psn-cards
Latest
PSN cards, Video Store available this fall in Europe
Sony's video download store will finally be available to European PlayStation owners later this year! According to announcements out of Sony's GamesCom presentation, the service will launch in the UK, France, Germany, and Spain in November, with more areas to follow in 2010. At first, the service will only offer movies (for rent or purchase, in HD or SD, on PS3 or PSP), but "local content" will be added in time. In other PSN catch-up news, PSN cards will be available in stores in September, in 20 and 50 euro denominations. Great news for people who like to be in stores when they buy things! This may not be a surprise, given that a retailer already revealed plans -- but then, even if that hadn't happened, you've all had several years to get used to the idea of PSN cards.
PlayStation Network cards to be available in $10 denomination
Prepaid PlayStation Network cards currently come in two flavors: $20 and $50. For those of you that don't want to shell out the big bucks on the PSN will be glad to know that a new variation is coming: the $10 denomination. Best Buy has a listing for the cheaper card, in addition to a $20 prepaid LittleBigPlanet-branded "collectible art" card. While this isn't the most exciting news around, it's nice to know our credit card-less friends have a few more options than they did before.[Thanks, gm914!]
European retailer begins listing prepaid PSN cards
A Belgian website, consoleshop.be, is currently listing prepaid PSN cards in both €20 and €50 denominations. As Edge points out, the release date is pinned as October 1st, the same day that the UMD-free PSP Go handheld launches. SCEE hasn't officially announced plans to sell pre-paid PSN cards in Europe, but it seems like a no-brainer with the expansion of PlayStation Network content on both the PS3 and PSP. Offering PSN cards will not only make it possible for consumers without credit cards to enjoy digital games, retailers can also benefit by earning some money in the PSN-exclusive transaction (assuming they sell the cards at a profit, of course!).Hopefully, it won't be long until SCEE does the right thing and makes it official.
O Canada, PlayStation Network cards have arrived!
It took long enough, but it appears pre-paid PlayStation Network cards have arrived in Canada. Makinen snapped this photo of a local Canadian card that credits you 20 Canadian dollars for use on the PSN. With it, our credit card-less Canadian friends can finally start downloading games and movies onto the PS3 and PSP.[Thanks, djpenny1!]
PSN cards available next month at Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Sam's Club
Sony's PlayStation Blog announced today that PSN cards will be available at more national retailers beginning in October. The cards will soon be available in $20 and $50 denominations at Wal-Mart, Best Buy and "select Sam's Club outlets." The cards will assist in destroying GPAs when they become available in November at Barnes & Noble College Bookstores.Sony had previously announced that PSN cards are currently available at Blockbuster, AAFES and a few regional retailers. Yup, still no GameStop.[Photo credit: Flickr ffg]
PSN Cards expand to Walmart, Best Buy, Sam's Club and Barnes & Noble
It took some time, but it looks like PLAYSTATION Network cards are ready to hit mass distribution. In October, these prepaid gift cards for use on the PLAYSTATION Store will be available at Walmart, Best Buy, select Sam's Club outlets. In November, they will also be available at Barnes & Noble College Bookstores locations, just in time for midterms and finals."The PLAYSTATION Network Cards are an easy way for PSP and PS3 fans to obtain great games, movies, TV shows and other entertainment through PLAYSTATION Network and we are pleased to offer them at major retailers nationwide," said Eric Lempel, director, PLAYSTATION®Network Operations, SCEA. "With the holiday season right around the corner, these cards are an ideal gift option for friends and family, whether they are movie aficionados, dedicated gamers or something in between."
PSN cards now at Blockbuster, AAFES, other regional chains
The PlayStation Blog recently announced that PlayStation Network cards are now available in $20 and $50 denominations at national movie rental chain Blockbuster. Cards can also be picked up at Meijer Superstore, Speedway, Pamida and ... AAFES. We actually had to look that last one up and learned the acronym stands for: Army & Air Force Exchange Service. Calling the press inquiry line, we were informed by a man, who called us "sir" (totally different than what we're used to being called!) that describing it as a "military retailer is perfectly acceptable."Jeff Rubenstein of PS Blog writes on the site that more stores should be added in the "coming weeks and months." Hey, GameStop might be a good chain to sell those cards in -- we hear it's doing well.
Looking for PSN Cards? Have you tried your local Blockbuster?
PSN Cards are now at Blockbuster stores. Don't believe us? Watch the above video and check out the PlayStation Blog's Jeff Rubenstein as he confidently strides across the store and proves to you that they exist. Testosterrific! They're available in both $20 and $50 flavors and should be in stores nationwide. Hmmm, isn't WipEout HD around $20? How convenient! And it's coming out so soon, too ... So now you don't need a credit card to grab stuff from the PSN Store. You Europeans can stop complaining about Entropay not working anymore, too -- you should be able to buy PSN Card codes far more easily now they're so readily available.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
American PSN cards in the strangest places: England
Reader Benny Boy sent us another pic of those North American PSN cards so many people are waiting on. It's not surprising to see these cards being sold as they've been out in Meijer for almost a month now. So why are we running this story? The twist here involves where these cards were found. The card spotting wasn't in the US or even on our continent; it was found in far away England -- land of dragons, knights, and tea.Benny Boy, a US soldier stationed in England, found the cards on the military base RAF Croughton -- which is used by the US Air Force. We can see the logic starting to play out; cards appear first on American bases, and then now American bases in foreign countries. Still, it's a bit odd to see American cards deployed around the world while the situation at home is seemingly ignored. Sounds a lot like current American politics. Oh, seriously, we did not just go there.
North American PSN cards available now at Meijer
We've known that PSN cards have been around for awhile now at select gas stations and areas near military forts and bases across the United States. Now, it looks like the cards are making another step towards more direct and wide scale distribution. American superstore Meijer is selling the cards this month and some people are already picking them up. Reader Mana Knight sends us pics of the cards in one of Meijer's stores. He was able to purchase one and use it.Meijer branches are located in only a few states: Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. So if you live in any one of those places, you could probably find the PSN cards in your local Meijer. For everyone else, it looks like it might still be awhile; however, the fact that the cards are appearing at a major retailer points to steady progression. Will we see the cards in even bigger chains nationwide by the end of summer?[Thanks Mana Knight!]
Sony to give away 100 Japan PSN cards
To kick of the new year, Sony Japan is giving away 100 PlayStation Network cards worth 5,000 Yen a piece now through Jan. 7. Entering is extremely easy, because all you have to do is to purchase something from the Japanese PlayStation Store. Of course, most Western gamers don't buy much from the Japanese store, so this may not mean much to some of you. However, we hope it could be a sign that deals like this could come our way sometime in the future. And with Sony just announcing that PSN cards are heading to the U.S., what better way to get everyone excited by giving a bunch away, right?[Via Gemaga]
PlayStation Network cards available in NA early '08
Missing out on the influx of potential holiday cash, Sony confirmed that PlayStation Network cards will arrive in North America early next year. The cards act in the same capacity as the Wii and Xbox 360 point cards -- except Sony uses actual dollar amounts, hallelujah! The first solid evidence of the cards appeared last week as outlets received holiday greetings with the point cards in dollar amounts. Sony made an acknowledgment of the cards on their PlayStation Blog late last week and followed it up with a statement to GI.biz today. No specific denominations of PSN cards have been announced, but we can confirm $20 is definitely in there.
PlayStation Network cards exist in US
Although it isn't official, the guys over at PS3 Fanboy put two and two together and figured out pre-paid PlayStation Network cards are coming to retail in the States. They came to the conclusion after Sony sent them Christmas greetings with the pre-paid card you see above inside the envelope. "Well, that just means there are pre-paid cards, it doesn't mean it's coming to retail," says the Grinch commenter in the back. Yeah, that may be true, but then the line on the top of the card would be a little silly: No value until activated at register.Sony announced the pre-paid cards would be available in Japan back in May, but there was no statement for North America. We'll check in with Sony now to see if the company would like to update its statement and say when the cards will be at retail.
