewarning a $3.2 billion loss (yowzah!) -- for the twelve months ending March 31, 2011. Having occurred in late April, the PlayStation Network attack and subsequent data theft and outage fall outside of that period, but the company nonetheless addressed "the impact" of the event during an investors call today, "since there have been so many media inquiries about this incident." "As of today," said Sony, according to its call script, "our currently known associated costs for the fiscal year ending March 2012 are estimated to be approximately 14 billion yen on the consolidated operating income level." That's roughly $171 million -- a "reasonable assumption," says Sony -- that the company expects to spend throughout the current fiscal year on its "personal information theft protection program," in addition to "welcome back programs," customer support, network security "enhancements" and legal costs. Sony noted that revenue loss from the outage and recovery, which also spans its Qriocity and Sony Online Entertainment services, had been factored into the cost, as well. "So far, we have not received any confirmed reports of customer identity theft issues, nor confirmed any misuse of credit cards from the cyber-attack," the company added. "Those are key variables, and if that changes, the costs could change." And what about the class action suits? Sony qualifies them as "all at a preliminary stage, so we are not able to include the possible outcome of any of them in our results forecast for the fiscal year ending March 2012 at this moment."
Mortal Kombat waives 'Kombat Pass' until PlayStation Store returns
The PlayStation 3 version of Mortal Kombat is seeing the end of an irksome TECHNICALITY: the "Kombat Pass," a token that is required for online play but cannot be redeemed while the PlayStation Store is offline, is being temporarily waived. Up until now, the pool of online combatants was limited to those who hastily activated their passes right before the PSN fell into a coma in late April. Writing on Mortal Kombat's official Facebook page, NetherRealm Studios confirmed that the game's online component should now be unlocked for all players, though it'll be cordoned off as soon as Sony re-opens the PlayStation Store (possibly by next week). The Kombat Pass code is included with all new copies of Mortal Kombat, and can be purchased separately for $9.99 once a free trial period expires. If you own a used copy of NetherRealm's well-received revamp, you now have an entire weekend to gauge the value of pulverizing pelvises over the internet.
PlayStation Store expected back online next Tuesday
Sony has notified its developer and publisher partners that the PlayStation Store is scheduled to relaunch next Tuesday, May 24, according to a memo obtained by Gamasutra. In the message, PSN content manager Jack Osorno details plans to update the Store twice weekly -- on Tuesdays and Fridays -- for two weeks in order to speed up the release of content that's been delayed due to the outage. Next Tuesday's update will include content originally scheduled to be released on April 26, while an update on Friday the 27th will bring releases previously planned for May 3. Updates on May 31 and June 3 will comprise the remaining content intended to be published throughout the rest of May. By the regularly scheduled June 7 update, the Store is expected to be up to date. "If there are concerns, we are willing to consider adjusting the release date of your content on this schedule," Osorno notes. "Adjustments will be made on a case by case basis." (The memo does not address any other kind of adjustment that might be made to appease concerns.) While the launch date for the "Customer Appreciation Program" wasn't noted (this was a memo to devs and pubs, remember?), the choice of two free games is expected to be made available "shortly after PlayStation Store is restored," for a limited time, according to an announcement earlier this week. [Image source: PlayStation.com]
PSN website sign-ins disabled after users identify potential exploit [update]
Call it another "hiccup" in Sony's bumpy road to getting the PlayStation Network back up and running, securely: The company has disabled PSN sign-in access on its PlayStation-related websites for "essential maintenance" purposes. "Clarification: this maintenance doesn't affect PSN on consoles," tweeted PlayStation Blog EU this morning, "only the website you click through to from the password change email." A follow-up tweet added, "We'll let you know as soon as the landing page is back online." Although Sony has yet to specify the reason for the maintenance outage, the action follows users' discovery of a potential exploit of the PSN password change function on Sony's websites. UK gaming news site Nyleveia was the first to sound the alarm when it warned, "A new hack is currently doing the rounds in dark corners of the internet that allows the attacker the ability to change your password using only your account's email and date of birth." In actuality, it was not so much a "hack" as it was a critical oversight by Sony, which had not changed the PSN password reset method on its websites when it began to partially relaunch the service last weekend. Any website user, nefarious or not, needed only to provide a PSN account's associated email address and the account holder's date of birth to change the password -- information that was stolen by hackers during the PSN breach last month. Needless to say, if you have received an email confirming your PSN password has been changed (and you didn't change it yourself), you should contact Sony. For now, the password reset function has been disabled on Sony's websites. "Unfortunately this also means that those who are still trying to change their password via Playstation.com or Qriocity.com will be unable to do so for the time being," Sony said in a statement posted by Eurogamer. "This is due to essential maintenance and at present it is unclear how long this will take." Update: Sony has issued a statement on PlayStation Blog, describing the issue as "a URL exploit that we have subsequently fixed." The company adds, "Consumers who haven't reset their passwords for PSN are still encouraged to do so directly on their PS3. Otherwise, they can continue to do so via the website as soon as we bring that site back up."
Sony reveals choice of free game downloads as part of PSN 'Welcome Back' program
PlayStation Network and Qriocity haven't even been back for 48 hours, but Sony is already explaining its "Welcome Back" program. The company detailed its "Customer Appreciation Program" this afternoon for North America and Europe on its regional PlayStation blogs, laying out a long list of free stuff that PSN users are eligible to receive as a thank you for weathering the outage. Aside from offering the previously announced free 30 days of PlayStation Plus for all PSN users, the company is giving away two free PlayStation 3 games and two free PlayStation Portable games, all from two lists of (mostly) wonderful releases. The European Union is being offered similar titles, with a few notable swaps (Super Stardust HD is an option in the US, replaced by Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty in the EU). Additionally, an unnamed selection of "On Us" movies will be available for free rental on an unspecified weekend in the coming weeks. Oh, and those of you who were already paying for PlayStation Plus? You'll get an additional 60 days of free subscription time tacked on to your existing plan. And, for the Home loyal among us, "100 free virtual items" will be made available at some point soon. Sony hopes to offer all of this stuff as soon as possible, noting that it is waiting for all services to be fully restored before it does. Head past the break for a full list of options in both North America and Europe.
Japanese government refuses Sony approval for PSN relaunch
According to a report from the Dow Jones newswire, a Japanese regulatory official has confirmed that the nation's government hasn't given Sony approval to relaunch PSN services in the territory. The source, Ministry of Economy Content Industry director Kazushige Nobutani, says the government refused Sony's initiative to resuscitate the platform. "As of May 13, Sony was incomplete in exercising measures that they said they will do on the May 1 press conference." The details of which measures haven't been enacted yet were not released. The source added that the government wants clearer terms on what Sony's doing to protect its users' credit card info, saying, "There were similar cases in the past that were caused by other firms, and we are asking Sony whether their measures are good enough when compared to countermeasures taken in the past." We're telling you guys -- just put all the credit card info in a big pile surrounded by a shark-filled moat. Done!
Multiple PlayStation Store updates coming each week until caught up
If you've been keeping score, we've missed out on three regularly scheduled PlayStation Store updates since the service went down last month, preventing users from downloading items like the already long-delayed PSN RTS Under Siege. There's a lot of content to get caught up on -- and to get us there, the storefront will receive updates "multiple times per week once commerce functionality is restored," according to the latest PlayStation Blog FAQ. "We will update the PlayStation.Blog with information on timing of the Store restoration," adds the FAQ, "as well as the full list of new content as each publish occurs." If you're the type who likes to spend exorbitant sums of money on each batch of PSN additions, you might want to steel yourself for the oncoming deluge.
Sony Online Entertainment services also coming back online
Sony Online Entertainment has been an unfortunately named business these past two weeks, when its catalog of MMOs were taken offline following the PlayStation Network security breach. Fortunately, the servers of titles like Free Realms, EverQuest 2 and Clone Wars Adventures slowly but surely started to come back online this past weekend -- each including a little incentive to try and lure back their disconnected player bases. These incentives include XP bonuses, free rare items and special events, all of which are laid out on this handy chart. If you're an SOE account holder in "good standing," you'll also get 45 days of in-game time on-the-house. If you're a lifetime subscriber, though, you'll get just the extra super special in-game bonuses. Also, everyone gets 500 Station Cash, a currency players can use to purchase even more in-game items. This outage might just be the best thing to ever happen to your online adventurer's lootsack.
PSN back in Europe and Australia, your password email may take some time
The select PlayStation Network services that came back online in North America over the weekend have now shaken off their bonds in a handful of other territories across the globs. Formerly jilted users living in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and South America should now have access to online multiplayer, third-party video services and all the other reactivated features that returned this past Saturday. Unfortunately, the flood of people who have made their first priority to change their password have overwhelmed both the PlayStation Network servers and their ISPs, leading to delays for password reset emails. If you requested a password reset and haven't heard back yet, Sony asks that you "please give it a bit of time to reach your email."
