| Developer | Sony Computer Entertainment |
|---|---|
| Type | Online service |
| Launch date | November 11, 2006 |
| Platform | PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita |
| Members | 77 million registered accounts[1] |
| Website | Official Japanese website Official Australian website Official Canada website Official European website Official UK website Official USA website |
PlayStation Network, often abbreviated as PSN, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service provided/run by Sony Computer Entertainment for use with the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita video game consoles.[2] On April 19, 2011 the PlayStation Network (and later also Sony Online Entertainment's network) was put offline due to a "compromise of personal information as a result of an illegal intrusion".[3] At the time of the intrusion, the network consisted of "approximately 130 servers, 50 software programs and 77 million registered accounts".[4] On May 14, 2011, Sony began regionally restoring the PlayStation Network and released a mandatory security firmware update which requires users update their passwords.[5] A new license agreement was subsequently introduced, legally barring users from filing lawsuits and joining class action lawsuits.[6]
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In 2006, Sony announced an online network for the PlayStation 3 system at the 2006 PlayStation Business Briefing meeting in Tokyo,[7] tentatively named "PlayStation Network Platform". Sony also confirmed that the service will always be connected,[8] free,[9] and include multiplayer support.[10] The full list of features available at launch was announced at their TGS 2006 press conference. When the network launched, the registration interface could only be accessed through the PS3 or PSP system interfaces.[11] This has been changed since to allow users to sign up from the PlayStation Network website.
At the Tokyo Game Show on September 21, 2006, it was revealed that users will be able to download some of the PlayStation and PSP titles from the PlayStation Network for about US$5–$15, starting with those with the smallest game data.[12]
On May 8, 2007 Sony Computer Entertainment announced PlayStation Network Cards,[13] a form of electronic money that can be used with the Store. PlayStation Network Tickets, available in units of 1,000, 3,000, 5,000, and 10,000 yen, can be purchased at convenience stores throughout Japan.[14] Each ticket contains a 12 character alphanumeric code which can be input on the PlayStation Network to place credits in the virtual wallet.[15] The tickets are available through electronic kiosks at 26,000 convenience stores, including Lawsons, Family Mart, Daily Yamazaki, Ministop and Sunkus.[16] They are also available at 26,000 post office ATMs, although registration is required first at a special mobile website.[16]
A similar PlayStation Network card system based on actual cards instead of tickets was introduced in South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan in Summer 2007[17] and in Spring 2008 in North America.[18] And latterly the United Kingdom and the EU in October 2009. PlayStation Network Card was also launched in Malaysia in June 2009 in conjunction with the launch of the local PlayStation Store.
On June 29, 2010, a premium PSN subscription service was launched on top of the free PSN service called PlayStation Plus offering exclusive content to its subscribers.
In 2011, Sony sued George Hotz. One of the claims was that he had violated the PlayStation Network's Terms of Use (the PSN User Agreement), which Sony argued constituted a violation of law known as Breach of Contract.
On September 15, 2011, Sony changed the PlayStation Network's license agreement to legally bar users from filing lawsuits and joining class action lawsuits.[6][19][20]
The PlayStation Network April 2011 outage, which began on April 20, 2011 and affected 77 million registered accounts,[21] is the longest amount of time the PSN has been offline since its inception in 2006.[22] Sony acknowledged that the outage prevented users from having the "ability to enjoy the services provided by PlayStation Network and Qriocity including online gaming and online access to music, movies, sports and TV shows", making it temporarily unavailable.[23]
While remaining offline, the PlayStation 3 was unable to play certain Capcom titles that were downloaded from the PlayStation Store.[24] Streaming video providers Hulu, Vudu and Netflix are noted to be inaccessible displaying the same maintenance message. The maintenance message on Netflix can be bypassed, however, and the service can be used (two failed attempts to sign into PSN will allow access to the service).
Sony reported on April 26, 2011 that user data had been obtained by the same hack that resulted in the downtime. This includes names, addresses, email addresses, birthdays, PlayStation Network passwords and logins. It is also possible that profile data, including purchase histories, billing addresses and PlayStation Network password security answers may have been obtained. Sony proceeded to give step-by-step guidelines on how US users could obtain a credit report, place a fraud alert, and freeze their credit file through Equifax, Experian and TransUnion in an effort to prevent identity theft.[25][26]
On May 1, Sony issued a press release and their sincerest apologies stating that the PlayStation Network would shortly begin a "phased restoration", starting with gaming, music and video services.[27] Sony also announced "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".[28] On May 5, Sony announced that they would be offering all PlayStation Network and Qriocity account holders in the United States one free year of AllClear ID Plus, an identity theft protection program powered by Debix.[29]
On May 14, 2011, various PlayStation Network services were being brought back online on a country-by-country basis, starting with North America.[30] These services include: sign-in for PSN and Qriocity services (including password resetting), online game-play on PS3 and PSP, playback of rental video content, Music Unlimited service (PS3 and PC), access to third party services (such as Netflix, Hulu, Vudu and MLB.tv), friends list, chat functionality and PlayStation Home.[30] This accompanies a firmware update for the PS3, version 3.61.[31]
In June 2011, Sony launched a "Welcome Back" program following its data breach allowing all PSN subscribers who joined prior to April 20 to download two free PlayStation 3 titles and two free PlayStation portable games. Users also got 30 free days of PlayStation Plus, while users who already were subscribed got 60 free days.[32]
Registration is performed via the PlayStation 3 console, a PlayStation Portable or a PC. Two types of accounts can be created; Master accounts and Sub accounts. Master accounts allow full access to all settings, including parental control, but the Master must be over the age of 18 to create an account. Sub accounts can subsequently be created with desired restrictions set by the master account holder.[33]
Since Master/Sub accounts are not linked to the PlayStation 3 serial number, which allows users to buy and sell used consoles, they can be used with different consoles as a guest user; therefore a single console can have multiple Master accounts. Although unregistered users can access and browse the PlayStation Store,[34] registration is required to purchase items. Once purchased, items can be downloaded from the PlayStation Store to up to two consoles, however, if the owner account is deleted from a console, the content becomes invalid and is locked.
PlayStation Network launched in November 2006 to coincide with the launch of the PlayStation 3 console in North America and Japan. Due to the delay of the European launch to March 2007, Sony allowed residents of Europe to pre-register their PlayStation Network via PC in order to reserve their favored PSN ID, allowing them to quickly retrieve their details on the day of release.[35]
The full list of current services for PlayStation Network and PlayStation Plus are as follows:
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Canceled Services:
An online ID is the player's username on the PlayStation Network.[46] An online ID used online must be unique and can be from 3 up to 16 characters long, including numbers, letters, hyphens and underscores. Online IDs cannot be changed and the system supports one PlayStation Network account per user (of which there can be sixteen). Online IDs are not to be confused with the system's usernames. Each user can be named (and renamed), and the online ID is connected to that user.
Online IDs also contain avatars,[47] often associated with certain games or game characters. Downloadable avatars (including premium ones) were made possible with firmware 3.0,[48] but will be made available on the PlayStation Store in time. These avatars are not to be confused with the PlayStation Home avatars, which are 3D representations of the user only used in Home.
A sign-in ID is the player's email on the PlayStation Network[46] and is used to sign into any PlayStation Network-related service. Although the online ID is displayed instead, users may only use their email addresses to sign in. The sign-in ID is also used by Sony to send updates and promotional material and is attached to the user's online ID automatically.[46]
"Trophies" are an accomplishment tracking system, introduced to the PlayStation 3 in system software update 2.40 in July 2008.[49] The upcoming portable console PlayStation Vita will be the second console to feature Trophy support for games.[50][51]
The four different types of trophies—bronze, silver, gold, and platinum—are awarded to players for making specific accomplishments (e.g. completing a level or defeating a certain number of enemies) or reaching certain milestones in games (e.g. reaching a "pro" rank online). Developers can also choose to make certain trophies hidden so that the trophy's value, title and description is not shown until the user has unlocked it. A gold, silver, or bronze trophy is normally awarded based on the difficulty of the accomplishment with each trophy contributing to a 'level' system linked to a player's PlayStation Network profile,[52] with gold trophies contributing more experience level advancement than silver, and silver contributing more experience than bronze. A platinum trophy is automatically awarded to the player once they unlock all other trophies in a game, excluding extra trophies that can only be obtained through downloadable content, and contribute more experience than a gold trophy. However, smaller games such as certain PlayStation Network titles, lack a platinum trophy.[52] Trophies are displayed on a player's PlayStation Network profile screen, which also shows their trophy level.
As of the beginning of January 2009, trophy support has become mandatory for all PlayStation 3 games submitted to Sony for certification.[53]
A Portable ID is a small, automatically generated graphic available to PlayStation Network users in Europe and North America through their respective PlayStation websites.[54][55] Intended for use as forum signatures and the like, these graphics contain information such as the user's trophy level, number of trophies and recently obtained trophies. Each user is able to log into their PSN account using a web browser to access and customize their personal Portable ID and are then given a unique URL for the graphic which they can use to display their ID elsewhere on the internet. The graphic is automatically updated regularly to display recent trophy information.[56] Several third-party websites offer similar graphics (commonly referred to as "trophy cards") as both free and paid services which either update the graphic automatically from the user's official Portable ID, from the PlayStation Network or are updated manually by the user.[57]
The PlayStation Network profile is an information panel used to summarize certain PSN information.[47] The information displayed on these profiles includes the user's avatar and PSN name as well as information such as languages and an "About me" section if the user chooses to provide it. User profiles can display a comment, similar to a Facebook status, which can show a short message. However, the comment can only be viewed if a player is online. The profile also includes a summary of the player's Trophy Level, the eight most recently collected Trophies and the number of Trophies the player has collected. A player's user profile can be viewed via the XrossMediaBar, or online through the PlayStation website.
PlayStation Store is an online shopping-based service for the PlayStation Network. The store uses both physical currency and PlayStation Network Cards. The PlayStation Store's gaming content is updated every Tuesday with content such as full games, game demos, game add-ons, game trailers, movie trailers, XMB wallpapers and XMB themes.
Video content such as films and television shows are also available from the PlayStation Store on the PlayStation 3 and PSP and will be made available on some new Sony BRAVIA televisions, VAIO laptop computers and Sony Blu-ray Disc players from February 2010.[58]
On April 15, 2008, Peter Dille, SCE Senior Vice President of Marketing & PlayStation Network, announced that a video download service consisting of full-length TV shows and movies would be launching on the network in 2008.[59] Speaking at Sony’s mid-term strategy meeting on 26 June 2008, SCE president Kaz Hirai confirmed that the video download service would launch on the PlayStation Network during the summer,[60] initially in North America and then in other countries at later dates. Further information was released during the E3 2008 press conference, where SCEA CEO Jack Tretton revealed that movies and TV shows would be available in full and/or rental form, and would be situated in a separate section of the PlayStation Store. Many major studios are participating in the video download service, including Sony Pictures, MGM content under Sony and WB, Lions Gate Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures and Paramount Pictures. The service officially launched in the United States on July 15, 2008, the same day as Sony's E3 press conference.[61][62]
The service was expanded to the UK, France, Germany and Spain on 20 November 2009. The service launched in other territories in Summer 2010[63][64] At the same time Sony started offering movies and TV Shows in Japan whereas before they only offered anime and manga shows. The service was launched in Italy on the 18th May 2010 and Australia on the 20th May 2010. Sony announced at their E3 2010 press conference that the video service will hit Canada on July 1, with other territories to follow the same month.[65]
Qore ( /ˈkɔər/ core), presented by the PlayStation Network, announced on June 3, 2008 by SCEA, is a subscription-based interactive online magazine for the PlayStation Network,[66] which launched on the PlayStation Store in North America on June 5, 2008.
FirstPlay (previously known as Official PlayStation Magazine HD or OPMHD) is an electronic magazine similar to Qore, produced by Future Publishing. Released in April 2010, it is available to PlayStation 3 users via the PlayStation Store in the UK. Like Qore, FirstPlay offers exclusive videos, demos and downloads.[67][68] but is released weekly instead of monthly.[69]
PSOne Classics, launched in North America on December 4, 2006, are re-releases of original PlayStation games through emulation on the PlayStation Store. Available at launch were Cool Boarders, Crash Bandicoot, Hot Shots Golf, Syphon Filter and Tekken 2.[70] Initially only available for download to the PS3 and playable on the PSP. System software version 1.70 for the PS3 allowed PSOne Classics to be playable on the PS3.[71] Eventually the PSP PlayStation Store was added in system software version 5.00, allowing the direct download of PSOne Classics to the PSP.[72]
| Developer | Sony Computer Entertainment |
|---|---|
| Type | Premium online service |
| Launch date | June 29, 2010 |
| Platform | PlayStation 3 |
| Website | Official US website |
PlayStation Plus is a paid PlayStation Network subscription service that was officially unveiled at E3 2010 by Jack Tretton, President and CEO of SCEA. Rumors of such service had been in speculation since Kaz Hirai's announcement at TGS 2009 of a possible paid service for PSN but with the current PSN service still available. Launched alongside PS3 firmware 3.40 and PSP firmware 6.30 on June 29, 2010, the paid-for subscription service provides users with enhanced services on the PlayStation Network, on top of the current PSN service which is still available with all of its features. These enhancements include the ability to have demos, game and system software updates download automatically to the PlayStation 3. Subscribers also get early or exclusive access to some betas, game demos, premium downloadable content and other PlayStation Store items as well as a free subscription to Qore. Users may choose to purchase either a one-year or a three-month subscription to PlayStation Plus.[73]
SCEA offered a limited time offer for the one-year subscription, which was additional three-months for free, while SCEE offered one-year subscribers a digital copy of LittleBigPlanet for a limited time. Regular free bonuses are also made available. These include PlayStation Store discounts and free PlayStation Network games and Downloadable Content (DLC), PSone Classics and PlayStation Minis which the user will own for the duration of their subscription as well as themes and avatars which the user can keep after their subscription has lapsed. PlayStation Plus also offers "Full Game Trials" of some PlayStation Network and retail games, allowing the user to download the full game and use it for one hour (the game expires 1 year after download until the trial has commenced, after which, the trial expires 60 minutes after it has been launched from the XMB). Users can later purchase the game and continue their progress (earned trophies are not added to the users PSN profile until the game is purchased). For SCEA, the first Full Game Trial to be offered was inFamous,[74] while European subscribers get to try out Shatter and Savage Moon.[75] More titles have been added since. In addition, users who are PlayStation Plus subscribers have the PlayStation Plus icon by their PSN ID. Users can only sign up for PlayStation Plus through the PlayStation Store via the PS3.[76]
On March 9, 2011, Sony expanded the features list for its PlayStation Plus service with the addition of online game save storage.[77] As part of the PlayStation Plus subscription, subscribers are given 150 MB of space in "the cloud" for up to 1,000 save files. Copy-prohibited files can be backed up, with the caveat that users can only restore files that have been deleted from their systems once per 24 hours. This feature came into effect with the introduction of PlayStation 3 firmware v3.60.
As part of Sony's "Welcome Back" program from the PSN outage, Sony offered each user who were PSN subscribers before April 20, 2011 a free PlayStation Plus subscription for 30 days, while already existing Plus subscribers received an additional 30 days to their service plus the amount of days PSN was offline.
PlayStation Blog is an online PlayStation focused gaming blog which is part of the PlayStation Network. It was launched on June 11, 2007[78] and since its launch it has featured numerous interviews with both third-party companies such as Square Enix[79] as well as posts from high-ranking Sony Computer Entertainment executives such as Jack Tretton, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sony Computer Entertainment.[80] A sub-site of the blog called PlayStation.Blog Share was launched on March 17, 2010 and allowed readers of the blog as well as users of the PlayStation.Blog to submit ideas to the PlayStation team about anything PlayStation-related as well as vote on the ideas of other submissions.[81][82]
PlayStation Home is a virtual 3D social network gaming service for the PlayStation Network.[83] Home allows users to create a custom avatar, which can be groomed realistically.[84][85] Users can edit and decorate their personal apartments, avatars or club houses with free, premium or won content.[84] Users can shop for new items or win prizes from PS3 games, or Home activities.[85] Users interact and connect with friends and customise content in a virtual world.[86] Home also acts as a meeting place for users that want to play multiplayer games with others.[86]
A closed beta began in Europe from May 2007 and expanded to other territories soon after.[87] Home was delayed and expanded[88] several times before initially releasing.[89][90] The Open Beta test was started on December 11, 2008. Home is available directly from the PlayStation 3 XrossMediaBar. Membership is free and requires a PSN account.[85][86]
Home features places to meet and interact, dedicated game spaces, developer spaces, company spaces and events. The service undergoes a weekly maintenance and frequent updates. As of December 2010, since Home's release in December 2008, the number of users has increased from 0.2 to 17 million, the games from the original nine to 236, virtual items from 114 to 7,000 and 25 events to 600 events.[91]
In October 2009, following the expiration of an exclusivity deal with Microsoft, Netflix and Sony Computer Entertainment announced that the service would also be available on the PlayStation 3 in November 2009 in the United States. The set-up is similar to that on the Xbox 360 in that Netflix subscribers can stream movies and TV shows from their Instant Queue to watch on the console, but different in that access to the application is free for all PlayStation 3 users. Initially, the Netflix application was available only on a Blu-ray Disc, which was made available on Netflix's website for free for subscribers. In September 2010, Netflix officially became available in Canada. On October 18, 2010, a new version of the Netflix application, which does not require a disc (but does require a free PlayStation Network account) and appeared automatically in the Video section of the XMB was released.[43] With features like Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 and 1080p, it was regarded as the best Netflix experience for its time.[92]
On November 18, 2009, Sony released PS3 system update 3.10 which incorporates Facebook into the PS3. With the update, users have the option to automatically update their Facebook News Feeds with Trophy and PlayStation Store activity. The update also allows developers to set specific criteria in their titles to publish additional game information to the user's Facebook News Feed.[93]
What's New was released on September 1, 2009, with PlayStation 3 system software 3.00. The feature was to replace the existing [Information Board], which displayed news from the PlayStation website associated with the user's region. The concept was developed further into a major PlayStation Network feature, with the [Status Indicator] featuring some of What's New (currently in North America, Japan and Brazil only).
The system displays the What's New screen by default instead of the [Games] menu (or [Video] menu, if a movie was inserted) when starting up. What's New automatically animates even without opening the application, just by hovering over it. The application has four sections: "Our Pick", "Recently Played",, and new content available in PlayStation Store. There are four kinds of content the What's New screen displays and links to,[94] on the sections. "Recently Played" displays the user's recently played games and online services only, whereas, the other sections can contain website links, links to play videos, and access to selected sections of the PlayStation Store.
The PlayStation Store icons in the [Game] and [Video] section similarly to the What's New screen, except that they only display and link to games and the Video Store in the PlayStation Store, respectively.
Life with PlayStation, released on September 18, 2008[95] to succeed Folding@home. Life with PlayStation uses virtual globe data to display news and information by city. Along with Folding@home functionality, the application also provides the user with access to three other information "channels", the first of which being the Live Channel which offers news headlines and weather. Information is provided by Google News, The Weather Channel, the University of Wisconsin–Madison Space Science and Engineering Center, among other sources.[96] The second channel is the World Heritage channel which offers historical information about historical sites. The third channel is the United Village channel. United Village is a project designed to share information about communities and cultures worldwide.[97] A recent update has allowed video and photo viewing in the application.[95] The fourth channel is the USA exclusive PlayStation Network Game Trailers Channel for direct streaming of game trailers.
In May 2009, Sony announced their intention to make the PlayStation Network an "open system". This change will facilitate the use of the PSN in devices other than the PlayStation 3 but no specific plans have yet been announced. Sony CEO, Howard Stringer said that the PSN has a lot of potential and that only having it available on the PlayStation 3 was limiting the scale of the service.[98]
PlayStation Network is currently available in 60 countries, although PlayStation Store, PlayStation Home and other features are only available on a handful of selected markets. The list is viewable when signing up for a new PSN account with the PS3.
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As access restrictions are based on the address entered by the user and not on IP address, it is possible for users from non-supported regions to use the service. However, this required the user to provide false address information, which is against SCE's Terms of Use.
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