Just ahead of E3 2017, Sony has kicked off its Days of Play sale on PlayStation Network. The idea we're working with here is "quality over quantity" - there aren't a ton of games being discounted, but the ones that are on sale rank among PlayStation 4's biggest recent games. Because of that, this is the first time we're seeing significant discounts on some of these titles.
Sony will be increasing security for PlayStation owners, confirming that two-factor authentication is being added to the PlayStation Network. The move has long been anticipated, and helps keep gamers’ personal data safe by requiring them to authenticate any log-in attempts. When the new security feature will go live isn’t clear, though a spokesperson has said that Sony will be providing more details in the future.
The PlayStation Network is down and Sony isn't sure when it'll be back up again. It's time to speak with your significant other again. It's time you found out how many children you have running around the house. It's time to speak with your tax representative. The PlayStation Network is experiencing issues in Account Management, Gaming and Social, PlayStation Now, PlayStation Video, PlayStation Vue, PlayStation Store, and PlayStation Music at this time. If you're checking off your checklist of PSN services, that's the whole lot.
PlayStation owners that are fans of videos shot with action cams are in for a treat, as GoPro has announced that its GoPro Channel streaming service is now available on the PS4 and PS3. This comes a year and half after the channel launched an app for Xbox One. The PS4 and PS3 versions of the app will let users stream the same videos as on other platforms, so expect lots of sports, animals, action footage, and other clips filmed in HD.
Almost anyone and everyone has a messaging platform these days and it seems that Sony isn't going to be left behind. Sort of. The Japanese tech giant does have its messaging service but it is one that is intimately tied to its PlayStation Network and, therefore, to gaming. That, of course, doesn't mean that there's no room for yet one more messsagin app, right? Welcome PlayStation Messages, the standalone yet connected messaging app sprung forth from its former all-in-one PlayStation App on smartphones.
Netflix, Hulu, and Yahoo Screen are some of the bigger names in the new business of television programming without a traditional paid-television service. Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) will be joining these cord-cutting services soon. SCE is launching a new online TV service called Playstation Vue which will be available through the Playsation Network to Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 console users. Sony wants to change the way users experience the Playstation Network. They've expanded their service from offering games to including a Spotify service for music. The Playstation Vue will now be adding cable-free TV programming to the mix.
Even gamers grow older. There comes a time when a young gamer reaches a certain legal number of years where he or she can get access to content previously unavailable to them, legally or otherwise. When that coming of age does arrive, Sony will now let them easily gradate from a PSN Sub Account to a Master Account as easily as flicking a switch. Sony says this is a much requested feature and, considering that a lot of gamers probably turn 18 every year, it's somewhat puzzling it took them this long to implement it.
Friday saw the arrest of an 18-year-old man in the UK for his involvement in the hackings that took down both the PlayStation and Xbox online gaming networks for several days last month starting on Christmas. The incident saw a number of headlines after the holiday, as gamers were unable to get online for an increasingly frustrating period of time, and hacking group Lizard Squad claimed responsibility. The unnamed teen was arrested by police near the city of Liverpool on suspicion of not only hacking, but also "swatting."
Sony is hoping to pacify PlayStation gamers frustrated by the PSN downtime over the holidays, apologizing for the gaming network being offline, and offering free service and cheaper games as a mea culpa. Having seen the PlayStation Network brought down by hacking group Lizard Squad on Christmas Day, and then taken several days to bring it back to life afterwards, Sony is automatically adding five days of PlayStation Plus service to all subscribers or trial users impacted on December 25th. Meanwhile, there'll be a discount on games sometime this month, though it's unclear whether PS3 and PS4 owners will be suitably placated by it.
Sony may have brought the PlayStation Network back to life after its three days of downtime, but that hasn't stopped some PS4 and PS3 owners from still experiencing problems getting online. The resurrection of the gaming network after it came under attack on Christmas Day cost Sony no small amount of lost reputation, but even with the fix that was finalized yesterday in place, not everyone is happy. Ongoing reports of an inability to connect mean the headache isn't over for some gamers simply wanting to get their online gaming going.
After three days of downtime, millions of frustrated PlayStation owners, and quite probably a fair few tantrums on Christmas morning, Sony's PlayStation Network has finally been restored. The online gaming service had been offline since December 25th, the victim of a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), as servers were hammered by web traffic and legitimate gamers were unable to connect for multiplayer titles and more. However, while Microsoft moved relatively quickly to bring Xbox Live back to life, restoring the majority of its services by the following day, Sony's fix was nowhere in sight.
This morning it was made clear that Sony was having trouble with their PlayStation Network. Meanwhile Microsoft was having trouble keeping Xbox Live online - and the hacker group Lizard Squad claimed responsibility. According to reports throughout the day, it would appear that the Xbox Live system had largely repaired problems by around 10AM Central Time - with another spike near 2PM Central Time - with uptime returning again here closer to 5PM Central Time. Sony's PlayStation Network saw problems from around midnight until 10AM Central Time, and again over the past several hours leading up to 5PM Central Time.
