[05.16.11] These are the Sony freebies you’ve been waiting for!

Yes Kevin Butler, they get two!

Sony Corporation

Now that the PlayStation Network is making some serious progress getting back online, Sony Entertainment of America is announcing its “Welcome Back” program that should have many owners delighted. Sorry, the Black Ops map packs you were hoping for weren’t delivered, however they’re offering up plenty of other free content for any PlayStation Network or Qriocity users who were already registered at the time the networks went down. Once the service is fully restored, users will have 30 days to pick and choose content as they please, and it’ theirs to keep forever.

Any PlayStation 3 owners can select any two of the following:

·       Dead Nation

·       inFAMOUS

·       LittleBigPlanet

·       Super Stardust HD

·       Wipeout HD + Fury

Any PlayStation Portable owners can select any two of the following:

·       LittleBigPlanet (PSP)

·       ModNation Racers

·       Pursuit Force

·       Killzone Liberation

That’s a grand total of four possible free games for PlayStation Network users, assuming you have the applicable devices! The fun doesn’t stop there, though, as all of the following will also be offered up for a limited time:

·       A selection of “On Us” rental movie titles will be available to PlayStation Network customers over one weekend, where Video Service is available. Those titles will be announced soon.

·       30 days free PlayStation Plus membership for non PlayStation Plus subscribers.

·       Existing PlayStation Plus subscribers will receive an additional 60 days of free subscription.

·       Existing Music Unlimited Premium Trial subscription members will receive an additional 30 days of free premium subscription.

·       Additional 30 days + time lost for existing members of Music Unlimited Premium/Basic subscription free of charge for existing Premium/Basic members.

·       To welcome users Home, PlayStation Home will be offering 100 free virtual items. Additional free content will be released soon, including the next addition to the Home Mansion personal space, and Ooblag’s Alien Casino, an exclusive game.

This is definitely good news for Sony as many people were upset with their offerings up until this point, as can be seen in the comments on the announcement for their Sony Online Entertainment freebies. Users in Europe have a similar selection to choose from as well; however no other countries have been announced yet. For more information, head over to the PlayStation Blog.

[05.14.11] PlayStation Network restoration underway in US!

Shortly after the announcement of the new firmware update for the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation blog has confirmed that the restoration process has begun in the United States. It's being done is small segments, so be patient and keep checking back. If you don't want to keep trying to sign in, you can also monitor their blog which has a map that will illuminate states as they come back online. Keep in mind, this isn't a full restoration though. Online multiplayer is being restored now, and all other features will be restored incrementally following this update.

Original Post, PlayStation Blog

[05.14.11] Sony releases promised firmware update, ‘critical step’ for PlayStation Network

Sony’s PlayStation Blog just announced the release of a new firmware update (v3.61) for the PlayStation 3. This mandatory update is available now and requires all PlayStation Network users to update their account password. The catch is that this must be done on the PS3 the account was originally activated on. If you no longer have that PS3 or simply never activated it on one, you’re not left hanging high and dry – check your email account registered as your sign-in ID after your first sign-in attempt and you’ll find a link enabling you to change your password. After either of these steps are finished, you’re free to sign in and out wherever you please!

Sony strongly recommends you do this as soon as possible for security reasons and just to be ready for when the network does come back online. They also stated that this was a “critical step” on making the PlayStation Network more secure and getting it back online. All of this is a breath of fresh air for PlayStation 3 owners as it’s the first real promise that Sony has successfully followed through on after their failure to get the network online by last week. Their new goal is the end of the month and there are plenty of rewards that should be waiting for you. 

Original Post, PlayStation Blog.