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Sony rolls up the PSN 'Welcome Back' mat this Sunday, takes free entertainment with it
Four weeks ago today, Sony announced its 'Welcome Back' campaign following the weeks-long PSN outage that began in April. Now, the program is entering its final weekend, giving you just two more days to download your pair of free PS3 or PSP games, along with 100 virtual items from PlayStation Home and 30 days of PlayStation Plus. To claim your gratis package from the PlayStation Store, click on the "Welcome Back" tab and make your pick. Sure, a few handouts may not make up for those countless days you spent offline, contemplating a switch to other networks, but free stuff is free stuff, so head over to PSN to claim what's rightfully yours before the clock strikes midnight on July 3rd.
PlayStation Plus memberships add extra time through July 11
If you've grown accustomed to the PlayStation Plus membership awarded to you as part of Sony's not-at-all-promotional "Welcome Back" package, and its attendant discounts, early demos, and "Full Game Trials," the company is offering some temporary discounts to ease the transition into paid Plus membership. Through July 11, in honor of the service's first anniversary, you can get an extra month if you sign up for the $17.99 three-month membership, or an extra three months if you pay $50 for a year. Getting a long-term Plus membership is a good idea if only because that gives you more time to forget you actually paid for it, making the "free" bonuses feel more free.
Uncharted 3 multiplayer beta details leap from Naughty Dog HQ to your eye sockets
You already read a mess of information about Uncharted 3's upcoming multiplayer beta back before E3, but now developer Naughty Dog wants to show it off in a slurry of walkthrough videos (which we've dropped after the break). The studio also revealed a variety of details about the beta, breaking down which gametypes and maps will be paired across the beta's three weeks -- it'll take up approximately 1.7GB of your precious HDD space. Additionally, ND says that the beta will allow for stereoscopic 3D, as well as split-screen co-op (though not both simultaneously, of course). As the beta goes live tomorrow for PlayStation Plus subscribers (that's still most of us!) and inFamous 2 owners, you may be wondering when you'll be murdering Drake with ... uh ... other Drakes -- unfortunately, the studio isn't sure just yet, but suggests keeping an eye on the official Naughty Dog Twitter account for up-to-the-minute info. Studio head Evan Wells also notes on his Twitter feed that the beta "should be on PSN around 2PM PDT tomorrow." He additionally points out that "Naughty Dog doesn't control this," making 2PM PDT somewhat tentative.
Journey closed beta starts tomorrow, open to select few
Following up on last week's report, thatgamecompany has revealed the requirements for taking part in the "very limited" beta for its upcoming project, Journey. According to a recent post on PlayStation Blog, the beta will be restricted to "the very earliest adopters of Flower" who are also PlayStation Plus subscribers. The beta will begin on June 28 (that's tomorrow!) and run through July 12. Those who qualify should receive an invitation via their PSN inbox soon. For those who don't fit the criteria (remember, everyone's on PlayStation Plus at the moment), all hope is not lost. A "limited number of additional spots" will be made available via PlayStation Blog and some unnamed "media partners." Finally, more invitations are being given away via thatgamecompany's Facebook page. You'd best hurry if you want one -- the Facebook giveaway closes at 7pm Pacific tonight.
PSN 'Welcome Back' package is here, our long global nightmare is over
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! Seriously, even a few Engadget editors are chortling in joy. PSN and Qriocity service has been restored in the Americas, Europe, and Asia and to celebrate (and soothe the seething frustration of its customers) Sony has launched its "welcome back" program. To be eligible you'll have to have been a member before April 20th but, otherwise, it's relatively qualifier free. Fire up the PlayStation Store and head to the "Welcome Back" tab to claim your pair of free games (you've got five different options on the PS3 and four on the PSP). In addition everyone gets a month of PlayStation Plus gratis and there's a selection of "On Us" movie rentals available over the weekend. There are a few other freebies to placate the masses too, like 100 free items in PlayStation Home, while Current Plus and Music Unlimited Premium subscribers get a 60 and 30 day handout respectively. If you've got any burning questions yet to be answered, check out the rather lengthy FAQ at source link and enjoy! It's not everyday that a company just throws open the flood gates on free stuff.
Euro PSN gets massive update, PS Plus members get more freebies
Just hours after the PlayStation Network Store went back online, Sony took to its European PlayStation blog to detail both what's coming in the first major update, as well as what European PS Plus subscribers will be receiving in the coming weeks. Beyond the already detailed "Welcome Back" content, SCEE says an extra 10 days will be added to the 60 already included in the Plus "Welcome Back" package, "due to the Store coming back a little later that we hoped." Additionally, April's Plus content and deals are being extended for two extra weeks, meaning that if you missed a chance to download Premiere Manager at 50 percent off, there's still time! June's offers have yet to be revealed, but the post does promise Plus users a free copy of Burnout Paradise as part of the month's content offerings. The "Spring Offers" deal for all PSN users has also been extended to June 8, a sale which was unavailable during the majority of its duration as a result of the month-long PSN outage. All PSN users can also snag a free copy of FIFA 11 Ultimate Team, a soccer management game from EA, for the time being. And finally, the EU PlayStation Store has also received a massive update, the likes of which we've never seen before. Final Fantasy VI is totally on there, as is a mess of new Hyperdimension Neptunia content and ... well, you know what? We're going to simply point you to it rather than try to wade the flood.
Sony begins full restoration of its PSN and Qriocity services (update: intermittent issues)
Can it be happening? Is Sony's security nightmare finally over? Seems to be. On Tuesday, Sony promised full restoration of its PlayStation Network and Qriocity services in the Americas, Europe, and Asia (excluding Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea) by the end of the week. Now Sony is proclaiming that today is the day for full restoration with details of its "welcome back" package to be announced from each region. The PlayStation Store is already up with a "huge lineup" of new games, demos, add-ons, themes, avatars, and videos along with an updated Playstation Plus. Hey, look on the bright side Sony, even though you've lost the confidence of millions of your customers, at least now they're aware of your Qriocity service. Full press release after the break. Update: Working fine for us from London. We signed in to the PlayStation Store and even fired up Black Ops multiplayer just for kicks. Update 2: We're now seeing error "80710D36" occasionally when trying to access the PlayStation Store, presumably due to congestion. We're seeing this from both London and New York.
Sony evaluating possible goodwill gesture for PSN outage and breach
There's been a lot for PSN users to be concerned about regarding the service's outage and recent, user-exposing security breach -- but one element that's gone unaddressed by Sony is, hey, what's in it for us? In a new, late night edition of PlayStation Blog's Q&A, Sony responds to our outcries for compensation, saying, "We are currently evaluating ways to show appreciation for your extraordinary patience as we work to get these services back online." The FAQ post also confirms that any Trophies earned during the downtime will be synced without a hitch once the network comes back online, and that Friends lists and PlayStation Plus saves haven't been lost. Which is great, because that is definitely what we were worried about. Definitely not the fact that we're all in imminent danger of getting totally Talented Mr. Ripley'd.
EU: Buy a year of PlayStation Plus, get 3 months free
Perhaps the monthly free game and various other benefits of a PlayStation Plus membership have yet to entice you to the world of paid PSN membership. That we can accept. But if you've been sitting on the fence -- a European fence, specifically -- waiting for that one extra incentive to join, Sony might be dangling just the carrot to send you tumbling over: If you buy a 12-month Plus membership before May 3, you'll get an extra three months for free (the same deal once offered in North America). Of course, you may want to wait until you can actually access PSN again before going through with it. In any case, if you wanna be extra committed, the deal is stackable, meaning you can buy as many years as you'd like and the extra three months will just keep accruing right on top. It's kind of like making a really big burger, except, ya know, with a digital membership. Okay ... it's not that much like a burger. Fine.
Uncharted 3 beta begins July 5, early access for InFamous 2 buyers and Plus subscribers
You won't have to wait until November 1 to try out Uncharted 3's impressive multiplayer experience. Naughty Dog is putting the mode through an open beta test that director Justin Richmond says should "teach us a lot." Early access to the multiplayer beta will be granted on June 28 for PlayStation Plus subscribers and for those who have purchased inFamous 2 (recalling a similar promotion tied to the first inFamous). The beta will launch for all PSN members on July 5. Uncharted 2's multiplayer beta attracted more than 130,000 participants and saw an awesome prize gifted to a few lucky players, so expectations are high for the new beta. After the break, check out a thumping trailer for the new multiplayer features, including the deeper character customization -- and get a look at that spectacular Airstrip map! Mark your calendars: The real fireworks begin on July 5. %Gallery-121445%
PlayStation Plus members getting free Sonic 2, Dungeon Hunter discount
The PlayStation Blog has revealed the next round of perks lined up for PlayStation Plus subscribers, including free games, some exclusive deals and one big full game trial. First up, the free stuff: The Trophy-supported version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will be free to Plus members as of next Tuesday, April 5, as will Duael Invaders, the PSN minis shmup. Members will also get a free "Men of Yakuza 4" theme and a Crane Dance theme, both on April 12. Sony's also offering up discounts for Plus members, including Stardrone for $4, Hamsterball for $3.99 and the upcoming Dungeon Hunter: Alliance action RPG for $9.74, a few bucks off the standard $12.99 price. Finally, on April 12, Plus members will have access to a full game trial of the first Assassin's Creed, just in case you've never played Altaïr's original adventure. (Spoiler: it's good, but the sequels are much better.)
Red Faction: Battlegrounds coming April 5 for $10, distributed free as PS Plus incentive
An email recently distributed by Sony to PlayStation Network users contained a flabbergasting amount of news regarding THQ's next, miniature installation of the Red Faction franchise, Battlegrounds. First off, the email confirms the game will drop in North America on PSN (and assumedly XBLA) in the same week as Europe, on April 5. Entry to the 'grounds will run shoppers $9.99 (800 Microsoft Points). However, if you'd like to eschew that fee, you can simply enroll in the PlayStation Plus program before March 25 -- doing so will allow you to grab the game for free and keep it forever. It's unclear whether this deal's available for everyone, or just the people who received the aforementioned invitational email; we can't imagine Sony left too many people off that mailing list, though. They rarely care about exclusivity when it's money time.
PS3 firmware 3.60 is live with cloud saves ... oh, and hacker suggests PS3 is 're-secured'
In addition to its ongoing courtroom campaign to thwart hackers, Sony hasn't given up trying to patch its PlayStation 3 problems with another (everybody now!) firmware update! This time, it's not just a security update: For the PlayStation Plus subscribers out there, firmware 3.60 includes the nifty cloud-based save service (demoed on video after the break) while non PS+ users can enjoy setting "the amount of time before a controller turns off after you have stopped using it." As for those glaring security holes? Noted PS3 hacker Youness Alaoui (aka KaKaRoToKS) posits, "For now, it looks to me (at first glance) that the PS3 has been re-secured, but it doesn't mean it can't be broken again from scratch." DigitalFoundry explains that while Geohot's reveal of the "mtldr" key irrevocably broke the PS3's "chain of trust," Sony's solution effortlessly sidesteps this seemingly insurmountable breach: "According to Alaoui's quick analysis, Sony simply doesn't use mtldr any more, opting for a new security system that could possibly require a completely new exploit to be uncovered." Even money says someone somewhere will uncover that exploit, but for now, it sounds like Sony can breathe a sigh of relief. [Thanks for the vid, Johnra (and everyone else that sent this in!)]
Sony adds cloud storage for game saves to PSN Plus subscriptions
Alright, it's official, Sony's PlayStation Plus subscription just became a thing worth owning with the new addition of online storage for game saves. It's coming with v3.60 of the PS3 firmware, which we're promised to receive tomorrow, March 10th. You'll be allowed to stash up to 150MB of PlayStation 3 game progress data in Sony's make.believe cloud, which is not exactly a staggering amount, but then it's not like those save files take up that much space. The major attraction that we see here is being able to just plug your account details into any PS3 around the globe and continue your questing in Dragon Age II as if you're still at home. See Sony's press release and instructions on how to use the new cloud saving option after the break.
PlayStation Plus adding online game save storage March 10
Sony's expanding the features list for its PlayStation Plus service tomorrow, March 10, with the launch of online storage for PS3 game saves. As part of the $50 per year subscription, members will get 150MB of space in "the cloud" for up to 1,000 save files. Copy-prohibited files can even be backed up, with the caveat that users can only restore files that have been deleted from their systems once per 24 hours. Future titles will offer the ability to save directly to PSN, Sony says, bypassing your local HDD entirely. The new feature is being introduced in PS3 firmware v3.60, which rolls out tomorrow, so factor the obligatory download into your game-playing schedule accordingly.
SOCOM 4 beta dated, PlayStation Plus members get early access
Everyone is invited to the SOCOM 4 beta starting April 5. But you'll have opportunities to get in earlier: March 15 - Private Beta. "We'll be contacting eligible players soon." March 22 - PlayStation Plus early access March 29 - Access included with Killzone 3 April 5 - Free public download on the PlayStation Store The beta will include all of the game's competitive multiplayer modes -- Suppression, Last Defense, Uplink and Bomb Squad -- playable on two maps: Port Authority and Assault & Battery. It's scheduled to conclude on April 13. Unfortunately, the beta won't give you a taste of the five-player co-op mode. You'll have to wait until April 19 to try that out.
PlayStation Plus users receive early access to Mortal Kombat demo
PS3 owners will be able to download a demo of the upcoming Mortal Kombat game next week ... provided they have a PlayStation Plus subscription. On March 8th, PS+ users will be able to get an early look at the revamped fighting series. In addition, Plus subscribers will get 50% off all winners of the PSN Gamers' Choice Awards. Non-Plus subscribers will be able to download the Mortal Kombat demo the following week, on March 15th. The demo will be available "later" on Xbox 360. For the full Plus line-up, check past the break.
Pix'n Love Rush free for PlayStation Plus members today
PlayStation Plus members are getting yet another early (and free!) look at a new PlayStation Mini today. Pix'n Love Rush is a retro-themed platformer (originally developed for iPhone) -- and this video will give you a better idea of why it's so charming.
PlayStation Plus users get free, timed-exclusive Genesis games starting in March
The latest venue for the same set of Genesis ports seen everywhere else is the PlayStation 3's PlayStation Network, which adds another console to the system's retro roster. Sega is releasing them all for free to PlayStation Plus members for a limited time, starting with the March 1 release of Sonic the Hedgehog, which is free to Plus members through April 5. Sonic 2, Streets of Rage 2, Golden Axe 2, Comix Zone, and Altered Beast will all follow on the day the previous game is removed. Those without Plus will have to wait for the opportunity to buy these Genesis games for $4.99 each: Sonic won't hit the normal PSN store until March 29, with the other games showing up around a month apart. You could wait for that, or you could get the Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection disc, which has all of these games and 42 more for ... $16.79.
PlayStation Plus users get The Flying Hamster as free Valentine's gift
Nothing says love quite like potted plant-powered aerial rodents, does it? We say that kind of stuff all the time, especially around this most romantic time of year -- and apparently, Sony shares in our unique set of beliefs. PlayStation Plus members have a sweet little surprise waiting for them in their PSN Message Boxes: a warm Valentine's Day message from Sony, and a download voucher for the PSN Mini The Flying Hamster. Best of all, unlike some of the freebies delivered to PlayStation Plus subscribers, The Flying Hamster won't disappear from your library should you ever decide to cancel your membership. If you've ever seen a more beautiful parallel for love undying, we'd love to hear about it. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
