[02.04.12] Say goodbye to the PlayStation Network

Anthony Ortale, PSN Logo property of Sony

It’s not gone yet, but it’s certainly on its deathbed, so at least you have time to grab some chocolates, a nice bouquet of flowers, and maybe play your favorite game with it. According to a recent post on the Neogaf forums, it appears as if the PlayStation Network will be no more on Feb. 8. Member Psykotik said he received an email early this morning from Sony:

Dear Psyko_2000,

On February 8, 2012, your “PlayStation®Network account” will be renamed a “Sony Entertainment Network account” or a “SEN account” in conjunction with Sony Computer Entertainment’s PlayStation®3 system software and PlayStation®Vita system software updates. (Note, this change will not be applied to the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system at this time.)

For general purposes, this account change is a change in name only. Your username or password will not change, nor are we asking you to change them. In accordance with this transition, some necessary naming changes will be made to the TOS and Privacy Policy.

This transition is based on Sony’s goal to enhance its unique digital entertainment offering. As a series of these activities Sony started last September, PlayStation®Network will be aligned with “Sony Entertainment Network.” This helps us get closer to our goal of establishing a global comprehensive network platform of services across games, movies, music and more, all accessible from one convenient account.

Thank you for your continued loyalty and support during this transition.

Sincerely,
The Sony Entertainment Network Team

In all honesty, it won’t be much of a fiasco for PlayStation Network users. It’s just a name change and a logo change; think of it as a new paint job. Although at first glance the switch may seem a little unusual, it makes complete sense. The breach of the PlayStation Network, where credit card information was allegedly stolen, certainly left a nasty aroma wafting around its name. Additionally, Microsoft unified its network with the name “Live” across all platforms, which means the change for Sony will put them right in line with their competitors. Just be sure to carefully page through the new Terms of Service before accepting them. The biggest question left behind is what will become of PlayStation Plus? Will its title stick to match the namesake of it’s console, or will it too see a switch to avoid confusion after the disappearance of the PlayStation Network? Unfortunately, “Sony Entertainment Network Plus” just doesn’t have quite as nice of a ring to it.

Source: Neogaf - RIP PSN account. Hello Sony Entertainment Network (SEN) account.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he would love to hear from you!

[10.11.11] PlayStation Network Accounts compromised again!

Accounts were compromised again on October 11

Anthony Ortale, Sony

In a very disappointing and somewhat shocking turn of events, Sony’s VP & Chief Information Officer, Phillip Reitinger, just announced that approximately 93,000 PlayStation Network, Sony Entertainment Network, and Sony Online Entertainment accounts have been compromised today. According to their reports, they have just detected someone attempting to “test a massive set of sign-in IDs and passwords against our network database.” Now, before you go blaming Sony again, it’s not their fault – or so they claim.

“These attempts appear to include a large amount of data obtained from one or more compromised lists from other companies, sites or other sources. In this case, given that the data tested against our network consisted of sign-in ID-password pairs, and that the overwhelming majority of the pairs resulted in failed matching attempts, it is likely the data came from another source and not from our Networks.”

Assuming that this is true, we really should be praising Sony this time around. Not only did they successfully detect it, but they’ve also taken security measures to protect the affected accounts. If your account was affected, you can rest assured that your account is completely safe. Sony has temporarily locked all the jeopardized accounts. All of these will be required to have passwords reset securely via an email to the account’s associated email address.

Sony has also confirmed that no credit card credentials were lost, and only a miniscule amount of the accounts showed activity after the compromise happened. If your account was one of the most unfortunate ones, Sony will work with you to restore any unauthorized purchases to your account.

If you think your account has been compromised and you use the same password for your email address as your PSN, SEN, or SOE ID, you should immediately log in and change your password. Odds are those who have these lists are checking them against your email accounts too, and that is your only secure way of retaining your PSN, SEN, or SOE account! You should also change your password for any other site you have the same, or similar passwords for.

To read the full letter from Phillip Reitinger, click here.

[05.13.11] Sony Online Entertainment announces more compensation plans

Anthony Ortale

Yet another week has passed and the PlayStation Network is still offline. That hasn’t stopped Sony Online Entertainment from making more promises to gamers though. Yesterday on their website, they announced more plans for compensation to all gamers affected by the downtime. Every single player will receive 30 days free plus one additional day for each day the system is down added to their next billing cycle. To go with that, most games are offering free in-game content or bonus events to help make up for lost time. If you have either the PlayStation 3 or PC copy of any of the following games, these are your rewards that you’ll get as soon as everything is fully restored:

·       DC Universe™ Online: Batman™ and Two-Face™ Inspired Masks and 30 Marks of Distinction

·       Free Realms®: Free daily items (7 to collect)

·       Clone Wars Adventures™: Count Dooku v2 Outfit

·       EverQuest®: A series of events, including Double XP, Double Rare Mob Spawns and Double Faction Gains

·       EverQuest II and EverQuest II Extended: A series of events, including Double XP, Double Guild XP, Loot Bonanza, and City Festivals

·       Vanguard: Saga of Heroes®: A series of Double XP events

·       Star Wars Galaxies™: Bounty Hunter Statue, a miniature model of Boba Fett's ship, theSlave I™

·       Magic: The Gathering - Tactics™: Four of each of these spells: "Ivory Mask", "Duress" and "Angelheart Vial", plus 500 Station Cash

·       PoxNora®: Limited edition Carrionling, Welcome Back 5K Gold Award Tournaments and two Draft Tournaments, plus 500 Station Cash

Some of you may be saying “But I’m a lifetime subscriber! What do I get?” No worries, Sony’s got you covered there too. Each of you will be granted in-game currency in addition to any rewards mentioned above.

·       Free Realms players will receive 20,000 coins

·       Clone Wars Adventures players will receive 7,500 Galactic Credits

·       DC Universe Online players will receive 10 Marks of Distinction

Last, any Station Access subscribers will receive 500 Station Cash in addition to any of the above that’s applicable.

As promised before, Sony is also going to offer free enrolment in identity theft protection through Debix for anyone interested who lives within the US [more information]. Anyone outside the US will also receive similar protection, just from different companies depending on where you live. According to the announcement, Sony is hoping to have the network back up and running within just a few more days. They again apologized for the prolonged downtime and wanted to assure you that they are “working around the clock to restore SOE services.”

Apparently this isn’t enough for some PlayStation 3 owners, as many stores both locally and internationally have reported a tremendous increase in PS3 returns. Video Games Etc. in Cedar Rapids is offering up to $180 store credit for a PS3. They’re also offering two specials on games: Buy two new games and get one pre-owned free, or buy three pre-owned games and get one pre-owned free. That, combined with the new updates coming to the Xbox 360 just might be enough to convince more local gamers to make the switch.

Original Post – Sony Online Entertainment’s website