Playstation Network Maintenance Causes Chaos For PS Vita Users

A routine maintainance schedule for the Playstation Network yesterday, caused chaos for several PS Vita users. Although Playstation had done its best to warn users to expect a period of about fourteen hours maintenance, during which, all of its online services including the PSN store, would be unavailable, it appears that many PS Vita fans were left confused after worrying 'NW' and 'NP' error codes began to appear in various applications on their new console.

The maintenance took place between 8pm last night, and 10am this morning. However, PS Vita users were dismayed and worried when they suddenly found that the majority of applications on their console stopped working. This is because the majority of social functions on the PS Vita, including Group Messaging, Party, Online Play, Near, Google Maps and of course, the PSN store all  need to access the Playstation Network.

Within hours of the maintenance getting underway, various online forums featured threads about the error codes, which were preventing users from accessing their favourite PS Vita content. In some extreme cases, users even described how they had restarted their routers several times, or even set up new wi-fi settings for their home network in order to try and get access.

Although many forum users did realise that the the sudden loss of access to the Playstation Network was due to maintenance, it was around 5am before the PS Vita displayed an NP error message which actually stated that the network was currently undergoing maintenance. Things have since returned to normal and Playstation Network access has been restored to most users.

Sony To Drop PSP Digital Comic Service...

The Sony PSP Digital Comic Service is to be dropped just seventeen months after its initial launch. According to a message on the Official Playstation Blog, which warned users that the latest comic update would also be the last.

Playstation Store director, Grace Chen, claimed that the Digital Comic Service would no longer feature any new comics after the 6th of July 2011, but was quick to add that users could: "continue to download any of the over 4000 existing comics from the comic store as usual..." [sourced from:http://us.playstationcomics.com/main/blog/weekly-update-060711.html]

Just to confirm, although it has been announced that Sony intends to 'drop' the service, (which would seems to suggest that the service is to cease,) the truth is that the PSP digital comics that are already in the store will remain unchanged and can still be downloaded as normal, but there will be NO MORE NEW STOCK of comics after the above date.

 However, the playstation blog also mentioned that the Digital Comic Service would continue on other Sony products, although no specific details were given at this point.

 Mini Gamers is saddened by the news, but we are also left wondering whether there might be plans to move the Digital Comic Service to the newest Sony handheld, the PS Vita, which is set to debut in December 2011.

Keep checking in with the Mini Gamers blog for more news on this subject as it happens.

PSN Store and Quriocity Services Back By Friday?

It has been a long and frustrating few months for owners of Sony's PSP consoles in the wake of the malicious security breach which meant the closure of all major Playstation online services, but Sony are now insisting that full Playstation Network Store and Quriocity services will be restored by the end of the week.

Sony has already provided a special System Update (version 6.39), which means that all existing PSN and Quriocity customers will be forced to update their passwords and confirm their credit card details before being allowed back into the online store and other services.

This is just one of a number of new security measures which has been implemented since the cyber attack, which is thought to have placed 77 million Playstation users' personal information at risk, and cost Sony almost £105 million in revenue.

Sony also promises that it will be providing a full Welcome Back package to all of its existing users in the near future. The package has now been unveiled and will attempt to offer 'something for everyone', including:

• A selection of free  movie rentals for all PlayStation Network customers over the course of one weekend.
• Non-PlayStation Plus subscribers will get a free, 30-day PlayStation Plus membership.
• Existing PlayStation Plus members will get 30 extra days free.
• Music Unlimited Premium/Basic subscribers will get free access for 30 days, plus time lost.
• PlayStation Home will offer 100 virtual items.

Mini Gamers is very pleased to hear that Sony's digital store will soon be open for business, however, the cyber attack and the delay in restoring its services may have caused untold damage to Sony's reputation and any profits that the company  might generate in the future. Only time will tell whether Sony will be able to fully recover from this unforeseen turn of events.

PSN and Quriocity Services v. 6.39 System Update...Is Sony Back?

Sony have today released a new System Update (version 6.39) to their PSP customers, in light of the devastating hack that is expected to cost the company almost £105.8 million pounds in revenue.

The new update forces existing PSN and Quriocity customers to change their password and re-confirm their credit card details before being allowed  back onto Sony's online services. It is all part of the enhanced security features that Sony had promised its customers, in order to ensure that an attack of this magnitude cannot happen again.

However, despite the fact that the update has now become available to all of Sony's PSP and PS3 customers, the PSN store and Quriocity services remain offline, meaning even more frustration for Playstation customers.

Reliable sources within the gaming community have claimed that all of Sony's online gaming and music services should be restored by the 31st of May 2011 at the latest. Nevertheless, Sony has remained guarded about when the PSN store and Quriocity services will be available again.

So, it looks like PSN and Quriocity users will have to remain patient for at least another week. However, the question is, will customers still feel safe about using the service after all this time, and is Sony's intended 'Welcome Back' Package enough to make up for the weeks of frustration that gamers have been forced to endure?

If you have any comments about the Playstation Network hack, and the delay in restoring the PSN and Quriocity services, then please share them with us via our comments link or via our suggestion box. We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Sony Starts PSN Restoration Process At Last. 'Welcome Back' Package Details NOT included...

Sony has today begun restoring access to its online Playstation Network and Quriocity services after a malicious security breach forced them to close down for over three weeks. PS3 users will be able to access the service from today. However, some areas of the PSP Playstation Store are still undergoing maintenance at present.

In an attempt for tighter security, PSN users will now be forced to update their account details before being allowed to access the services. PS3 users will automatically receive a system update that will do this for them.

Sony has also promised its customers a 'Welcome Back' package including some free game downloads and free one month membership to Playstation Plus, but there are no details of this at present. The details of the package are expected to be revealed soon. Further details can be obtained by clicking HERE.

This is terrific news for users of either Quriocity or the PSN store. We here at Mini Gamers are delighted with the news and can't wait to start using our PSP consoles again.

What about other gamers out there? Are you pleased that the services are now back online, or has the breach left you feeling unsure about using these Sony services?  Let us know what you think about this issue by leaving a comment in our comments box (at the bottom of each post). We'd love to hear your thoughts.



PSN and Quriocity Outage Could Continue Until The End Of May...

Sony's Playstation Network and Quriocity services continue to be unavailable for yet another week, and it looks as though the services will not return until the end of May at the earliest.

Mini Gamers first reported on the Playstation Network Outage in April of this year. At that time, Sony was confident that it would have both services up and running within a week. However, subsequent information leaks and fears of a second intrusion have meant that the "Phased Restoration of service" that Sony was planning, has so far not taken place.

Sony has suggested that they will be offering a so-called 'Welcome Back' package to all its customers, including the possibility of two free game downloads or music downloads and a thirty-day free membership into the Playstation Plus account amongst other things, but with Playstation gamers growing ever more impatient, it looks as though it may already be too little, too late where Sony is concerned.

Gaming website GamesIndustryBiz recently reported that there had been a higher trade-ins for Sony consoles, including the PS3 in the wake of the Playstation Network outage. This is a trend which could spell disaster for the Sony gaming franchise should it continue.

Sony's Head of Publisher Relations, Rob Dyer, recently wrote a letter to the company's developers and publishers in which he described the steps that Sony had taken immediately after the attack and how the company intended to get its services back online. The full contents of the letter can be read by clicking HERE.

At the time of this blog post, there is still no clear date when either the Playstation Network or Quriocity services shall return, but the longer that the outage lasts, the greater the overall damage done to Sony's reputation. Could this be the end for Sony as we know it?

What do you think of the current outage? Do you think that Sony have taken responsible measures by shutting down its services immediately after the breach? Have you lost interest in Sony products in the wake of the PSN outage?

Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment in the comments box. We'd love to hear from you.



Sony Begins "Phased Restoration" Of Its Services...

Sony has today started what it has termed a "Phased Restoration" of its Playstation Network and Qriocity services after a malicious system hack forced them to be shut down for over a week.

During a press conference in Tokyo yesterday, both Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) and Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI) announced that they will shortly begin to turn on their gaming, music and video services region by region.

Sony has also implemented stricter security measures since the cyber attack, including creating a new company position called the Chief Information Security Officer, whose role it will be to to supplement existing information security personnel in ensuring the safety of customer data.

Furthermore, Sony have added automated software monitoring and configuration management to help defend against new attacks, enhanced the levels of data protection, encryption, and the ability to detect software intrusions within the network, unauthorized access and unusual activity patterns, as well as having implemented additional firewalls.

PS3 gamers will undergo a system update whereby they will have to re-register their Username and password before they are allowed access to the Playstation Network. There are also plans to move the existing network system to another secret location, which according to Sony, had been under construction for several months prior to the attack.

It was originally feared that customers' credit card information was also at risk, but Sony have since announced that this is impossible as customers credit card details are subject to encryption and were therefore not at risk.

Nevertheless, the same cannot be said for users' personal details, which were not subject to encryption at the time of the intrusion. However, Sony insists that lessons have been learned from the attack and the company has pledged that it will work even harder to ensure the safety of its online services.

Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President of the Sony Corporation said: "Our global audience of PlayStation Network and Qriocity consumers was disrupted. We have learned lessons along the way about the valued relationship with our consumers, and to that end, we will be launching a customer appreciation programme for registered consumers as a way of expressing our gratitude for their loyalty during this network downtime, as we work even harder to restore and regain their trust in us and our services."

Nevertheless, the cyber attack, which placed almost 77 million customers' personal details at risk, could have done untold damage to Sony's reputation and may even impact the reputation of other similar online networks in the future.

The question that many gamers will now be asking is:  Is it enough to be wise after the event when it comes to personal security, or should Sony have taken more stringent measures to prevent such a security breach in the first place?

 Let us know your thoughts on this subject by leaving a comment in the Mini Gamers comment box. We'd love to hear from you.

Sony Admits Playstation Network Hack...

Sony has today admitted that "an illegal and unauthorized intrusion" has put several thousand user accounts at risk on both their Playstation Network and Quriocity online services.

According to Sony, certain service user account information was compromised during the intrusion, which occured some time between the 17th-19th of April  2011. Sony promises that they are doing their best to investigate the matter further, and have advised all of their PSN or Quriocity customers to change their usernames and passwords as an extra security measure.

Sony are busy restructuring the Playstation Network in order to make its services stronger against this type of security attack in the future. As a precautionary measure, all Playstation Network and Quriocity services have been temporarily suspended.

 The security breach, which may also include the theft of users' credit card information, has left several Playstation users angry and demanding answers.

 It is not yet clear how the intruder gained access to the Playstation and Quriocity accounts in the first place, but it casts serious doubt on the safety of Sony's Playstation services and is likely to be a devastating blow to the Playstation franchise as a whole.

If you are worried about the security breach and want more information on this subject, you can visit the official Playstation Website by clicking HERE.

Remember to check in with the Mini Gamers blogsite for more information about this issue in the coming weeks.