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PlayStation Network Service Being Restored
After nearly a month of being offline (and taking fire from all corners of the industry), Sony is beginning to restore PSN back to functionality today.
In a press release, Sony announced that PSN service is coming back to America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East today. Japan and the rest of Asia are not included in this phase of the restoration, and no announcement was made regarding when these regions will be addressed.
So, what exactly is coming back online? Here's the word straight from the announcement:
"The first phase of restored services for these countries and regions will include:
- Sign-in for PlayStation®Network and Qriocity services, including the resetting of passwords
- Restoration of online game-play across PS3 and PSP
- Playback rental video content, if within rental period, of PlayStation Network Video Delivery Service on PS3, PSP and MediaGo
- Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity, for current subscribers, on PS3 and PC
- Access to 3rd party services such as Netflix, Hulu, Vudu and MLB.tv
- 'Friends' category on PS3, including Friends List, Chat Functionality, Trophy Comparison, etc
- PlayStation Home"
Additionally, online games from Sony Online Entertainment are also back up and running.
If you're still concerned about the security of PSN, Sony's press release had this to say: "The company has made considerable enhancements to the data security, including updating and adding advanced security technologies, additional software monitoring and penetration and vulnerability testing, and increased levels of encryption and additional firewalls. The company also added a variety of other measures to the network infrastructure including an early-warning system for unusual activity patterns that could signal an attempt to compromise the network."
You can get additional details and see a video rundown from Kaz Hirai himself on the PlayStation Blog.
It's been a drama-filled affair, and even with the service back up, the problems and their causes will undoubtedly continue to be hot topics of discussion.
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