Archive for April, 2011
Sony: Services to be Available This Week
Posted by Jay in Gaming Industry, PSN on April 30th, 2011
Sony has just now released a press release with a few more details, including, as mentioned in the title, some services will be back on some time this week. Not only are extra security measures going to be taken immediately, but Sony is also planning to start a new Customer Appreciation program for those of us who were patient enough to bear with the outage, the compromisation of personal data, etc.
Services will be restored by region, with gaming, music and video services available to start. The store might be at a later time, though. Here’s what Sony said about the security, and the measures they performed to enhance it:
Following a criminal cyber-attack on the company’s data-center located in San Diego, California, U.S.A., SNEI quickly turned off the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, engaged multiple expert information security firms over the course of several days and conducted an extensive audit of the system. Since then, the company has implemented a variety of new security measures to provide greater protection of personal information. SNEI and its third-party experts have conducted extensive tests to verify the security strength of the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services. With these measures in place, SCE and SNEI plan to start a phased rollout by region of the services shortly.
The press release has more details of what services to expect to be available when it rolls out. They have also created a new internal position, Chief Information Security Officer, to help ensure that our information will be better secured. Here are a few of the security steps taken:
- Added automated software monitoring and configuration management to help defend against new attacks
- Enhanced levels of data protection and encryption
- Enhanced ability to detect software intrusions within the network, unauthorized access and unusual activity patterns
- Implementation of additional firewalls
The presser goes on to reveal plans for the Welcome Back appreciation program, including that we will all be getting free content and the like for having to deal with this ourselves, as well as providing complimentary assistance in identity theft protection programs, which will, of course, be region specific.
Oh, and 30 days of free PS+ for ALL PSN users. Personally, I think Sony really outdid themselves with this. This is what customer appreciation is all about.
SOME PLAYSTATION®NETWORK AND QRIOCITY™ SERVICES TO BE AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
Phased Global Rollout of Services to Begin Regionally;
System Security Enhanced to Provide Greater Protection of Personal Information
Tokyo, May 1, 2011 – Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) and Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI, the company) announced they will shortly begin a phased restoration by region of PlayStation®Network and Qriocity™ services, beginning with gaming, music and video services to be turned on. The company also announced both a series of immediate steps to enhance security across the network and a new customer appreciation program to thank its customers for their patience and loyalty.
Following a criminal cyber-attack on the company’s data-center located in San Diego, California, U.S.A., SNEI quickly turned off the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, engaged multiple expert information security firms over the course of several days and conducted an extensive audit of the system. Since then, the company has implemented a variety of new security measures to provide greater protection of personal information. SNEI and its third-party experts have conducted extensive tests to verify the security strength of the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services. With these measures in place, SCE and SNEI plan to start a phased rollout by region of the services shortly. The initial phase of the rollout will include, but is not limited to, the following:
- Restoration of Online game-play across the PlayStation®3 (PS3) and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) systems
-This includes titles requiring online verification and downloaded games - Access to Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity for PS3/PSP for existing subscribers
- Access to account management and password reset
- Access to download un-expired Movie Rentals on PS3, PSP and MediaGo
- PlayStation®Home
- Friends List
- Chat Functionality
Working closely with several outside security firms, the company has implemented significant security measures to further detect unauthorized activity and provide consumers with greater protection of their personal information. The company is also creating the position of Chief Information Security Officer, directly reporting to Shinji Hasejima, Chief Information Officer of Sony Corporation, to add a new position of expertise in and accountability for customer data protection and supplement existing information security personnel. The new security measures implemented include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Added automated software monitoring and configuration management to help defend against new attacks
- Enhanced levels of data protection and encryption
- Enhanced ability to detect software intrusions within the network, unauthorized access and unusual activity patterns
- Implementation of additional firewalls
The company also expedited an already planned move of the system to a new data center in a different location that has been under construction and development for several months. In addition, PS3 will have a forced system software update that will require all registered PlayStation Network users to change their account passwords before being able to sign into the service. As an added layer of security, that password can only be changed on the same PS3 in which that account was activated, or through validated email confirmation, a critical step to help further protect customer data.
The company is conducting a thorough and on-going investigation and working with law enforcement to track down and prosecute those responsible for the illegal intrusion.
“This criminal act against our network had a significant impact not only on our consumers, but our entire industry. These illegal attacks obviously highlight the widespread problem with cyber-security. We take the security of our consumers’ information very seriously and are committed to helping our consumers protect their personal data. In addition, the organization has worked around the clock to bring these services back online, and are doing so only after we had verified increased levels of security across our networks,” said Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation. “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 program 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.”
Complimentary Offering and “Welcome Back” Appreciation Program
While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, the company is committed to helping its customers protect their personal data and will provide a complimentary offering to assist users in enrolling in identity theft protection services and/or similar programs. The implementation will be at a local level and further details will be made available shortly in each region.
The company will also rollout the PlayStation Network and Qriocity “Welcome Back” program, to be offered worldwide, which will be tailored to specific markets to provide our consumers with a selection of service options and premium content as an expression of the company’s appreciation for their patience, support and continued loyalty.
Central components of the “Welcome Back” program will include:
- Each territory will be offering selected PlayStation entertainment content for free download. Specific details of this content will be announced in each region soon.
- All existing PlayStation Network customers will be provided with 30 days free membership in the PlayStation Plus premium service. Current members of PlayStation Plus will receive 30 days free service.
- Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity subscribers (in countries where the service is available) will receive 30 days free service.
Additional “Welcome Back” entertainment and service offerings will be rolled out over the coming weeks as the company returns the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services to the quality standard users have grown to enjoy and strive to exceed those exceptions.
SNEI will continue to reinforce and verify security for transactions before resuming the PlayStation®Store and other Qriocity operations, scheduled for this month.
For more information about the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services intrusion and restoration, please visit http://blog.us.playstation.com. or http://blog.eu.playstation.com/
Amazon Holding Huge Clearance Sale!
Amazon currently has 59 titles on clearance, and the list keeps growing. With ridiculous deals, such as 3D-Dot heroes for $14; you can’t pass these up. For a full list, visit this link HERE
Other notable listings are The Force Unleashed 2 collectors edition for $36, and regular edition at $25. The sale also includes XBox and Wii, so there is something for everybody here.
Sony to hold press conference Sunday
Posted by Jason in PS3 software, PSN, QuickNews on April 30th, 2011
Sony is looking to let it all out on the table tomorrow during a press conference. The press conference will be begin at 2:00 p.m. Japan time (9.00pm PST, 12.00am EST, 5.00am BST, 6.00am CET). Executive Deputy President Kazuo Hirai has been chosen to do the speaking on what can be the biggest embarrassment in history. Expect to hear what has been done during the down time and what to look forward to.
Source: Gamepur
More PSN Q&A: Sony talks Trophies, PS3 MMOs and Possible Compensation
Posted by Ace in Media, PS3, PS3 software, PSN on April 29th, 2011
Sony has released another addition of “questions and answers” post over at the official PlayStation blog to update users on the current situation of the its PlayStation Network and Qriocity services.
I’d keep an eye on the official PlayStation Blog for more information about the PSN and Qriocity outage.
- Q: Will our download history/friends list/settings be affected by the PSN downtime?
- A: No, they will not.
- Q: Will trophies that were earned in single-player offline games during the outage be intact when the service resumes?
- A: These trophies are intact and will be re-synched when the network is once again operational.
- Q: Will my PS+ cloud saves be retrievable?
- A: Yes, once PSN is restored.
More Q&A after the jump!
Read the rest of this entry »
[Review] Mortal Kombat
Posted by Baba0Booey in Featured, Mortal Kombat, Reviews on April 29th, 2011
Greetings kombatants, and welcome to my review of the latest sequel to Mortal Kombat. I have been playing a lot of this game; I wanted to experience as much as I could and soak up all the bloody goodness before writing this. I took some extensive notes as I played and was very attentive. I will break the review into a variety of sections: General, Gameplay, Story, Online, and so on, so sit back and enjoy an in-depth look into Mortal Kombat.
Banks on PSN: No Mass Breach of Credit Card Information
A lot of PlayStation Network users became furious, or even confused, when Sony, not long ago, said every PSN account was under the danger of being compromised. Now, however, major American banks have stated that they have no awareness of a mass breach of credit information. What this means is, there hasn’t been any suspicious mass credit card actions in the past couple days. I would still suggest keeping an eye on your bank statements, and maybe changing some passwords if you use the same password for everything.
It’s going to take Sony weeks, months, possibly years, to overcome this horrific event. I want to express to you guys the fact that this could have happened to any cooperation. I also believe these so-called hackers aren’t in it for the money. I, personally, think they are in it for the popularity. They want to be known as the hackers who brought down one of the most secure consoles, or so they say, the PlayStation 3. We, as ps3 gamers, should still have faith in Sony. Just because hackers currently have them in the worst of positions, I think we, as a gaming community, can wrestle this hacking bear, and just beat the living crap out of it.
We should expect PSN to resume by Tuesday at the latest. Assuming the network is 100% secure, of course.
No bears were harmed in the making of this blog post.
Rental Service ‘Redbox’ to Provide Game Rentals Starting June
Posted by Jay in Gaming Industry on April 28th, 2011
The daily price will be $2 a day (even for new releases), though, which is a dollar more than a DVD and $0.50 more than a Blu-Ray, but since games (usually) take longer than the length of a movie to complete, the costs could potentially add up if you rent for a number of days. Given the huge popularity of the service, though, with movies alone, this could be a successful venture, especially since the test markets have had such a positive outcome.
Though, for me, personally, I’ll likely stick with GameFly, because I can buy a game used if I enjoyed it, at a reasonable price, and be in like-new condition, with the retail box that includes an unused online pass (at least, in my experience with a couple titles, including Battlefield: Bad Company 2). But Redbox can still be convenient, if only for impulse rentals while visiting the grocery store.
Anyone else ever rent something from a Redbox?
GAME ON! REDBOX ANNOUNCES IT WILL OFFER VIDEO GAME RENTALS NATIONWIDE THIS JUNE
*April 28, 2011 – *Redbox, America’s movie rental destination, today announced it will offer video game rentals at more than 21,000 redbox locations nationwide beginning June 17, 2011. Top video games will join new release movies for only $2 a day complementing $1 DVD and $1.50 Blu-ray™ daily rental prices. The announcement follows a test of video game rentals in select U.S. markets that began in August 2009.
“Redbox will increase consumers’ access to video game rentals by leveraging our incredible technology and business model to keep rental prices low for consumers,” said Mitch Lowe, president, redbox. “With more than 21,000 redbox locations slated to feature video game rentals alongside movies this June, redbox will be the one-stop shop for entertainment.”
Redbox, a Coinstar, Inc. brand, has tested video game rentals alongside movies at 5,000 redbox locations. “Redbox has rented more than one million video games in less than two years at these locations, underscoring the popularity of video game play in America,” added Lowe.
Today, nearly 64 percent* of people in the United States own a game console.
Upon launch, redbox will feature games across the three major console platforms: PLAYSTATION® 3, Nintendo Wii™ and Xbox 360®. Video game titles will range from top releases to popular family and kids titles.
“Redbox will make discovering the latest games as easy as a trip to the local grocery, convenience or drug store,” said Joel Resnik, vice president, games, redbox.
*About Redbox*
Redbox Automated Retail, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coinstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSTR), offers new release DVD and Blu-ray Disc rentals through its network of conveniently located, self-service kiosks. Redbox has rented more than one billion movies and is available at more than 27,000 locations nationwide, including select McDonald’s restaurants, leading grocery, drug and convenience stores, select Walmart locations and Walgreens locations in select markets. For more information, visit www.redbox.com.
Certain statements in this press release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including phrases conveying expectation or intent and other expressions identifying future performance. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance which may vary materially from performance expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Differences may result from actions taken by Coinstar, Inc or redbox as well as those of third parties and from risks and uncertainties beyond our control. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, changes in the number and timing of anticipated locations, our ability to attract new retailers and penetrate new markets and distribution channels and the termination, non-renewal or renegotiation on materially adverse terms of contract terms with our significant retailers. The foregoing risks and uncertainties are illustrative, but by no means exhaustive. For more information on factors that may affect future performance, please review “Risk Factors” described in our most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements reflect Coinstar, Inc.’s expectations as of the date of this release. Coinstar, Inc. undertakes no obligation to update the information provided herein.
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